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Summary
Deutsche Telekom may be looking to replace T-Mobile’s CEO Mike Sievert with COO Srini Gopalan.
Sievert may be in agreement with the plan, and might want a break.
Possible change comes as T-Mobile is making larger changes in its approach.
It could be all-change at T-Mobile, as it has been reported it could let its current CEO go early to ease a change in direction (via Phone Arena).
The change is said to come from Deutsche Telekom, a German telecommunications company with the largest shareholding in T-Mobile. According to the German report in Handelsblatt, the company is interested in reorganizing T-Mobile, and changing the leadership at the top would be a large part of that.
Shifting from growth to more fiber and premium pricing
Current CEO may be in agreement with the plan
T-Mobile is currently in the midst of a change in business direction, pivoting from a focus on growing customer numbers, to becoming a premium brand with a strong fiber footprint. Current CEO Mike Sievert has been part of that change so far, but may be willing to hand over command of the company to the Chief Operating Officer (COO) Srini Gopalan. According to the report from Handelsblatt, Gopalan has been strongly pushing the change in direction, making him the more natural lead for the company during this time.
It also seems as if Sievert is fully on board with the change, too. The CEO has supposedly expressed a desire for a break, and was part of the process that settled on Gopalan as his replacement.
However, there seems to be some confusion as to whether Sievert will stay with the company long-term. His current contract runs until 2028, and T-Mobile told Fierce Wireless Sievert was excited about the company’s long-term strategy. But as ever with company communications, it could be this is simply T-Mobile trying not to scare the horses. A major CEO leaving his position or being fired could have an impact on the market, and it’s possible T-Mobile and Deutsche Telekom are looking for a way to gently push Sievert out, possibly with his cooperation. Of course, none of this is confirmed and is simple speculation. As Phone Arena notes, Sievert was at the helm during a number of unpopular decisions, including price hikes and the removal of the price guarantee, so this could be a way for T-Mobile to remove some of that stigma.
Whatever the truth, T-Mobile with Gopalan at the helm is likely to be a completely different beast, and we’re excited to see what it does next.
