John T. Stankey
Summary
John T. Stankey has led AT&T as president and CEO since July 2020 and became chairman of the board in February 2025. ([investors.att.com](https://investors.att.com/corporate-governance/leadership/john-stankey-bio))
Biography
Stankey joined AT&T in 1985 and has held senior roles across the company, including chief operating officer, chief strategy officer, chief technology officer, CEO of AT&T Business Solutions, and CEO of AT&T Entertainment Group. He also served as CEO of WarnerMedia before becoming AT&T’s chief executive. ([investors.att.com](https://investors.att.com/corporate-governance/leadership/john-stankey-bio)) He holds a B.B.A. in finance from Loyola Marymount University and an M.B.A. from UCLA. As CEO, he has overseen AT&T’s shift toward a more focused connectivity business centered on wireless, fiber broadband, and related services. He became chairman after the board elected him to that role in February 2025. ([investors.att.com](https://investors.att.com/corporate-governance/leadership/john-stankey-bio))
Notable achievements
- Oversaw substantial investment in AT&T’s wireless, fiber, and spectrum assets; the company reported more than $150 billion of network investment from 2021 through 2025. ([investors.att.com](https://investors.att.com/corporate-governance/leadership/john-stankey-bio))
- Led the company’s strategic refocus on connectivity after the divestiture of WarnerMedia and the separation of DIRECTV, helping reduce exposure to non-core media assets. ([about.att.com](https://about.att.com/ecms/dam/snrdocs/IR/ATT_Provides_Update_Strategy_Financial_Outlook.pdf?utm_source=openai))
- Expanded AT&T Fiber and 5G offerings, including fiber availability to more than 30 million customer locations by mid-2025. ([about.att.com](https://about.att.com/story/2025/2q-earnings.html?utm_source=openai))
- Pursued the $5.75 billion acquisition of Lumen’s mass-markets fiber business to expand AT&T’s broadband footprint. ([about.att.com](https://about.att.com/story/2025/lumen-mass-markets-fiber-business.html?utm_source=openai))
- Supported a new 2026 joint venture with T-Mobile and Verizon focused on satellite-powered direct-to-device connectivity. ([about.att.com](https://about.att.com/story/2026/new-joint-venture.html?utm_source=openai))
Problem areas / controversies
- AT&T’s earlier expansion into media, including the Time Warner acquisition, was later reversed through the WarnerMedia divestiture, reflecting the difficulty of achieving the intended telecom-media combination. ([about.att.com](https://about.att.com/ecms/dam/snrdocs/IR/ATT_Provides_Update_Strategy_Financial_Outlook.pdf?utm_source=openai))
- The company’s ownership and management of legacy lead-sheathed telecommunications cables drew scrutiny from the EPA and Justice Department after reporting raised health and environmental concerns; AT&T said it was cooperating with regulators and did not believe the cables represented a major public-health hazard. ([wsj.com](https://www.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/gB1GwygiC1sgfEl3Cp0t-WSJNewsPaper-7-27-2023.pdf?utm_source=openai))
- The acquisition and subsequent separation of DIRECTV remained a significant strategic and capital-allocation issue during Stankey’s tenure, with AT&T ultimately completing the sale of its remaining stake in 2025. ([about.att.com](https://about.att.com/story/2025/2q-earnings.html?utm_source=openai))