AT&T CEO Realizes Culture Change Isn’t A Bingo Night, Moves Too Slow
KEY POINTS
- •AT&T CEO John Stankey admitted in August 2025 that he was too slow in prioritizing company culture changes.
- •Stankey's blunt memo told employees to align with the new market-based culture or find another job, sparking viral discussions.
- •At the Wall Street Journal CEO Council Summit, he highlighted ongoing efforts including AI upskilling and a strict five-day office mandate.
In August 2025, AT&T CEO John Stankey confessed he fumbled the culture shift like it was a snail on a treadmill. His notably blunt, viral memo warned employees to shape up or ship out, aka ‘five days in the office or exit stage left.’ This memo sparked a wildfire of workplace loyalty debates, revealing the telecom giant’s leap into a 'more market-based culture.' At a Wall Street Journal summit, Stankey admitted he should have catapulted culture change to the top of his to-do list instead of letting it linger amid other priorities. Meanwhile, the company doubles down on AI upskilling, monitoring who's actually hitting the tutorials, so future-proofing means a corporate Big Brother meets tech bootcamp vibe.
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When your CEO admits he was too slow to change culture, maybe speed isn’t the problem—maybe it’s the whole ‘culture change’ itself. AT&T’s memo was basically ‘Get with the times or get out,’ served lukewarm with a side of awkward hubris.
AT&T’s culture makeover schedule: ‘Eventually. Maybe. Don’t hold your breath.’ CEO’s viral memo was the corporate version of ‘We’ll get to it... later.’
John Stankey’s memo did what all good viral hits do—make everyone agree culture change is hard but somehow send the message to ‘quit if you don’t like it.’ Spoiler: that’s not inclusive.
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 12/10/2025 | Author: Kelsey Vlamis
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