Leadership Summit 2026: AT&T CEO John Stankey on Developing Technology and Talent in the AI Era

Transforming a legacy institution like AT&T requires a dual focus on strategic pivots and deep-seated cultural evolution. While strategic changes rely on clear communication and aligned incentives, cultural shifts demand long-term, deliberate integration into every talent decision, from recruitment to performance management. Moving from an engineering-centric model to a market-based culture necessitates prioritizing customer pain points and fostering two-way commitment between the company and its employees. In-person collaboration remains essential for driving complex, multi-year innovation initiatives, mentoring a workforce with a wide experience gap, and rebuilding social cohesion. Furthermore, integrating AI into operations—ranging from network infrastructure to administrative tasks—offers significant productivity gains, though it requires transparent management of workforce transitions and a commitment to retraining staff for an evolving technological landscape.