Why Great Turnarounds Start with Culture, Not Strategy

Verizon’s corporate turnaround, led by CEO Dan Schulman, centers on transforming a risk-averse, engineering-centric organization into a competitive, customer-obsessed entity. By shifting focus from internal processes to individual customer needs, the company aims to reverse years of market share loss and declining satisfaction. Schulman’s strategy prioritizes radical transparency and cultural reform, including a "play to win" mentality and significant investment in AI-driven infrastructure. Beyond connectivity, Verizon is positioning itself as an orchestration layer for AI, utilizing edge computing and secure agentic environments to add value for consumers and businesses. To manage the inevitable disruption of these technological shifts, the company is implementing extensive reskilling programs, balancing fiscal responsibility with a commitment to workforce development. Success hinges on achieving measurable improvements in churn rates, subscriber growth, and long-term institutional agility in an increasingly AI-native landscape.