AT&T is accelerating job cuts as it transitions to AI-driven operations and phases out its legacy landline infrastructure. The telecommunications giant's chief technology officer Jeremy Legg confirmed the company won't maintain current staffing levels, having already reduced its workforce by over half in the past decade. AT&T cut 8,000 jobs last year and 2,100 in the first half of 2025. A source suggested the company is targeting around 85,000 employees by 2030, down from nearly 131,000 as of June, though AT&T disputed this figure. The company is deploying AI across operations, including customer service, network management, and infrastructure planning. Starting next year, AT&T will replace physical hardware at thousands of hubs with cloud software from Israeli startup DriveNets, eliminating many middle management and junior developer positions. Simultaneously, AT&T is decommissioning its energy-intensive copper wire network, with 85 per cent of its footprint no longer requiring copper service by year-end.

AI is reshaping employment; entrepreneurial thinking will define the future, says Dr. J. A. Chowdary at Industry Leadership Summit 2026. September 19, 2026 * Senior leaders from IBM, Genpact, DBS Tech India, Micron Technology, FedEx, Wells Fargo, AT&T and other leading organisations came together at the Ashoka School of Business Industry Leadership Summit 2026 to deliberate on navigating business uncertainty, leading people through disruption, and redefining leadership in the rapidly evolving AI era. Hyderabad, September 19, 2026: The world is witnessing rapid economic volatility, geo-political tensions, technological changes and major disruptions. The standard playbooks across sectors are becoming obsolete. The leaders are constantly facing the challenge of making high-stake, transformative choices without full visibility. The senior industry leaders came together at the Industry Leadership Summit 2026, hosted by Ashoka School of Business (ASB) in Hyderabad, to discuss how organisations can make better decisions, prepare their workforce and lead organizations effectively. Held under the theme "Leadership in the Time of Uncertainty," the summit brought together business and human resource leaders, technology professionals, corporate decision-makers and academicians from reputed organisations for discussions on strategic decision-making, AI led transformation, workforce preparedness and the future of leadership. Dr. J.A. Chowdary, Founder & Chairman, International Startup Foundation and Former Special Chief Secretary and IT Advisor, Government of Andhra Pradesh, said" The honeymoon period of getting a degree, waiting for campus recruitment and building a career by simply executing instructions is over. AI is disrupting that model and forcing us to rethink both education and employment. The future belongs to young people who can identify problems, build solutions and create jobs rather than merely look for jobs. Universities must therefore move beyond degrees and credits to nurture competence, entrepreneurship, mentorship and real-world problem-solving. In the age of AI, what matters is not where you studied, but what you can create, solve and deliver. Thanking the industry leaders for sharing their insights, Arjun Kumar Nomula, Secretary, Ashoka School of Business, said, "At Ashoka School of Business, our vision goes beyond helping students earn a degree. We aim to shape them into future leaders, entrepreneurs and job creators. Through experiential learning, industry exposure and meaningful engagement with corporate leaders, we want our students to understand real-world challenges, develop a leadership mindset and gain the confidence to build enterprises of their own. Platforms such as the Industry Leadership Summit play an important role in bridging the gap between the classroom and the corporate world." "The Leadership Conclave provided a meaningful platform for industry and academia to come together and explore the evolving realities of leadership in an uncertain and rapidly changing world. The insights shared by distinguished industry leaders offered our students valuable perspectives on decision-making, adaptability and leading people through change. Such interactions help bridge the gap between classroom learning and real-world leadership, enabling us to nurture future leaders who are confident, curious, adaptable and prepared to navigate complexity," said Dr. Arijit Santikary, Director, Ashoka School of Business. Leading Through the Fog: Making Decisions Amid Uncertainty The first panel discussion, "Leading through the Fog: The Art of Decision Making and the Way Forward," examined how business leaders can make effective decisions when technology, markets and organisational priorities are evolving simultaneously. Moderated by Ms. Pallavi Singh, Vice President, Genpact, the panel featured Ms. Anuradha A, Executive Director, IBM; Dr. Venkatram, M.D. and CEO, Seedworks; Mr. Vijaya Kadiyala, Executive Director, DBS Tech India; Dr. U Ram Mohan, Principal Director, Truth Labs; and Ms. Siva, Director, EisnerAmper. The leaders discussed strategic agility, risk assessment and the growing role of AI and data in corporate decision-making. The deliberations also underlined the importance of combining technology-driven insights with leadership experience, contextual understanding and human judgement, particularly when organisations are operating without complete visibility. Leading People When the AI Map Is Still Being Drawn The second panel discussion, "Zero Visibility and the Way Forward: Leading People When the AI Map Is Still Being Drawn," focused on the human side of AI transformation and the challenges organisations face in preparing their workforce for rapidly changing roles and skill requirements. The session was moderated by Ms. Neha Samantaray, Global Head - Enabler, Micron Technology, and featured Ms. Barnali Bhattacharjee, Head of HR, FedEx GCS India; Ms. Gaurri Butti, Executive Director - HR, Wells Fargo; Lt. Col Pragathi Kumar, HR Director, AT&T; and Ms. Cireesha Mailavarapu, Associate Vice President - HR, Sodexo. The HR leaders discussed how AI is reshaping job roles, skills and workplace expectations, while highlighting the growing importance of continuous learning, upskilling and reskilling. The discussion also focused on transparent employee communication and the need for leadership approaches that combine technological readiness with empathy and people-centric management. The summit provided a platform for meaningful interaction between industry and academia, enabling corporate leaders and academicians to exchange perspectives on the competencies that management graduates and young professionals will require as AI becomes more deeply integrated into businesses. The discussions further highlighted the need for educational institutions and industry to work closely in preparing future professionals not merely to use emerging technologies, but also to develop critical thinking, adaptability, decision-making and leadership capabilities. Through the Industry Leadership Summit 2026, Ashoka School of Business reinforced its focus on strengthening industry-academia engagement and creating platforms where senior professionals can exchange ideas on emerging challenges and opportunities shaping the future of business. The summit concluded with interactions among industry leaders, corporate professionals, academicians and delegates, with discussions centred on building agile, responsible, people-centric and future-ready organisations in the AI era.