T-Mobile's AI Push: Layoffs & Growth

0:00It's March 31st, you're listening to Durham News today, AI-powered local news. I'm Corey with the story. T-Mobile's dealing with higher customer churn this year, hitting 0.93% for post-paid phones, up from 0.86%. Percent last year, that loss is pushing the carrier to overhaul its game under new CEO, Sreeni Gopalon, who's all in on digital transformation using AI and the T-Life app. For everything from activations to upgrades, layoffs kicked off in December, hitting sales and account teams, then spreads a retail and support in January. Now, the latest cuts targeted the IT department, affecting hundreds of workers, including teams under the chief information officer handling digital, products and billing. Employees are worried this app only shift means more pink slips, even as T-Mobile says is just aligning for growth. The company confirms some role eliminations, but stressed, they're hiring in key spots

1:00to boost innovation and customer service. Gopalon insists the three-year AI push isn't about mass layoffs. It's about building tech, getting customers on board and scaling up. They expect $3 billion in savings by 2027 from these changes. This fits the bigger tech trend, with over 33,000 job cuts announced so far this year, fueled by AI and market pressures. T-Mobile's pivot shows carriers racing to automate or get left behind.