Business & Finance
AT&T plans ongoing job cuts alongside network automation, report says
Wired reports that the telecom giant will continue reducing headcount as it automates operations and phases out copper networks.
The short version
- AT&T plans to continue reducing staff as it adopts artificial intelligence and modernizes network operations.[Wired]
- The carrier employed nearly 131,000 workers as of June, after cutting 2,100 jobs in the first half of 2026 and 8,000 employees last year.[Wired]
- Operations are shifting from legacy copper to fiber, wireless, and cloud software across most of its footprint.[Wired]
- An alleged internal target of 85,000 employees by 2030 remains disputed by the company.[Wired]
Key facts
- AT&T cut around 2,100 positions during the first half of 2026 after shedding 8,000 jobs in the previous year.[Wired]
- Chief technology officer Jeremy Legg stated that the company's headcount will decline over the next five years.[Wired]
- AT&T expects to phase out copper services across more than 85 percent of its current territory by the end of the year.[Wired]
- The company has reduced its total power usage by 13.1 percent between 2020 and 2025 as it moves away from copper infrastructure.[Wired]
- Starting next year, physical hardware across thousands of hubs will be replaced with cloud software from DriveNets to enable remote adjustments.[Wired]
What remains uncertain
- Whether AT&T is actively targeting a workforce reduction down to approximately 85,000 employees by 2030, a figure cited by an unnamed source but denied by the company.[Wired]
- Whether regulators will approve the phaseout of legacy copper services in all planned regions amid local opposition in areas lacking alternative connectivity.[Wired]
Sources
Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.