AT&T CTO Says Headcount Will Keep Shrinking as AI Adoption Expands

AT&T CTO Jeremy Legg told WIRED the company's workforce will be smaller in five years, as it retires legacy landline infrastructure and automates internal processes with AI. AT&T cut about 8,000 jobs last year and roughly 2,100 more in the first half of 2026; a person familiar with the matter said the company is targeting around 85,000 employees by 2030, though AT&T disputed that figure as inaccurate. CEO John Stankey has said he wants AT&T to look like a 'dramatically different' company by decade's end.