Randall Lynn Stephenson (born April 22, 1960) is a retired American telecommunications executive. He served as chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of AT&T Inc. from 2007 to 2020.[1][2] He was national president of the Boy Scouts of America from 2016 to 2018.
Stephenson continued as COO following SBC's acquisition of AT&T in 2005, responsible for all wireless and wireline operations at AT&T. In April 2007, AT&T announced Stephenson would succeed retiring Edward Whitacre as CEO and serve as chairman and CEO of AT&T Inc.. In 2008 Randall Stephenson helped AT&T launch AT&T Aspire and led their "It Can Wait" campaign.[5]
Stephenson was chairman of the Business Roundtable from 2014 to 2016.[6]
In September 2016, Stephenson gave a speech regarding race relations at AT&T’s annual Employee Resource Group conference in Dallas. An employee posted a video of the speech to YouTube, in which Stephenson asked attendees to make a greater effort to understand each other and communicate better through a compelling witness defending Black Lives Matter despite racial tensions in the United States.[7]
During his tenure as CEO, AT&T acquired DirecTV for $49 billion in July 2015 and Time Warner for $85 billion in June 2018. According to Drew FitzGerald of The Wall Street Journal, Stephenson has "transformed the phone company he inherited into one of the world's biggest entertainment companies."[8] However, AT&T also failed acquisition of T-Mobile.
On July 1, 2020, Stephenson retired as CEO of AT&T. He was succeeded by then-COO John Stankey.[9] At the time Stephenson announced his departure, it was acknowledged that the acquisitions of DirectTV and Time Warner had by this point resulted in a massive debt burden of $200 billion for the company,[10] forcing the company to cut back on its capital investments.[11] and In December 2020, the Financial Times said Stephenson's "legacy has been stained by poor acquisitions".[12]
Scouting
He was the 37th National President of the Boy Scouts of America, serving from 2016[13] until 2018.[14] Stephenson, as well as fellow board member Jim Turley, CEO of Ernst & Young, publicly opposed the BSA's practice of banning openly gay Scouts and stated their intention "to work from within the BSA Board to actively encourage dialogue and sustainable progress."[15]
PGA Tour Policy Board
Stephenson served from 2012 to 2023 on the policy board of the PGA Tour. He resigned in a July 8, 2023 letter citing “serious concerns” about the tour's partnership with the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund. In his resignation letter, Stephenson said the framework of the deal “is not one that I can objectively evaluate or in good conscience support, particularly in light of the U.S. intelligence report concerning Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.”[16]
^"AT&T Names John Stankey C.E.O. as Randall Stephenson Plans to Retire". The New York Times. April 24, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2021. AT&T, the telecommunications giant that has moved into media and entertainment, announced a changing of the guard on Friday. John Stankey, a veteran of the company, will become its new chief executive starting July 1. He will take the reins from Randall L. Stephenson, who has led AT&T since 2007.
^"AT&T Names John Stankey C.E.O. as Randall Stephenson Plans to Retire". The New York Times. April 24, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2021. John Stankey, a veteran of the company, will become its new chief executive starting July 1. He will take the reins from Randall L. Stephenson, who has led AT&T since 2007. Mr. Stankey, 57, became the chief operating officer last October and has managed the bulk of the company's operations since then.
