AT&T, which already shed more than half of its workforce over the past decade, says it's going to continue laying off staff as it gears up for the AI era. The telecommunications giant is also doing away with its old-school landline service and using artificial intelligence to automate some internal processes. All this downsizing is resulting in tangible benefits, including a considerable decrease in electricity usage, AT&T chief technology officer Jeremy Legg tells WIRED.

“We’re not going to have the same headcount in five years as we do today,” Legg says, adding that comparing its staffing levels to that of peers plays a role in its decisionmaking. According to public financial disclosures, AT&T generated less revenue per employee last year than its competitors Verizon and T-Mobile, both of which have let go of workers in recent months.

If AT&T continues cutting jobs at the same pace as last year, when it shed 8,000 people, its workforce could approach 85,000 employees by 2030. A person familiar with the matter, who was not authorized to speak publicly, described that number as the company’s target. AT&T called the figure inaccurate. In the first half of 2026, the telecom giant cut some 2,100 jobs.

By the end of the decade, AT&T wants to be seen as a “dramatically different” company with a “fantastic” fiber internet service and “kickass wireless network,” AT&T CEO John Stankey said at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference in San Francisco earlier this month.

AT&T’s transition provides a window into how legacy companies are trying to rebuild their operations as artificial intelligence tools become increasingly capable .

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