Profits just keep rolling in at T-Mobile US. So only thing to do is
axe 5,000 workers

T-Mobile US will lay off roughly 5,000 employees, or about seven
percent of its workforce, over the next five weeks, the wireless
carrier revealed in a recent regulatory filing.
...
...
The layoffs come just weeks after the Un-carrier reported [PDF]
profits of $2.2 billion over its last reported 90 days trading, up
from a $108 million loss the year prior. T-Mobile US also recorded a
$1.9 billion profit in the quarter before. Sievert said the job cuts
should be the last "widespread company reduction" for the foreseeable
future.

Thanks for helping us turn a profit this year; now there's the door.
...
...
In addition to job cuts, the carrier is reorganizing its management.
"We need to move at the speed of technology using data, AI, and other
tools to deliver simplified digital experiences specifically curated
for every customer," Sievert said

https://www.theregister.com/2023/08/25/t_mobile_layoffs_5000/

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On 2023-08-27, JAB <[email protected]d> wrote:

Profits just keep rolling in at T-Mobile US. So only thing to do is
axe 5,000 workers

T-Mobile US will lay off roughly 5,000 employees, or about seven
percent of its workforce, over the next five weeks, the wireless
carrier revealed in a recent regulatory filing.
...
...
The layoffs come just weeks after the Un-carrier reported [PDF]
profits of $2.2 billion over its last reported 90 days trading, up
from a $108 million loss the year prior. T-Mobile US also recorded a
$1.9 billion profit in the quarter before. Sievert said the job cuts
should be the last "widespread company reduction" for the foreseeable
future.

Thanks for helping us turn a profit this year; now there's the door.
...
...
In addition to job cuts, the carrier is reorganizing its management.
"We need to move at the speed of technology using data, AI, and other
tools to deliver simplified digital experiences specifically curated
for every customer," Sievert said

https://www.theregister.com/2023/08/25/t_mobile_layoffs_5000/

Not enough info here to make an informed opinion, though I can
appreciate the outrage.

Often, firing boatloads of shitty middle management is useful. And
that's the opinion of a shitty middle manager!

Maybe that's the team that looked after their 2G network, now
deprecated, who knows?

I personally know a person whose only job is to transfer info from one spreadsheet into another spreadsheet. I could replace her with a small
bash script, instead, she earns a salary and benefits (and milks them,
too).

My only beef with the article is the now obligatory name-drop of AI.
FFS, AI is not a panacea and certainly does not have to be a mandatory
part of every software offering and press release. Even my office suite
wanted me to upgrade to a new version with AI built in. (I did not, and
don't plan to).

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On Mon, 28 Aug 2023 00:40:30 +0100, Retrograde
<[email protected]d> wrote:

Not enough info here to make an informed opinion,

"According to the letter, the layoffs will primarily hit workers in
corporate, back-office, and technology roles. Retail and customer
service workers won't be impacted by the cuts, it's said.

"Impacted roles are primarily duplicative to other roles, or may be
aligned to systems or processes that are changing, or may not fit with
our current company priorities," Sievert explained."

My only beef with the article is the now
obligatory name-drop of AI.

I believe companies will cut staffing if a new tech can reduce costs. ================================

Telephone operation was a good career for women. Then it got
automated.

How automation wiped out a whole career for young women -- and how
young women adapted. https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2023/7/18/23794187/telephone-operator-switchboard-automation-att-feigenbaum-gross
===================

Dialing 411 Is Soon to Be a Thing of the Past

AT&T is halting the services Jan. 1 for digital landline customers in
21 states.

Come Jan. 1, AT&T Inc. phone customers with digital landlines will no
longer be able to dial 0 for the operator or get directory assistance
from 411: The telecom giant is ending the age-old services in 21
states, sending them the way of the pay phone.

The company stopped offering operator and directory assistance to
wireless customers over a year ago. Other telecom giants have phased
out the services as well. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-11-08/at-t-to-end-411-directory-saying-farewell-to-telephone-operator-era#xj4y7vzkg

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On 8/27/2023 8:26 PM, JAB wrote:

Dialing 411 Is Soon to Be a Thing of the Past

Come Jan. 1, AT&T Inc. phone customers with digital landlines

I'm not about to dial 411 and get billed for it, but when I dial "0"
with my AT&T land line, it tells me the time and date, then offers to
connect me with an operator. That said, I do have a traditional AT&T
PSTN land line; not a "digital" one.

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On 8/27/2023 7:40 PM, Retrograde wrote:

On 2023-08-27, JAB<[email protected]d> wrote:

Profits just keep rolling in at T-Mobile US. So only thing to do is
axe 5,000 workers (snip)

Thanks for helping us turn a profit this year; now there's the door.
...

https://www.theregister.com/2023/08/25/t_mobile_layoffs_5000/

Not enough info here to make an informed opinion, though I can
appreciate the outrage.

That's true.

Here's my guess: T-Mo said that the Sprint/T-Mo merger wouldn't cause lay-offs. I'd bet that there were tons of redundant jobs afterward, and
T-Mo has been slowly letting those people go, rather than all at once...
kinda sneaky!

Maybe that's the team that looked after their 2G network, now
deprecated, who knows?

Not so fast... 2G is still alive and well (Running on bare minimum, I
guess, but it's functional). Sitting next to me at my desk is my Nokia
3395 mobile phone (circa 2002), which operates over 1900 MHz 2G via
T-Mobile, because they are the only carrier who have not yet axed the
service. I still have service, and can make/receive mobile calls. Yes,
this is my only cell phone.

T-Mo has pushed the 2G shutoff date back numerous times. Apparently,
this time, the shut-off date has now been extended to April 2024. We'll
see... I'll still use my phone up until it no longer connects. My
friend with a 3G phone near Milwaukee said that his phone still had 3G
for months after the alleged 3G shut-down, but it's fully gone now.
Official T-Mo network evolution site below:

https://www.t-mobile.com/support/coverage/t-mobile-network-evolution

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Not so fast... 2G is still alive and well (Running on bare minimum, I
guess, but it's functional). Sitting next to me at my desk is my Nokia
3395 mobile phone (circa 2002), which operates over 1900 MHz 2G via
T-Mobile, because they are the only carrier who have not yet axed the service. I still have service, and can make/receive mobile calls. Yes,
this is my only cell phone.

https://www.t-mobile.com/support/coverage/t-mobile-network-evolution

Oh wow, great phone. I knew several people who had those -
indestructable, and I think you only had to charge them like once or
twice a week. When I first saw smartphones that couldn't make it
through the day, I thought, who would want that?

Just did a search for my old phone and came up with this page: https://www.cnet.com/pictures/2004-a-trip-down-mobile-memory-lane/10/

Look at the outstanding diversity in design - so much creativity, so
many options. Every phone is virtually indistinguishable these days,
so boring.

Never did find my old phone. Possibly one of these: https://i.pinimg.com/736x/12/d0/96/12d09693b99804bb06cb9bbc80ed8760.jpg
--
Retrograde <[email protected]d>

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On 8/28/2023 8:37 PM, Retrograde wrote:

Not so fast... 2G is still alive and well (Running on bare minimum, I
guess, but it's functional). Sitting next to me at my desk is my Nokia
3395 mobile phone (circa 2002), which operates over 1900 MHz 2G via
T-Mobile, because they are the only carrier who have not yet axed the
service. I still have service, and can make/receive mobile calls. Yes,
this is my only cell phone.

https://www.t-mobile.com/support/coverage/t-mobile-network-evolution

Oh wow, great phone. I knew several people who had those -
indestructable, and I think you only had to charge them like once or
twice a week. When I first saw smartphones that couldn't make it
through the day, I thought, who would want that?

It truly is indestructible. I drop it from time to time, and it just
won't break. The trouble is finding good batteries now. With light
usage, it still makes a full day's charge, or two days, if I have it off
at night.

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