T-Mobile announced Monday that Chief Operating Officer Srini Gopalan will take over as CEO on November 1, 2025, replacing Mike Sievert who has led the company for more than five years.
Sievert isn’t leaving the company entirely. He will move into a newly created position as Vice Chairman, remaining on the board and management team to advise on strategy, innovation, and talent development.
The leadership change comes as T-Mobile continues to expand its reach in the U.S. wireless market. Under Sievert’s leadership since April 2020, T-Mobile completed its merger with Sprint and added more than $200 billion in market value, making it the most valuable telecommunications company by market capitalization.
T-Mobile shares dropped nearly 1% in premarket trading following the announcement.
Gopalan brings significant telecom experience to the CEO role. Before joining T-Mobile as COO in March 2025, he led Deutsche Telekom’s Germany business, where the company says he doubled growth rates and expanded fiber internet service to millions of homes. His resume also includes executive positions at Bharti Airtel, Capital One, and Vodafone.
Similar Posts
The executive change appears to be part of a broader leadership reshuffling. T-Mobile’s President of Technology Ulf Ewaldsson is retiring, with CTO John Saw taking over those responsibilities. Callie Field, who leads the Business Group, will step down on September 30.
Deutsche Telekom, which holds a 51% stake in T-Mobile, supports the transition. Tim Höttges, Deutsche Telekom CEO and T-Mobile’s Board Chairman, praised both executives in the company’s announcement.
“Thanks to Mike’s bold vision and successful leadership, T-Mobile is the envy of an industry it has changed for the better,” Höttges said.
Gopalan’s focus will be on transforming T-Mobile into what the company describes as a “data-driven, AI-enabled, digital-first” wireless provider. This builds on T-Mobile’s existing strategic initiatives, which include its nationwide 5G network rollout, satellite connectivity partnership with SpaceX/Starlink, and expansion into fiber internet through acquisitions of companies like Lumos and Metronet.
“What lies ahead of us is even more exciting because over the last 5 years, we have built America’s best network together with digital and AI capabilities that are far ahead of anyone else in our industry,” Gopalan said in the announcement.
T-Mobile has positioned itself as the “Un-carrier,” challenging traditional wireless industry practices. Gopalan emphasized this would continue under his leadership.
“Customers no longer need to make tradeoffs — at T-Mobile they get the best network, value and experience — all at the same time,” he said. “This will enable superior growth and taking share in every category we operate in as we unleash the Un-carrier!”
Sievert, who has been with T-Mobile since 2012 and became CEO in 2020, expressed confidence in his successor. “When I recruited Srini to be our COO, I knew he had the skills, experience and Un-carrier mindset to lead our company into the future,” Sievert said. “One fact has become crystal clear: Srini is ready to lead.”
The leadership transition comes after T-Mobile raised its forecast for new customer additions in July following strong second quarter results. The company has made several significant acquisitions in recent years, including the purchase of Mint Mobile (partly owned by actor Ryan Reynolds) and an agreement to acquire most of UScellular’s assets.
Gopalan previously served on T-Mobile’s board for nearly four years before becoming COO, giving him familiarity with the company’s operations and strategy before taking the top job.
The technology sector continues to see significant leadership changes and strategic partnerships, with companies increasingly focusing on AI capabilities and chip development to stay competitive in the evolving telecommunications landscape.
