In this discussion, AT&T Chairman and CEO John Stankey will sit down with an AT&T employee to discuss how the company is helping employees build skills, advance their careers and adapt as technology changes the way work gets done.
John Stankey, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, AT&T Inc.
Jared Ridley, Associate Director of Network Process & Quality, AT&T Inc.
What John Stankey said
Written from the verified transcript and checked against it. Every figure links to the moment it was said.
In this fireside chat, AT&T CEO John Stankey interviewed Jared Ridley, a field technician who has been with the company for about 28 years, about his career progression and the company's investment in employee development. Ridley detailed his journey from a community college student to a field technician, then through AT&T's leadership programs, including a 16-week first-level manager training and the Gateway to Leadership program, where he solved a real business problem. He highlighted ongoing training like Better Up coaching and his current role developing and teaching frontline leaders, recently promoting two individuals into his organization. Stankey praised Ridley's story, emphasizing that other AT&T employees have similar career paths, and underscored the company's commitment to investing in its workforce.
Key takeaways
AT&T invests in employees through programs like a 16-week leadership development course and Gateway to Leadership, which includes solving real business problems.
Jared Ridley, a field technician for 28 years, now trains frontline leaders and recently promoted two individuals into his organization.
AT&T provides ongoing coaching, including Better Up, a third-party individual coaching service, to continue employee skill growth.
Field operations are the face of AT&T, and employees there play a critical role in disaster relief, restoring connectivity and normalcy.
Stankey stated that other AT&T employees have similar career trajectories to Ridley's, reflecting a broader company culture.
Live from Columbus, Georgia. And if you think you need to know somebody if you happen to have a house in Georgia, he's the guy who gets stuff done, not me. So call him.
So about 28 years ago, you found your way to AT&T. Why don't you start out by maybe telling us a little bit about how that happened and what your thought process was?
Yeah, absolutely. So around that time I was in community college, not really knowing what the heck I was going to do. I was taking some core classes and you know, I had a family member who worked for the company at the time call me and tell me, you know, hey, there was a hiring for field technicians and you know, this may be an opportunity for you to finally get some direction. So...
Yeah, exactly. So he told me a little bit about the company, told me the stability of the company and you know, the opportunities that were out there and you know, obviously the great benefits that they offer and you know, even then he told me that you know, hey, this might be a possible long-term career opportunity for you. So I applied for the role and you know, ended up getting the role as field technician starting out, you know, serving our customers and our communities and you know, that was a great starting point in my career to be able to step into that role as a field technician early on. And then from there it was probably roughly six years into that role as a field technician.
I kind of got tapped on the shoulder to attend a first level manager developmental program that AT&T was providing at the time. This was a 16-week long intense leadership training development program that basically sets you up for success as a brand new manager coming into the business in order to lead employees, taught you employee relations, all this, you know, really good skill sets to have as a leader in the business. And I think that was when I realized that you know, hey, this could really be something very special here going and that probably kickstarted my trajectory in the company as a, you know, moving forward with AT&T.
10 more exchanges in this transcript
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Stankey, J. (2026, October 7). Fireside Chat In Conversation AT&T [Interview transcript]. Business Roundtable. CEOInterviews.AI. https://ceointerviews.ai/interview/3026433/
MLA
John Stankey. "Fireside Chat In Conversation AT&T." Business Roundtable, 7 Oct. 2026. Transcript, CEOInterviews.AI, https://ceointerviews.ai/interview/3026433/.
BibTeX
@misc{stankey2026_3026433,
author = {John Stankey},
title = {Fireside Chat In Conversation AT\&T},
howpublished = {Interview transcript, Business Roundtable. CEOInterviews.AI},
year = {2026},
month = {oct},
url = {https://ceointerviews.ai/interview/3026433/},
note = {Speaker-attributed transcript with timestamps}
}
