Ever since T-Mobile’s CEO John Legere took the stage at the company’s CES event back in early January, we knew he had a penchant for saying whatever was on his mind. That same sentiment took center stage again yesterday during the Simple Choice event with Legere kicking things off calling for “Stop the bullshit” in reference to the industry’s traditional subsidy model.
If you thought he was done after that, there’s plenty more when he turned his focus on the upgrade model that goes along with any subsidy by saying “This is the biggest crock of shit I’ve ever heard in my entire life. Do you have any idea how much you’re paying?” Legere then took the competition to task for locking customers in with contracts, an effort T-Mobile is looking to reverse with their new UNcarrier rate plans. “If you come to T-Mobile, you’ve signed your last contract.”
Legere’s no-nonsense, refreshing approach to the industry is absolutely brand new, so it’s hard to gauge just how successful his presentation style will be. However, it’s hard to argue against the idea that Legere may be exactly what the wireless industry needed, a huge kick in the ass to move past a business model that has harmed customers wallets for years.
As for when we can call T-Mobile’s UNcarrier efforts a success or failure remains unknown, it could take 12 months before T-Mobile starts to see a steady rate of subscriber growth. That’s of course assuming consumers see the “Value” in T-Mobile’s new Value Plan model and the company’s marketing can convince America it’s the right path.
Legere lays it out simply “If we suck this month, drop us, if we’re good, stay with us.” It can’t get any easier so let’s hope yesterday is remembered as the day T-Mobile changed the wireless industry forever.