xnext's Comments

Sprint's 'Against the Odds' Turnaround Looks Less and Less Likely

Sat, 03 May 2008 20:21:19 -0400

DT is not going to buy Sprint. They're not that stupid.

There are legacy Nextel people still left? If so, they can't be in engineering. We were systematically purged by Kathy Walker and her sychophants, Usry, Azzi, Yosick, et al. Legacy Sprint people didn't have to interview for their jobs. Selection was based on pedigree, nepotism and knowing the secret handshake. Oh, and you had to live in KC/OP. If you want to stay around, go for brown.

Sprint's 'Against the Odds' Turnaround Looks Less and Less Likely

Thu, 01 May 2008 16:39:21 -0400

Look on the bright side, they didn't name an OP retread as CFO.

Sprint's 'Against the Odds' Turnaround Looks Less and Less Likely

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 16:39:48 -0400

Here's a question maybe somebody from the OP campus can answer, why did few, if any, nextelers move to KC after the acquisition?

Sprint Is Still a Steal at Current Levels

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 18:14:28 -0400

Well said exsprex. It's all about OP/KC. They could've gotten $5B a few months ago from SK Telecom and partners, but that would've required boards seats and may have jeopardized the entrenchment in KC. Think they could use that $5B now? Why do you think they hired Hesse, because he was the best CEO available? Hell no, it's because he was already in KC. I've already voted and I voted everyone out, except a very select few. Hesse may turn it around, but he's got to get rid of the entrenched bureaucracy at OP. Otherwise, it'll be a slow dissent into an abyss of market irrelevance, subscriber losses and continued loss of shareholder value.

Sprint's Hesse Continues to Show Leadership but Doubts Remain

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 17:42:31 -0400

Enron type accounting? Somebody ought to investigate the FEM, NBE and FME groups. Ken Lay would love that outfit.

Sprint Shareholders Win as Hesse Ignores Whitworth

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 19:14:13 -0400

Seems like the nazi-cons who run Sprint haven't done so great either. Although I do agree that Whitworth was only given a board seat to appease him. His track record with other companies sucks.

Sprint Shareholders Win as Hesse Ignores Whitworth

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 21:16:52 -0400

While pursuit of WiMax is a worthy goal, Sprint needs to concentrate on the fundamentals (existing network integrity, customer service, cost reduction) than going into another exceedingly capital intensive effort. Plus, they need to eviscerate the labyrinthian bureaucracy in OP. Credibility with subscribers, shareholders and the marketplace needs to be restored, before pursuing risky, unproven technology. If no one trusts you to do the right thing now, what makes you think they will with WiMax?

Sprint's Hesse Continues to Show Leadership but Doubts Remain

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 11:16:56 -0400

Hard to find a job in a one-horse town like KC. That's why few, if any, Nextelers moved there. With legacy Sprint's track record of quarterly layoffs, why would anyone mover there?

Sprint's Hesse Continues to Show Leadership but Doubts Remain

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 16:28:28 -0400

Kathy Walker has no business being Chief Network Officer. She is a deplorable manager, and is one of the major reasons network integrity has dropped sharply since the acquisition. She condoned and cultivated the inter-network contempt, and led legacy Nextel engineers and managers to leave in droves. She needs to go away, along with Azzi and Yosick.

Rumor: Sprint to Spinoff Nextel

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 16:25:05 -0400

Nothing will change until the OP gang (Walker, Azzi, Yosick and Usry, to name a few) are gone. They are prime examples of process over results, fiefdom building, the hubris of tenure and sheer contempt for anyone outside legacy Sprint and OP.

Undoing the Sprint Nextel Merger

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 16:18:30 -0400

You are absolutely right, Beth. OP is the center of the telecom universe. If you don't work there, you don't exist as far as OP management goes. My old director said he doesn't trust people in the field to do the right thing, so he keeps everyone in OP. The berms and parking garages provide a great buffer to the real world (subscribers).

One Scenario for Sprint's Long Term Future

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 18:50:40 -0400

What does political party affiliation or ideological preference have to do with running a company? Successful companies have been run by people on both sides of the political spectrum. Capitalism and its subsequent beneficient greed transcends ideology.

One Scenario for Sprint's Long Term Future

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 17:38:37 -0400

This article seems dead on about OP. It is run by managers and directors who exercise the hubris of tenure and are more concerned about superfluous metrics to justify their job and the size of their fiefdoms, than customer service or network integrity.

Rumor: Sprint to Spinoff Nextel

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 18:24:10 -0500

If this rumor has any basis in fact, I'd look for Cyren Call to buy iDEN. Cyren Call is a company founded by Morgan O'Brien and staffed with many ex-Nextel executives. They're trying to create, develop and market a gov't only network (i.e. law enforcement, first responders, EMTs, etc.). John McCain is a "friend" of theirs.

Today, Sprint-Nextel Joins the "Worst Mergers in History" Club

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 20:01:29 -0500

It wasn't a merger, it was an acquisition by Sprint. They had 50.1% and took complete advantage of it. You're seeing the results.

Sprint-Nextel Takes the Gloves Off?

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 16:59:39 -0500

Might as well enter marketplace irrelevance, bankruptcy and/or liquidation with a bang, not a whimper.

It's a start, but Hesse has to clean house down to the director level in OP. They are the source of the company's ills; process trumping results, fiefdom building instead of customer service and network integrity. The hubris of tenure of the OP "leadership", their plodding, labyrinthian bureaucracy and fiefdom building & sustaiment is what's killing the company.

Sprint Must Resist Ralph Whitworth

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 16:48:31 -0500

Whitworth does not have a good track record, but any infusion of accountability and pro-activity in this derelict BOD will be a welcome change. Customer service and shareholder must be restored.

Who Would Want Sprint? Google, Comcast

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 17:15:48 -0500

The board will never sell to Google or Comcast. They want the company to be based solely in OP. They'd never allow Google or Comcast to move them out of the campus. They have tunnelvision when it comes to KC. Subscribers and shareholders mean nothing to them.

Sprint's New CEO Hesse: So Far So Good

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 14:31:07 -0500

What dept were the laid off people in? Were they at the campus, Reston or elsewhere?

Sprint's New CEO Hesse: So Far So Good

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 09:41:05 -0500

OK....guess we'll have to agree to disagree. Good luck.

Sprint's New CEO Hesse: So Far So Good

Thu, 27 Dec 2007 12:06:41 -0500

I was told, "move to OP" and we'll have a job for you. No mention of salary, relocation assistance or what that job would be. That's not a job offer, nor was anything provided in writing. I didn't feel entitled to anything, but professional courtesy and respect; got none. It's OK for your to spew your insults and venom, but when you get it back, you can't or won't respond. Talk about limp-wristed; typical right-winger. Like your midwestern hero Limbaugh, why don't you have some oxy with your whine.

Sprint's New CEO Hesse: So Far So Good

Thu, 27 Dec 2007 09:01:00 -0500

Hey Dad, can you qualify the limp-wristed faggot remark? Because I criticize my former employer and lament its demise? You sound like a typical right-winger who can only respond to the opposition by using insults, since your views have no credibility. I guess those years in uniform, and months in combat, away from my wife and children make me less of a person than you.

Sprint's New CEO Hesse: So Far So Good

Wed, 26 Dec 2007 20:27:08 -0500

Oh, and Dad, I take it you're an elitist, racist, laissez-faire capitalist, homophobic, theocrat and think GWB is a competent POTUS? Considering the mindlessness and vitriole of your remarks, name calling is all you have left. If you're Sprint's and KC's defender, they have serious problems.

Sprint's New CEO Hesse: So Far So Good

Wed, 26 Dec 2007 20:22:01 -0500

Thanks Dad. Having spent years with Nextel, then several months working for the OP gang, I would get writer's cramp documenting the stark differences between the two companies. In my case, there was a nearly 10:1 ratio between the legacy companies' manning for an identical department. Process implementation took 18-24 months at legacy Sprint, as opposed to <6 months for legacy Nextel. My OP bosses were more interested in budgets and superfluous metrics, then network integrity. Not to mention the blatant, bald-faced lies I was told. Of course, after I called them out for their lies, I was black-balled. The Nextel manpower purge was primarily due to most positions being located in OP. Legacy Sprint personnel were not affected by the Nextel acquisition. We were told, "move to OP" and we'll have a job for you, knowing full well people could not move due to familial responsiblities and home sales. This was a cynical and disingenous move to eliminate Nextel personnel. Moreover, who'd want to move to OP/KC? It's a one-horse town, and considering legacy Sprint's penchant for quarterly layoffs, you'd have the potential, especially as a legacy Nexteler, of being stuck there with a new home, and little or no job prospects. But hey, Sprint acquired Nextel and could do with it what they wanted; and you're seeing the results. Glad I'm not with them any more. Been gone two years, and every bad thing that has happened, was predicted by us laid off legacy Nextelers. No gratification in that, just sadness and exasperation.

Sprint's New CEO Hesse: So Far So Good

Mon, 24 Dec 2007 13:01:36 -0500

I agree with notexactly, OP and the labyrinthian, overmanned, overpaid, myopic bureaucracy is the root of Sprint's problems, not to mention their systematic purge of legacy Nextel employees. The board wanted Hesse because he'll preserve the OP bureaucracy, and is a retread. They're more concerned about the KC economy then about improving customer service, increasing subscribership or enhancing shareholder value.

Sprint: Yet Another Bad Decision

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 18:03:20 -0500

I worked for Sprint-Nextel, but not at OP. I travelled there for meetings, and was wholly unimpressed. The contempt for Nextel employees, and especially our processes and procedures, was palpable. At least in my group, they had no interest in how we did business.

Sprint: Yet Another Bad Decision

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 19:09:00 -0500

Playfair, I couldn't agree with you more. You perfectly described the legacy and present Sprint management. They act like an RBOC in a wireless world. Their "if we build it, they will come" mentality does not work in a totally wireless company. Legacy Nextel people left in droves due to Sprint's stifling of initiative, condescending mangement and their hubris of tenure. Unless you close the OP campus and flatten and/or purge the managers and employees with a sense of employment entitlement due to longevity as opposed to merit, nothing will change. Donahue could do it, but the board won't let him; they prefer the status quo and a dive into irrelevance in the marketplace. Two months after Foresee was fired and they still can't find a CEO. Surprised? Expect to see another OP re-tread lead the company to an acquisition by Google or other entrepreneurial company seeking mobile spectrum.

Sprint: Yet Another Bad Decision

Wed, 05 Dec 2007 16:41:21 -0500

What is the basis for the limp-wristed liberal comment? Because the author is from Massachusetts? Or, is it that you simply don't like his analysis, and instead of formulating an intelligent reply or alternative, you utilize a stale, snarky remark? The right-wing drug addicted pundit hardly has the credibility to comment about anyone's political views. He is to legitimate political analysis what the WWE is to professional sports.

Sprint: Yet Another Bad Decision

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 18:58:15 -0500

Ah, the revisionist history of legacy Sprint employees. The midwestern, myopic vision of their treasured company, led by people who couldn't manage themselves out of a paper bag. Where process pre-empts results, and preservation of position and the cumbersome, overmanned, labyrinthian bureaucracy in OP supercedes network integrity and subscribers. As a former employee, it has been no surprise how they bungled the Nextel acquisition (it wasn't a merger). They purged most legacy Nextel management and employees, and you're seeing the results. Tim Donahue is not the panacea, but he offers a much better alternative than another OP retread. He'd get the company moving forward, since he was silenced by the board in deference to the incompetent Foresee (ever wonder why he left before his contract expired?). He knows where the bodies are buried, and would get the company moving forward, in unity. If he gets in, say goodbye to OP. Say hello to lean manpower with multi-tasking employees and managers, with accountability. In fact, any new CEO would probably do the same.