Technologies

Verizon Replaces CEO Vestberg With Former PayPal Chief Schulman

The carrier gets a new CEO and board chairman on the same day, fueling speculation: Why now?

Verizon announced today that CEO Hans Vestberg will be replaced «effective immediately» by former PayPal CEO and longtime telecom veteran Dan Schulman.

Vestberg’s new role will be as special advisor through Oct. 4, 2026, «during which time he will be focused on ensuring a smooth transition, including the integration with Frontier Communications,» expected in the first quarter of 2026, according to Verizon’s announcement. He will remain on the board of directors until its next annual meeting, likely happening in May 2026. At the same time, Verizon named Mark Bertolini as the new board chairman.

Schulman has been on Verizon’s board since 2018. His most recent post was CEO of PayPal from 2014 to 2023. Previously, his telecom experience included positions at AT&T, Virgin Mobile and Sprint Nextel.

This leadership change is the second major wireless CEO shuffle in two weeks. T-Mobile named former Chief Operating Officer Srini Gopalan its new CEO on Sept. 22, taking over from Mike Sievert. However, Sievert is still CEO until Nov. 1, when Gopalan assumes the role. Sievert will continue with T-Mobile as vice chairman and serve on its board of directors.

It’s unclear why Verizon is making this abrupt move now, just after the end of the third financial quarter of 2025 and three weeks before it releases earnings for the company. Vestberg is not quoted in the press release announcing his succession, leaving newly named chairman Bertolini the traditional task of praising the outgoing executive’s record in the announcement.

Verizon did not respond to a request for comment.

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In June, I spoke with Sowmyanarayan Sampath, CEO of Verizon’s consumer group (who would seem to be the expected replacement for the top role), about the company’s new Gemini AI-based customer service initiative. I asked him about the first quarter of 2025, when the company lost nearly 300,000 wireless customers, and he credited the fluctuation to «the seasonality of the business.»

In the second quarter of 2025, Verizon seemed to balance those numbers, but in different areas. It lost 51,000 wireless postpaid customers, added 50,000 wireless prepaid customers and 278,000 broadband customers.

In an email to CNET, Jason Leigh, senior research manager of 5G and mobility research at IDC, said, «2025 is shaping up to be an epically weird year for the wireless industry with tariffs, government cuts, yo-yoing labor market, and general economic malaise.»

Verizon is also in the middle of acquiring Frontier Communications, which is expected to close in the first quarter of 2026. The Federal Communications Commission approved the purchase in May 2025, but only after Verizon agreed to end its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs.

Schulman has a record of standing up for policies not favored by the Trump administration, for example, when PayPal in 2016 stopped a planned expansion in North Carolina after the state passed a law requiring government buildings to make bathrooms single-sex only. In 2020, he spoke to CNET following the killing of George Floyd by police.

Leigh speculated that Verizon’s move could be the first building blocks toward developing 6G technologies. «Everyone is still hunting for that transformative strategy that is going to realize the innovative and financial promise of the billions invested in 5G,» he said, adding, «before the crowbar goes into the wallet to start funding 6G deployments.»

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Jan. 16, #950

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for Jan. 16 #950.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle has a very intriguing blue group. You’ll notice some band names, but can you locate what they have in common? Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Worn on heads.

Green group hint: Nighty-night.

Blue group hint: Bands with something alphabet-related in common.

Purple group hint: Like great.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Kinds of hats.

Green group: Components of a kid’s bedtime routine.

Blue group: Musical acts with «A» as the only vowel.

Purple group: Grand ____.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is kinds of hats. The four answers are derby, fedora, Panama and porkpie.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is components of a kid’s bedtime routine. The four answers are bath, brushing, pajamas and story.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is musical acts with «A» as the only vowel. The four answers are Alabama, Bananarama, Kansas and Santana.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is grand ____. The four answers are Bahama, Canyon, piano and slam.

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Quick tips for Connections

#1: Say the clue words out loud, pausing before and after each. That helps you hear the words in the context of a phrase. The Connections editors love to group words together that are used in similar phrasing, like ____ Up.

#2: Don’t go for the obvious grouping. These editors are smart. Once, they offered SPONGE, BOB, SQUARE and PANTS in the same puzzle. None of those words were in the same category. If you like, hit the «shuffle» button to give yourself a different perspective on the words.

#3: Break down any compound words and look for similarities. «Rushmore» was once in a puzzle where the connection was that each word started with the name of a rock band.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Jan. 16, #480

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Jan. 16, No. 480.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is a tough one, with some odd words and bizarre categories. If you’re struggling with it but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Don’t get hurt!

Green group hint: Exaggerated language.

Blue group hint: Ouch!

Purple group hint: Not northern.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Protective gear.

Green group: Hype.

Blue group: Sharp things.

Purple group: «Southern ____» schools.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is protective gear. The four answers are gloves, helmet, mouth guard and shoulder pads.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is hype. The four answers are anticipation, ballyhoo, buildup and buzz.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is sharp things. The four answers are dart, hairpin turn, ice skate and javelin.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is «Southern ____» schools. The four answers are California, Illinois, Methodist and Miss.

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Quick tips for Connections: Sports Edition

#1: Don’t grab for the easiest group. For each word, think about other sports categories it might fit in – is this a word that can be used in football, or to describe scoring options?

#2: Second meanings are important. The puzzle loves to use last names and even college names that mean other things, to fool you into thinking they are words, not names.

#3: And the opposite is also true. Words like HURTS might seem like a regular word, but it’s also the last name of at least one pro athlete.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Friday, Jan. 16

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Jan. 16.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? I thought it was exceptionally tough today, and was convinced 1-Across was «MAD» Max. (Spoiler, it’s not.) I also figured 1-Down was BOOZE, which did not work with 1-Across, and was wrong either way. Read on for all the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.