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T-Mobile CEO John Legere is having a rough week, and he’s said some shocking things about other tech companies. Read all about his profanity-laced “rape” rant right here.
1. T-Mobile CEO John Legere Accused AT&T And Verizon of ‘Raping You’
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At T-Mobile’s Uncarrier event earlier this week, John Legere launched into a profanity-laced rant that called out AT&T and Verizon Wireless. Referring to those two cell carriers, Legere stated: “These high and mighty duopolists that are raping you for every penny you have … the f—— hate you.”
Business Insider has some explanation for Legere’s comments:
“Legere acknowledged he speaks like that as a way to connect with his employees and customers. He sees himself as a man of the people, someone who can speak on the level of the average joe instead of coming off as a stiff executive.”
Based on the tweet below, the profanity in Legere’s speech was not off-the-cuff, but planned ahead of time:
UPDATE: The profanity-filled #Uncarrier5 announcement happens at 6PM PT. You're not going to want to miss this: http://t.co/7CopvYZCmX
— John Legere (@JohnLegere) June 18, 2014
2. John Legere Has a Reputation For Controversial Statements
Especially when you’re kicking out the competition from your party right @ATT ?!? pic.twitter.com/U5HSGP21ak
— John Legere (@JohnLegere) January 7, 2014
Legere has something of a reputation in the tech industry for mouthing off, as well as for controversial behavior. Back in January, Bloomberg reported that Legere had to be escorted out of an AT&T party in Las Vegas.
3. John Legere Has an Axe to Grind With Amazon Fire Phone, AT&T
In the video above, you can see a supercut of some of Legere’s oddest statements.
In their live blog of the recent Amazon Fire Phone launch, CNET noted that T-Mobile’s event was originally scheduled to take place on Hollywood, but the company moved it to Seattle to accommodate tech journalists who wanted to see the Amazon presentation. That might have upset Legere a bit.
Additionally, Legere was upset by AT&T’s exclusive rights to sell the Amazon Fire Phone. His sent out a series of tweets on the subject, which you can read below:
Exclusivity sucks for customers. Exclusivity on @ATT sucks for the industry. #justsayin
— John Legere (@JohnLegere) June 17, 2014
Let's hope @amazon doesn't fall victim to the @att curse that is the facebook phone. #onemonth
— John Legere (@JohnLegere) June 17, 2014
4. John Legere Often Reaches Out to Customers on Twitter
@TMobile @ATT @RamblingRooney @RamblingRooney bet @ATT’s CEO isn’t going to join the convo. Come join the #WirelessRevolution! #Uncarrier
— John Legere (@JohnLegere) November 27, 2013
Prior to the “raping you” comments made at Uncarrier, John Legere raised eyebrows in the tech world when he chimed in on a Twitter battle between the accounts of AT&T and T-Mobile. Android Police has a rundown of the 2013 incident that has more details, but basically Legere called out AT&T’s CEO for being unresponsive to customer needs, and also for charging for overseas data use.
5. John Legere’s Salary Is Around $1,250,000
T-Mobile CEO @johnlegere apologizes and says he went "too far" after blasting AT&T and Verizon http://t.co/jlFCLiIOAA
— Mashable (@mashable) June 19, 2014
According to Forbes, John Legere draws a salary of $1,250,000 from T-Mobile. That salary is augmented by bonuses, stock awards, and other compensation, making his annual income around $29,245,708.
