Sprint replaces CEO as T-Mobile merger plans reportedly fall apart

By Williams Pelegrin August 6, 2014

sprint ceo responds to t mobile john legere marcelo claure — Image: Flickr Image used with permission by copyright holder

After seven years of being in charge of Sprint, Dan Hesse has officially stepped down from his position as CEO. Hesse will be replaced by SoftBank subsidiary Brightstar president and current CEO, Marcelo Claure.

Effective August 11, Claure will be Sprint’s new president and CEO. He founded wireless distributor Brightstar in 2007, which is currently owned by SoftBank. Brightstar mostly manages trade-in programs, custom retail strategies, and supply chain solutions for carriers and manufacturers. Claure joined Sprint’s board in January, which allowed him the opportunity to better know the company.

Claure’s immediate plans involve making Sprint “extremely cost effective” while also having it compete “aggressively in the marketplace.” Claure also plans to push ahead with Sprint’s network modernization, which involves boosting the carrier’s 4G LTE speeds through Spark, its tri-band 4G network.

Hesse joined Sprint as its president and CEO in December 2007. Since then, he led the company through several acquisitions, the most notable of which was Sprint’s merger with SoftBank back in 2012. Hesse also led Sprint through some hazardous times, including its failed attempt to expand the company’s WiMax technology.

The move coincides with Sprint having reportedly called off its potential merger with T-Mobile. Sprint and SoftBank apparently felt that their attempt to purchase T-Mobile was unlikely to get the green light from regulators. The dead deal is what likely prompted the change in management, but we’ll likely never know the full details.

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Williams Pelegrin

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Williams is an avid New York Yankees fan, speaks Spanish, resides in Colorado, and has an affinity for Frosted Flakes. Send…

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