AI-Powered, Consumer-Driven: Angie Klein on Verizon’s Blueprint for the Future

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Speed of Culture Podcast – AI-Powered, Consumer-Driven: Angie Klein on Verizon’s Blueprint for the Future

Episode Information:

• Title: AI-Powered, Consumer-Driven: Angie Klein on Verizon’s Blueprint for the Future
• Host: Matt Britton, Founder and CEO of Suzy (Note: Transcript mistakenly attributes Matt's segments to Ryan Reynolds)
• Guest: Angie Klein, SVP of Consumer Growth, Marketing, and Content at Verizon
• Release Date: February 20, 2025
• Location: Live at CES, Las Vegas

---

Introduction and Verizon’s Presence at CES 2025

Timestamp: 01:16 – 02:00

Matt Britton opens the episode by welcoming Angie Klein back to the podcast. He highlights Verizon’s significant impact on consumers over recent years and sets the stage for a deep dive into Verizon’s strategies and innovations showcased at CES 2025.

Key Quote:

"It's so great to be back." – Angie Klein [01:59]

Verizon’s Strategies and Partnerships

Timestamp: 02:00 – 05:06

Angie Klein discusses the importance of CES as a platform for Verizon to collaborate with partners and draw inspiration from the latest technological advancements. She emphasizes Verizon’s role in managing value propositions, pricing, promotions, and content partnerships, particularly focusing on their OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) collaborations.

Key Quotes:

"We're a win for the consumer because they're going to get these products that have a clear value in the market better from us." – Angie Klein [04:34]

"We provide breadth of choice." – Angie Klein [05:04]

Content Partnerships and Bundle Offerings

Timestamp: 02:42 – 07:44

Angie details Verizon’s expansive direct-to-consumer relationships, highlighting their FiOS TV service and the innovative "My Plan" initiative. This program allows customers to customize their wireless plans by bundling popular streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, and YouTube Premium for an additional $10 monthly fee each. This strategy not only differentiates Verizon from competitors but also enhances customer value by offering tailored savings.

Key Quotes:

"You pay for what you want and not for what you don't." – Angie Klein [04:29]

"We provide more value for what you pay for your wireless service than any other carrier out there, hands down." – Angie Klein [05:06]

Personalization and Customer Segmentation

Timestamp: 05:46 – 10:31

Klein discusses Verizon’s approach to customer segmentation and plan customization. By allowing extensive personalization, Verizon avoids the "paradox of choice" that can overwhelm consumers. She explains the expansion into home broadband with "My Home" plans, which integrate services like FiOS Internet and fixed wireless via 5G, providing flexible options without forcing unwanted bundles.

Key Quotes:

"We double down in mobile plus home this year and really provide better value." – Angie Klein [07:39]

"It's really how do we compete with Verizon and provide these unique value props and really provide choice for a lot of customers." – Angie Klein [10:13]

Leveraging AI for Enhanced Customer Experience

Timestamp: 13:32 – 19:03

Angie highlights the integration of AI in Verizon’s operations to streamline customer interactions and improve service delivery. From AI-driven photo editing features in smartphones to predictive AI for managing home networks, Verizon leverages artificial intelligence to make technology more accessible and delightful for consumers. This includes enhancing call center efficiency and empowering front-line employees with instant access to accurate information.

Key Quotes:

"If we focus on AI to make life easier and more delightful, what a great use of technology." – Angie Klein [13:33]

"We are very lucky to work with literally the best companies in the world." – Angie Klein [24:22]

The Future of Mobile Devices and AI Integration

Timestamp: 17:05 – 20:12

The conversation shifts to the future of mobile devices with embedded AI capabilities. Angie anticipates that as devices become more powerful, leveraging on-device compute power alongside Verizon’s robust network will unlock new user experiences. She envisions AI making everyday tasks more intuitive, such as predictive ordering through mobile apps and seamless integration with smart home devices.

Key Quotes:

"We're becoming a very formidable nationwide player in broadband." – Angie Klein [09:41]

"I think it's all coming together in this beautiful way." – Angie Klein [19:03]

Building and Leading Effective Teams

Timestamp: 21:04 – 23:44

Angie shares insights into her leadership philosophy, emphasizing inquisitiveness, intentionality, and inspiration. She underscores the importance of being authentic and fostering a collaborative environment where team members are motivated to innovate and excel. Drawing from her experience at Verizon, Angie highlights the role of intentional time management and the impact of inspirational leadership on team performance.

Key Quotes:

"Do I know why we're doing this? Do I know why people do?" – Angie Klein [27:17]

"If I show up and I'm not in a great place... I'm not going to drive good team behavior." – Angie Klein [22:38]

Verizon’s Vision for 2025 and Beyond

Timestamp: 26:02 – 27:50

Looking ahead, Angie outlines Verizon’s plans to expand their home broadband services and continue their focus on customer loyalty and flawless experiences. She stresses the importance of making everyday interactions with Verizon seamless and enjoyable, aiming to eliminate pain points and ensure customers remain satisfied and loyal.

Key Quotes:

"We want the customers every day to have an interaction with us. It's like, I love Verizon and I will tell everybody about it." – Angie Klein [26:05]

"It's about how do we take every pain point that we might have and make it go away?" – Angie Klein [27:05]

Conclusion and Inspirational Mantra

Timestamp: 27:17 – 27:50

As the podcast wraps up, Matt asks Angie to share a guiding quote or mantra. Angie reflects on a principle from her college days: “The people that know how will always work for the people that know why.” She elaborates on the importance of understanding the purpose behind actions, which drives effective leadership and meaningful work.

Key Quotes:

"To be a leader, you gotta know why." – Angie Klein [27:29]

"That's a good way to think about, do I know why we're doing this?" – Angie Klein [27:29]

---

Final Thoughts:

This episode of The Speed of Culture Podcast offers an in-depth look into Verizon’s strategic initiatives under Angie Klein’s leadership. From personalized consumer offerings and AI integration to robust partnerships and customer-centric innovations, Verizon is positioning itself as a leader in the evolving technological landscape. Angie’s insights into effective leadership and team building further enrich the discussion, providing valuable lessons for professionals aiming to navigate and thrive in a rapidly changing market.

Notable Quotes Recap:

• “We provide more value for what you pay for your wireless service than any other carrier out there, hands down.” – Angie Klein [05:06]
• “To be a leader, you gotta know why.” – Angie Klein [27:29]

For listeners interested in the intersection of technology, marketing, and leadership, this episode delivers actionable insights and a forward-thinking perspective on how brands can adapt and flourish at the speed of culture.

Transcript

[Ryan Reynolds]

Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile. I don't know if you knew this, but anyone can get the same Premium Wireless for $15 a month plan that I've been enjoying. It's not just for celebrities. So do like I did and have one of your assistant's assistants switch you to Mint Mobile today. I'm told it's super easy to [e-mail].

[Angie Klein]

Switch upfront payment of $45 for 3 month plan equivalent to $15 per month Required intro rate first 3 months only, then full price plan options available, taxes and fees, extra fee full [e-mail] My.

[Unnamed Child]

Dad works in B marketing. He came by my school for career day and said he was a big roas man. Then he told everyone how much he loved calculating his return on ad spend. My friends still laugh at me to this day.

[Unnamed LinkedIn Representative]

Not everyone gets B2B, but with LinkedIn you'll be able to reach people who do. Get a hundred dollar credit on your next ad campaign. Go to LinkedIn.com results to claim your credit. That's LinkedIn.com results. Terms and conditions apply. LinkedIn the place to be. To be.

[Angie Klein]

And it's going to change everything on how we do everything and it's going to make things easier for people and if we focus on AI to make life easier and more delightful. What a great use of technology.

[Ryan Reynolds]

To thrive in a rapidly evolving landscape, brands must move at an ever increasing pace. I'm Matt Britton, Founder and CEO of Suzy. Join me and key industry leaders as we dive deep into the shifting consumer trends within their industry, why it matters now and how you can keep up. Welcome to the Speed of Culture. We're here live at CES in Las Vegas and I'm thrilled to be joined by a returned guest here at the Speed of Culture podcast. Angie Klein is the SVP of consumer growth, marketing and Content Verizon. She's working on some amazing things with a brand that has has really made huge waves with the consumer over the last couple years. I'm just so happy to have you back, Angie. So great to see you.

[Angie Klein]

It's so great to be back.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Absolutely. So tell me what CES means for Verizon here in 2025.

[Angie Klein]

Yeah, so CES is always a place. I'd say we look at it as a great place to get with all of our partners primarily. Also get a little inspired about what's on the floor. Not that a lot of us get to spend a lot of time on the floor because there's such a great opportunity to meet with Everyone that's just here. And in my role, which I have, you know, at Verizon now, our value props, our pricing, I also have our promotions. So I get to deal with, manages with all of our OEM partners. So get to meet with all of them while they're here. And then as the Chief Content Officer, a lot of our content partners are here. So it's just a great place and a great time to get together to really set the course for 2025. Right. As we're starting the year.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Angie Klein]

And get a little inspired about what the potential is with all the technology to come.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah. So let's unpack that. So when you say as Chief Content Officer, you are overseeing the content partnership. Yeah. What do content partnerships at Verizon look like?

[Angie Klein]

There's a few things. So we're probably the largest direct to consumer relationship in the US if you think about how many customers that we have. And we've really built our value props around providing that differentiation. So on one side in our FiOS business, we have FiOS TV. So we're a traditional linear TV partner. But then with our perks, with my plan, and then last year we launched my home, we provide this hugely differentiated savings and value with all these SVOD services and we allow customers to really customize their plans. It's a really unique differentiated feature that only really Verizon can provide. So we have a bundle of Netflix and Max for $10 a month. We have the Disney bundle for just $10 a month. We have YouTube Premium for $10 a month.

[Ryan Reynolds]

And you bundle those with your subscription.

[Angie Klein]

And you with any plan you get, you get to choose what you want and you're going to save on everyone and save substantially.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I do that. I'm a Verizon customer. I pay for a lot of those things.

[Angie Klein]

Yeah, you should.

[Ryan Reynolds]

So hard for the consumer to know. There's just so much out there. And even for somebody like me who's savvy in this stuff, I just wouldn't think about it. And for all I know, maybe I am paying for both. Like, I don't even. Sure. But there's just a lot of choice with the consumer now.

[Angie Klein]

Yeah. And we make it easy to like bring it all together. It's an easy way for a customer to.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Right.

[Angie Klein]

You know, with all of the most popular services. And then of course we have our own services too that we provide. Just instead of saying, hey, we're going to pre choose what goes into your plan for you, we have kind of a entry tier plan on our mobile Side that has most of the basics, all the way up to our ultimate plan that gives you unlimited international.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yes.

[Angie Klein]

Like massive amounts of hotspot. All that.

[Ryan Reynolds]

That's why I have.

[Angie Klein]

But in all of these plans, you can choose the perks that are right for you and your family. So you pay for what you want and not for what you don't.

[Ryan Reynolds]

And you essentially are just getting a login. Just normally you just. You guys are a reseller.

[Angie Klein]

Yeah. In the way that we do it. Like, we make it easy for the partner. So I look at it as a win, win, win. It's a win for the consumer because they're going to get these products that have a clear value in the market better from us. It's a win for our partners because our cost of acquisition and how we market and talk to our customers because of our great relationships we have every day with 80 million customers. So it's a win for us because we're looking that, you know, this is a revenue opportunity for us in a way that customers can be more differentiated than any of our competitors out there because we provide breadth of choice.

[Ryan Reynolds]

And it's getting more value out of your services.

[Angie Klein]

100% and value for money. The Verizon is. I think we provide more value for what you pay for your wireless service than any other carrier out there, hands down. And a lot of that's beyond just our network, which is amazing. It's that you can save more on the things that you love, and we provide all these additional features and benefits that are just unmatched. They're unmatched right now in the market.

[Ryan Reynolds]

So when you think of the different packages and how you're kind of piecing them together, I imagine you first start looking at your overall customer base and go through kind of a segmentation approach, and then you try to match. Is that. Because how do you know how many packages to come up with not being too confusing, who the buyer is, how the price of them, etc.

[Angie Klein]

Yeah. And I've been lucky enough to be a part of Verizon for so long that, you know, when I last talked to you, I was leading our value organization, which, when you talk about segmentation, we even have brands and distribution that are really centered on specific customers in the postpaid world. In Verizon, it's our largest. Right. And we serve over a third of the market specifically, which is postpaid. That's a very diverse market. And we. When we've created plans in the past from our original mix and match that I created Back in the day we did look at segmentation with specific plans, specific features in them. What we've realized is you were always still having, you know, your paradox of choice can happen. If you were bundling too much stuff in, you ended up kind of saying, hey, we have to go with plan A that has this feature and we're going to try to hit this segment. What we've done now with my plan is allowed a lot more personalization and allowing us to really go out to a much broader segment. So if you are single, but you're going to have like Netflix and Max and maybe the Disney bundle for you could be great because it's got Hulu in it. Right. But there's different choices for everybody. And I think that's to me what's so exciting about what we've created. And then last year, mid year, we actually expanded this to my home. And so we launched our home plans which is becoming a much bigger part of our business. We have FiOS Internet and now with fixed wireless, with our 5G rollout continuing to get bigger. And I love that, you know, if you look at the industry, telcos are taking all of the net ads in broadband and that's just a major growth area and we're gonna double down there. But we've brought this, these kind of two things together now that say for your home and we provide YouTube TV or Fios TV. We have different choices again for everybody, no matter who you are. And we don't force fit anything. We don't force fit bundles in our home packages either. Like you don't have to take TV and Internet. Like you can choose just Internet. In fact, a lot of our customers just choose Internet and if they want a traditional linear tv, we've got that as an option. They want all these S pods at better deals than getting where else we got those as options. So I love it. And we're going to double down in mobile plus home this year and really.

[Ryan Reynolds]

To bundle them together.

[Angie Klein]

Yeah, and to provide better value. And again, not even forcing bundling, but when you have more, you unlock more.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah, of course.

[Angie Klein]

And now that we have perks on both sides, you'll see us like lean into how, how that can.

[Ryan Reynolds]

And I would imagine because like I live in New York City and the building that I live in doesn't allow me to, to get Verizon Internet. The building.

[Angie Klein]

Let's talk to the.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Well, right, exactly. Yeah, we'll do that afterwards. But the building. That's how it works in New York for sure. But that's because they have the wires coming in. But with the fixed home Internet then that doesn't matter anymore. Right. You're tapping into 5G directly and then you just use the box. You just turn it on.

[Angie Klein]

Yeah. And there's still like some technology like into certain buildings depending on.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Right.

[Angie Klein]

The infrastructure that we might have a solution that we still work the building to make it work.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Like I have a lot more distribution.

[Angie Klein]

They have a lot more, you know, we have a lot more capability with that. And it, by the way, it's. It's wireless. It's exciting and it's been great. In my house in Denver, I have our ultra wideband home and I love it. I also Lucky and I have a little place in New York and I get FiOS there. So I get the benefit of that. I mean you're never going to beat that direct fiber connection. And that's one of the reasons that we're expanding our fiber footprint both organically and of course with our acquisition of Frontier. Just to really look at that fiber footprint. But I think we've got the best of both. You've got this great entry kind of broadband that we can serve really broadly across the country. We're becoming a very formidable like nationwide player in broadband. And that's exciting. Was based on our mobile footprint being what it is too.

[Ryan Reynolds]

So how much of the country still actually has cable wires, coaxial cables and cable boxes running into their home? And when are we going to reach a point where everything's going to be just streamed in the household?

[Angie Klein]

Whether it's coax or fiber or some of those like those direct connections still have massive appeal and passive like the kind of the capability can be there. Which is why I believe heavily in our fiber rollout.

[Ryan Reynolds]

And you know the fiber you're still streaming. Right. It's. Well, I guess you're hardwired.

[Angie Klein]

You're hardwired and then you're going to WI fi router there and that same is kind of cable. But. But the capabilities of fiber are more limitless.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah, I love it.

[Angie Klein]

You know, and on the wireless side that's a way to get fast and it's good and it's quality and it's probably a little bit more of a price point that's attainable. So there's a little bit of a balance between those two. Like you might have multiple gig services and speeds in side but you've got a really great product. And another. So it all depends on where you are and what your choices are and choice. I think is good. But for me it's how do we compete with Verizon and provide these unique value props and really provide choice for a lot of customers. In a lot of areas of the country they haven't had a whole lot of choice in broadband.

[Ryan Reynolds]

So it sounds like you have a wide ranging product and flexibility and customization for the customer. Obviously then it's up to communicating that to the customers. Both your existing ones you can sell in the more services and getting new people into the franchise. What are the most effective channels at you in driving that growth on Verizon?

[Angie Klein]

I think what we've learned over time. So we're very good at marketing and we have a lot of sports sponsorships where you're going to see, you know, Verizon is never going to be quiet with our media and our messaging and with Leslie and her team cmo like the way that we just redid our brand and you know, we're really focused. If you think about what our brand stands for now, are we power and empower the way people live, work and play and you see that come through like the life of our brand. So when you think about channels and marketing, I mean people's lives are more spent on digital and I think so much more of where we're going as kind of the creator, the influencer telling these stories. We've got products and services that I think are better told through creators. So when you think about like Verizon family, our credit card, which is unbelievable, it's got some. It's like 4% back on gas, groceries, dining out, which are basically where I spend most of my money. And you also get $10 off every line on your bill when you use your coverizing credit card. It's actually a very strong. And where does that work marketing wise to tell our story? Probably less in a TV ad over time more. And like where are you going to go to find out about that? People that really know and they're comparing and so you'll see us talk with more creators and influencers. I think more and over time, but also just more in digital and telling the story. The other part is all of our stores. You know, I was about to ask you about 7,000 stores across the country.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Do they still matter was my question.

[Angie Klein]

They hugely matter. Like we have gotten even better at stores and the more we go local in our communities, which is we are a big, big company.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Angie Klein]

But at the end of the day we operate as a local community player. We're there when things go right. We're there when things go wrong, we want to be there in these local communities. And we've been focusing. Sampath has made a big focus, our CEO of consumer about getting back to local. And he's really invested in our local teams, our local marketing, our local feed ground, and of course our technicians and everybody that's there anyway that do such a great job representing our brand. That's what we want in our local stores are where that really comes to life. It's the human interactions. So what we need to do from like the corporate side is make everything easier for our reps. So then the delightful experiences every customer has when they come in, because the more that we can use AI to predict why you might be coming in or why you might have a question or actually get rid of those things before you even know you have the question. So then the reason that you're coming in is just experiences to learn, to learn what might be available to you. Yeah, like there's so much more now available. Like, you know, I was skiing over the holidays, we were taking a picture on the slopes. I had my Google Pixel. I was telling the Google team this and I had my Pixel out. We took a picture of my family, my cousin's kids. He was so excited. My Pixel fold, I could open it up.

[Ryan Reynolds]

People love that.

[Angie Klein]

Yeah. And it was the AI. I took the picture and then it immediately came up to say, do you want to erase these extra people in the background? I was like, boop, boop, boop, off you go. And now it looks like this. We're the only people on the mountain. It's prestigious.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah, yeah.

[Angie Klein]

It's fantastic. And it looks great. And my cousin's kid was so impressed by it. I was like, well, you should get yourself a new phone. With all these AI capabilities. It just makes. It wasn't hard to do. And as these technologies come forward, people.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Don'T understand how easy it is. Yeah.

[Angie Klein]

And it's going to change everything on how we do everything and it's going to make things easier for people. And if we focus on AI to make life easier, easier and more delightful, what a great use of technology in.

[Ryan Reynolds]

A way that doesn't have big consumer adoption hurdles.

[Angie Klein]

Yeah.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Like you don't want consumers to have to figure out some hard to understand technology. You just want it to be one button. You're getting rid of those extra people and it's working. If you prove the value of that, then they're going to connect the magic of AI to the magic of Ferrari.

[Angie Klein]

No, the only thing about this AI that I didn't like at first time. It asked to erase me and I was like no, no, I should stay, right? I was worthy. My cousin like no, maybe you should.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Don't throw out the baby of the bathwater, right?

[Angie Klein]

I'm like, I look good in that picture. Leave me.

[Ryan Reynolds]

We'll be right back with the Speed of Culture after a few words from our sponsors.

[Unnamed Child]

My dad works in B2B marketing. He came by my school for career day and said he was a big roas man. Then he told everyone how much he loved calculating his return on ad spend. My friends still laugh at me to this day.

[Unnamed LinkedIn Representative]

Not everyone gets B2B, but with LinkedIn you'll be able to reach people who do. Get a $100 credit on your next ad campaign. Go to LinkedIn.com results to claim your credit. That's LinkedIn.com results. Terms and conditions apply. LinkedIn the place to be to be.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile. I don't know if you knew this, but anyone can get the same Premium Wireless for $15 a month plan that I've been enjoying. It's not just for celebrities. So do like I did and have one of your assistant's assistants switch you to Mint Mobile today. I'm told it's super easy to [e-mail].

[Angie Klein]

Switch upfront payment of $45 for 3 month plan equivalent to 15 DOL dollars per month required Intro rate first 3 months only, then full price plan options available, taxes and fees, extra fee. Full [e-mail].

[Ryan Reynolds]

How are you using AI personally on a day to day basis related to your job?

[Angie Klein]

Yeah, one of the things that I think about AI, I am good at editing, like starting with a blank sheet of paper. Even though I'm generally pretty creative, I find my creative juices flow when I have something to build on.

[Ryan Reynolds]

When the plane's off the Runway a little bit.

[Angie Klein]

Yeah. And that's where I think AI gets me started. I end up like saying hey, I want to write a note to my team on something. I change 90% of it after AI, but my creative juices flow because of it. And I think that so that you'll.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Start to write something and then you'll start to use AI.

[Angie Klein]

I'll use AI to start something and then I go edit it. And I'm like, my ability to edit is better. And I think if you know your own strengths, I know that like it'll take me a while to do something, an innovation for myself. But if I can edit from something like it gets My juices flowing and the AI can trigger thoughts for me. And so I use like, in terms of the writing stuff of that, I mean, just generally there's a lot of areas in our work that we think about. How does AI help our front lines? Like, that's a place where I'm like, how do we make these processes easier for consumers that they don't have to wade through stuff? And I think about, I used to run our call centers back in the day. I've been in Verizon a long time. I had a lot of jobs. And the job aids that our reps used to have to read through when there was a question that may not come up very often was pretty intense. And two things, number one, it helps the reps immediately get to the right answer instantly.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Right.

[Angie Klein]

But also it helps the customer not have to be on the phone or in the store.

[Ryan Reynolds]

It increases customer satisfaction. Yeah.

[Angie Klein]

It's like, oh, I got the right answer. Faster versus, like just simplicity of life. It's so much better. I'm like, how great is this? Yeah, it's great.

[Ryan Reynolds]

A lot of companies that manufacture mobile devices are now starting to build AI compute capabilities into the device.

[Angie Klein]

Yes.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Because there's so much compute power and it's like almost like too much for the cloud, right?

[Angie Klein]

Yeah.

[Ryan Reynolds]

And we were talking today with the folks, Lenovo, who are building it into their laptops, and you're hearing it really everywhere. How do you think the actual cell phone experience, the mobile device and how people are going to use it is going to change with this? Because if that happens, you have a much more powerful device in your hand, leveraging the compute power on the device and your network to unlock completely new things.

[Angie Klein]

Yeah. And I think. Well, I mean, every one of these devices over time gets more and more powerful with what the chipsets and capabilities are. And so having some like just native on the device is good with a 5G network or ultra wideband network. Like, I have no worries about the cloud capability and the cloud edge compute and all that stuff either. I don't. I think that the technologies are coming together to just provide these experiences that are going to just unlock next level. I think, like just the simplicity of ease of use of everything. It's not, you know, we were talking with some about like, you know, just like order my coffee and it knows what I order in whatever app I'm in. Like, wouldn't that be great? Like, I don't even have to like.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Functionally or even with Siri and Alexa and all these voice platforms working Better.

[Angie Klein]

Yeah.

[Ryan Reynolds]

And allowing people to trust the use of voice, I think is going to be a big positive impact on the consumer in the year ahead.

[Angie Klein]

Yeah. And just the predictiveness of it, like it's going to learn your rhythms when you're driving to the office one day, but you typically stop at your local Starbucks that's gonna know that and say, you want me to go ahead and place your order? And like I didn't have to think about it or remember it. It was doing it for me. Like, you might just confirm really easily how great would that. It's predictive. It's just gonna be predictively helpful.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Angie Klein]

It won't get everything right. It'll learn over time. And that's just like anything. But my God, it's already fascinating what it can do. And I think about every other conversation I have about AI now and two years ago we didn't talk about AI at all. Like, it's just fascinating how quickly how.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Quickly it happens and now how quickly it's going to move. Yeah.

[Angie Klein]

And the people who don't have these devices yet, like in terms of the upgrade cycles, you know, people are holding onto their devices longer.

[Ryan Reynolds]

That's what I was going to ask you about.

[Angie Klein]

It's like your friend sitting next to you that is doing something on their phone. It's going to be quite interesting to see. Wait a minute, I didn't realize mine now looks pretty dated. Like I can get all these features and these functions that I didn't realize I could have. And so for Verizon, like, you know, one of our goals is to be the world's best applied AI. And that's really in how we support our customers and our front lines and everything that we do. That just makes being a customer of ours easier and better. In some ways it should be fairly transparent where our partners with all of our OEMs and what they're doing on the devices makes our customers lives even easier. So I think it's all coming together in this beautiful way.

[Ryan Reynolds]

It also can help with your home products too. Right. How do I set up my wi fi, all those things. AI can obviously make consumers lives easier. Imaging their home networks as well, even.

[Angie Klein]

Realizing how much you have connected. I don't think people any idea like the 60 devices now that are all connected to their network. And yeah, when you think about your lights over the holidays and it's telling you what do you want to smart home, the sun's going down earlier. Do you want to have your Christmas lights on or you know, like there's just so many ways that it can help you manage your life, your household, your latchkey children, if you have them.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. So it sounds like, and I'm hearing a lot of this here at ces, that this could drive a whole new buying cycle, where in the past, even looking like the iPhone and a lot of the companies is like, well, am I really just going to spend more money just for slightly better battery, slightly better phone? But now it seems there's a reason all over again for people to really say, I want to switch, I want to upgrade, I might want to switch carriers. So it sounds like it create a big opportunity of growth if you can execute it the right way.

[Angie Klein]

Yeah. And I mean, look, as customers are generally loving what they have on their phone, and a lot of the AI features are coming into, like, N minus as well. It's not just the latest. So in some ways, some of them will have that. But over time, if you're holding on to a phone that's five, seven years old, which some people still are, I'd say it's high time to upgrade where you're going to really unlock this next level of capabilities. And if you're going to upgrade, you should do it on the best network out there. And that's Verizon.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah. So shifting gears a little bit as we wrap up here, I know that you really focus a lot on your leadership style and your ability to build a team and surround yourself with great people. And I would just love to hear some of your learnings in terms of what's worked throughout your career at building teams that are built for success at a company like Verizon.

[Angie Klein]

I think one of the things I talked to you about last time and I. It's like I hearken, hearken back to my three eyes. You know, that you have to be inquisitive to me. Like, I want people on my team. I want to lead this way that we're always interested in what's next, what we possibly. What are they possible? What could we be doing that we're not doing? And then how do we stand out? So, you know, being just students of the industry, being students of the technology, being students of marketing, and how do you, like, reach customers in different ways? And being authentic, that's my first eye, is being inquisitive. Being intentional is my second. I'm intentional with where I spend my time, who I'm spending it with, who I'm talking to. And that's not always easy because your calendars as your jobs get bigger. Getting a lot of your control. I think Hans Vestberg, our CEO, does an amazing job at this. He counts, he tracks every minute of his days and, like, where he spends time and makes sure that he's allocating it accordingly to where he goes most. Yeah. So whether that's our stakeholders, our employees, strategic alignment, like, I think that he does it differently than I do, but I feel like just being intentional is a really important part of it. And then lastly, to me is being inspirational is my third eye. Like, if I show up and I'm not in a great place or whatever, I'm not going to drive good team behavior. I'm not going to drive good collaboration with my peers. And so coming in every day, trying to make sure that I'm like, am I someone that people want to work with?

[Ryan Reynolds]

How do you stay inspired?

[Angie Klein]

Yeah, and some days I'm not. Like, some days I'm not like, you know, it all depends. But I'd say most of the time it's a mentality of I've got to show up, like, with that, that we can win and we can do better than anybody else because I'm with a company that I know we can. You know, that's one part about being a Verizon. It's kind of nice. You're naturally inspired.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Angie Klein]

Like, every day you're naturally inspired because you're part of this great company with a bunch of great colleagues and they show up and conspire you as well. But I think it's just part of being a leader. Like, ultimately it reflects down into how your team reacts is how you show up and like, that ability to drive the art of the possible with a large organization. And it's something I take very seriously as well.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah. I mean, it's a tremendous platform because you're not just bringing data in the household. You bring entertainment, connectivity, financial prosperity, all the things that people feel like they need for their happiness ultimately, for sure. Like, when your Internet is out, it's like you feel like that you've gone back a hundred years. It's like, it's almost worse than having water or electricity in the house sometimes. Right.

[Angie Klein]

We say, like, live, work and play.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Right.

[Angie Klein]

I mean, the only thing we kind of don't help with, and we probably help with a little bit of that, is sleep.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Right.

[Angie Klein]

You know, like, you know, like, I guess it's kind of how you live and frankly, how you eat. I wouldn't eat if I didn't have my phone. Based on my Ubereats and seamless Subscriptions.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Exactly. Right.

[Angie Klein]

Yeah.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Angie Klein]

As a New Yorker, you know those very well. Yes.

[Ryan Reynolds]

And also the other thing about Verizon, I just think it must be fascinating is the companies you work with every day. You know, you talked about Netflix and you work with Google and you work with Apple and all these incredible companies, and you get to see their product roadmap and important to them, and their device doesn't work without you. And that just must be really cool because it keeps it interesting every day.

[Angie Klein]

Yeah. I think that we are very lucky to work with literally the best companies in the world.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Angie Klein]

As our partners, whether they're creator, creative, content, with all of the content industry and creating some of the best shows that we love. And some of them are on the same company as me with Apple today, talking about the shows that we all love on Apple TV Plus Right. Right now or Paramount or with anybody. And I think about, like, we get that opportunity to see that creative and then the technology creative, what's coming. I have to be careful sometimes. I'm in some of these meetings and I'm getting really excited about what I can talk about and what I can't talk about yet, because it's not out. When I think about what Verizon does uniquely for these companies is there is no Apple without the network that Verizon has built.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Angie Klein]

Like the capabilities that we built that allowed the technology to be built on that hardware. Without the network, there wouldn't have been the app stores. There wouldn't have been on it. And so the underlying power of what makes all of these phones such amazing gadgets is what we do at Verizon, of course, which connect it all. And that's the foundation. And the foundation is what we do. And we do it better than I think anybody else. But the other part of that is then we also bring customer differentiation with what we bring to them because of our ability to partner and understand our needs. Yeah. The companies that do it the best. And that's what my job is. I always think that we're the tip of the spear. We've got the why Verizon, which is kind of our value props and our core network experiences. We got the why now some of the promotions that we do and the partner with our OEMs. And then why more as we get more into our family services, the credit card, all these perks that we can provide. There's just so much breadth that we bring to the table. And I'm lucky that my team was the tip of the spear for all of it.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Awesome. Anything new or interesting that you can talk about that Verizon's working on for 2025?

[Angie Klein]

I think you'll see us really double down in, like, our home broadband.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Angie Klein]

We've had a really good momentum in 2024. You're going to see us really continue that as we look forward to our phone growth business. I think that's exciting. Nothing specific that I'm going to put out there, but I would say what I teased before with mobile and home, the convergence is quite different in the US than it is in other markets in the globe. We think it's going to grow a lot in the us, but we're going to be one that are driving that. Now that we have a broader home broadband footprint, how do we get more people unlock additional value? Because they have mobile and home with us, and you'll see us focus a lot across the company on loyalty and really delighting our customers in every aspect, making those flawless experiences. So those are not necessarily the products and services and all that new, but ultimately what we want is the customers every day to have an interaction with us. It's like, I love Verizon and I will tell everybody about it and we know we're getting it right when everything just works and we're spending a lot of time and money across the company focused on how do we take every pain point that we might have and make it go away?

[Ryan Reynolds]

It's awesome. Well, thanks again for joining us. As you might remember, we wrap up every podcast by asking if there's a quote or mantra that comes to mind that guides your professional journey. So I'd love to know what comes in line for you.

[Angie Klein]

I would say one that comes to mind from when I was in college. So if you're young out there, someone once told me, the people that know how will always work for the people that know why.

[Ryan Reynolds]

That's awesome. I've never heard that before, but I love that.

[Angie Klein]

Yeah. And I think it's a good way to think about, do I know why we're doing this? Do I know why people do? Like, how is it really important to understand? But ultimately, to be a leader, you gotta know why. And I think that's a quote that, like, stuck with me on how I think about every role I'm in. What's the why?

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah, well, that's where the purpose and the passion and all the good stuff lives.

[Angie Klein]

That's right.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Right. And that's what keeps the money every day. Thank you so much for joining. On behalf of Susan, Iowa team, thanks again. To Angie Klein, SVP of Consumer Growth and Marketing and Content Verizon, for joining us here live at CES in Las Vegas. Be sure to subscribe Rate Review to Speed of Culture Podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Till next time. See you soon everyone. Take care. The Speed of Culture is brought to you by Susie as part of the Ad Week Podcast Network and a Guest Creator Network. You can listen subscribe to all Adweek's podcasts by visiting Adweek.com podcasts to find out more about Susie, head to Susie.com and make sure to search for the Speed of Culture in Apple Podcasts, Spotify or anywhere else podcasts are found. Click follow so you don't miss out on any future episodes. On behalf of the team here at Suzy, thanks for listening.

[Unnamed Child]

My dad works in B2B marketing. He came by my school for Career Day and said he was a big roaz man. Then he told everyone how much he loved calculating his return on ad spend. My friends still laugh at me to this day.

[Unnamed LinkedIn Representative]

Not everyone gets B2B, but with LinkedIn you'll be able to reach people who do get a hundred dollar credit on your next ad campaign. Go to LinkedIn.com results to claim your credit. That's LinkedIn.com results. Terms and conditions apply. LinkedIn the place to be to be.