Accenture vs AT&T: Founders, CEOs and History
Accenture was founded in 1989 by Arthur Andersen Consulting Partners, George Shaheen and is led by Julie Sweet. AT&T was founded in 1885 by Alexander Graham Bell, Gardiner Greene Hubbard, Thomas Sanders and is led by John Stankey.
Company facts
Founders
Accenture
Arthur Andersen Consulting Partners
Accenture has no single founder. It began in the early 1950s as the business and technology consulting practice of Arthur Andersen, the accounting firm founded in 1913.
George Shaheen
George Shaheen led Andersen Consulting from 1989 until September 1999. By the time he left, the consulting unit had about 65,000 staff. In 1997 it began the ICC arbitration to separate from Arthur Andersen.
AT&T
Alexander Graham Bell
AT&T possesses the most influential founding mythology in the history of global communications. The company's origin is directly tied to the single most important invention of the 19th century: the telephone.
Gardiner Greene Hubbard
Gardiner Greene Hubbard gave the early Bell enterprise its business spine. He helped finance Bell's experiments, organized the commercial structure around the telephone patents, served as the first president of the Bell Telephone Company, and pushed the invent…
Thomas Sanders
Thomas Sanders helped turn the telephone from a laboratory promise into a fundable business opportunity. By backing Bell's experiments, he accepted the risk that voice transmission might remain a novelty or be crushed by stronger incumbents.
CEOs and their tenures
Accenture
- George Shaheen1989–1999
Managing Partner and CEO, Andersen Consulting
Led Andersen Consulting from its 1989 formation as a separate unit of Andersen Worldwide until September 1999, a period in which the consulting unit grew to about 65,000 employees and began the 1997 ICC arbitration to leave Arthur Andersen.
Source - Joe Forehand1999–2004
CEO
Succeeded Shaheen in November 1999 as global managing partner and CEO. Led the firm through the August 2000 arbitration ruling, the January 1, 2001 rename to Accenture and the July 19, 2001 NYSE IPO at $14.50 per share.
Source - William D. Green2004–2011
CEO
CEO from Sept 1, 2004 to January 2011, after serving as chief operating officer for client services. Revenue was $23.09B in FY2010, his last full fiscal year as CEO.
Source - Pierre Nanterme2011–2019
CEO
CEO from January 2011 and also chairman from February 2013. Revenue grew from $27.35B in FY2011 to $41.60B in FY2018 as originally reported.
Source - David Rowland2019–2019
Interim CEO
Chief financial officer who served as interim CEO from Jan 10, 2019 after Nanterme stepped down, until Julie Sweet took over on Sept 1, 2019.
Source - Julie Sweet2019–present
Chair and CEO
CEO since Sept 1, 2019 and chair since Sept 1, 2021; previously CEO of Accenture North America and, before that, general counsel. Revenue rose from $44.33B in FY2020 to $69.67B in FY2025, and headcount reached about 799,000 by May 31, 2026.
Source
AT&T
- Theodore N. Vail1885–1887
President (CEO)
Vail built his reputation running the US Railway Mail Service, becoming its general superintendent in 1876 and modernizing its logistics, before Bell Telephone recruited him in 1878 as general manager specifically because of that operational expertise.
Source - Edward Whitacre Jr.1990–2007
CEO
Whitacre earned an industrial-engineering degree from Texas Tech University in 1964 and joined Southwestern Bell that same year as a facility engineer in Lubbock, Texas, spending his entire four-decade career at the company and its successors.
Source - Randall L. Stephenson2007–2020
CEO
Stephenson earned an accounting degree from the University of Central Oklahoma and a master's in accountancy from the University of Oklahoma before joining Southwestern Bell in 1982, rising through finance roles including CFO before becoming AT&T's COO under W…
Source - John T. Stankey2020–present
CEO
Stankey earned a finance degree from Loyola Marymount University in 1985 and an MBA from UCLA in 1991, then spent his entire career at Pacific Bell, SBC, and AT&T, rising through operations and technology roles before running AT&T's entertainment group during…
Source
Timeline: Accenture and AT&T side by side
1885AT&T
AT&T Founded as the Bell System Long-Distance Arm
American Telephone and Telegraph was incorporated in 1885 to build and operate long-distance telephone lines for the Bell system.
1913AT&T
Kingsbury Commitment
The Kingsbury Commitment settled a major antitrust threat. AT&T agreed to divest its Western Union holdings, connect independent telephone companies to its long-distance network and seek approval for further acquisitions.
1925AT&T
Bell Telephone Laboratories Founded
AT&T and Western Electric consolidated their research into Bell Telephone Laboratories in 1925.
1953Accenture
Arthur Andersen GE feasibility study
Arthur Andersen's administrative services group, led by Joseph Glickauf, carries out a study for General Electric on computerizing payroll at Appliance Park in Louisville, Kentucky.
1984AT&T
Bell System Breakup Takes Effect
Divestiture took effect on January 1, 1984 under the 1982 consent decree. AT&T gave up the local exchange operations that had produced most of its revenue, which became seven regional Bell operating companies, and kept long distance, Western Electric and Bell…
1989Accenture
Andersen Consulting formed
Arthur Andersen and Andersen Consulting become separate units of Andersen Worldwide Societe Cooperative, with George Shaheen as managing partner and CEO of the consulting unit. The more profitable unit pays the other up to 15% of profits.
1997Accenture
Arbitration with Arthur Andersen begins
Andersen Consulting files an arbitration claim with the International Chamber of Commerce, arguing that Arthur Andersen broke their agreement by building its own competing consulting practice.
2000Accenture
Arbitration ruling and Avanade
In April 2000 Andersen Consulting and Microsoft form Avanade, a joint venture now majority owned by Accenture.
2001Accenture
Rename to Accenture and NYSE IPO
Andersen Consulting becomes Accenture on Jan 1, 2001, a name based on "Accent on the future" suggested by an employee in Oslo. The Bermuda-incorporated company prices its IPO at $14.50 per share and starts trading on the NYSE on July 19, 2001.
2004Accenture
William D. Green becomes CEO
William D. Green succeeds Joe Forehand as CEO on Sept 1, 2004; Forehand remains chairman.
2005AT&T
SBC Acquires AT&T Corporation and Takes the Name
SBC Communications, one of the regional companies created by the 1984 breakup, acquired AT&T Corporation in 2005 for about $16 billion and adopted the AT&T name.
2007AT&T
Exclusive US iPhone Launch Carrier
AT&T, then operating wireless under the Cingular brand, was the exclusive U.S. carrier for Apple's first iPhone in 2007.
2009Accenture
Reincorporation in Ireland
On May 26, 2009 the board approves moving the company's place of incorporation from Bermuda to Ireland, which remains its legal domicile.
2011Accenture
Pierre Nanterme becomes CEO
Pierre Nanterme becomes CEO in January 2011. The same year Accenture completes its purchase of insurance software company Duck Creek Technologies.
2013Accenture
Fjord acquisition
Accenture agrees in May 2013 to acquire Fjord, a service design consultancy, adding design capacity to Accenture Interactive.
2015AT&T
DirecTV Acquisition Completed
AT&T completed the DirecTV purchase on July 24, 2015 for $48.5 billion, about $67 billion including assumed debt, betting that satellite video would reinforce telecom relationships.
2016Accenture
Duck Creek stake sold to Apax
Funds advised by Apax Partners buy a 60% stake in Duck Creek Technologies from Accenture, which keeps 40%.
2018AT&T
Time Warner Acquisition Completed
AT&T completed the $85.4 billion Time Warner purchase on June 14, 2018, two days after a federal judge rejected the Justice Department challenge. The deal brought HBO, Warner Bros.
2019Accenture
CEO transition and Droga5
Nanterme steps down for health reasons on Jan 11, 2019 and CFO David Rowland becomes interim CEO. Accenture Interactive completes the purchase of creative agency Droga5, and Julie Sweet becomes CEO on Sept 1, 2019.
2020AT&T
John T. Stankey Becomes CEO
John T. Stankey became chief executive on July 1, 2020, inheriting high debt, a media portfolio under pressure and a shifting broadband market.
2022Accenture
Accenture Song
On April 26, 2022 Accenture Interactive begins going to market as Accenture Song. FY2022 revenue rises 22% to $61.59B.
2022AT&T
WarnerMedia Separated and Merged with Discovery
AT&T separated WarnerMedia in April 2022 and combined it with Discovery to create Warner Bros. Discovery, receiving cash and debt relief of about $40.4 billion.
2023Accenture
$3B Data & AI investment
In June 2023 Accenture announces a $3B investment over three years in its Data & AI practice and a plan to double AI talent to 80,000 people.
2023AT&T
$14 Billion Open RAN Contract with Ericsson
In December 2023 AT&T committed roughly $14 billion over five years to Ericsson to deploy commercial-scale open radio access network equipment, with a target of carrying 70% of its wireless traffic on open-capable platforms by late 2026.
2024Accenture
Udacity acquisition
Accenture completes its purchase of online education company Udacity on May 20, 2024 to support its Accenture LearnVantage training business.
2025Accenture
FY2025 results and restructuring
FY2025 revenue reaches $69.67B with $80.62B in new bookings. In September 2025 Accenture outlines a six-month, $865M business optimization program, mainly severance, and moves to a single Reinvention Services unit.
2025AT&T
DIRECTV Exit Completed
AT&T closed the sale of its entire remaining 70% DIRECTV stake to TPG on July 2, 2025, recording a $5.6 billion gain.
2025AT&T
Fiber Network Passes 30 Million Locations
AT&T said in October 2025 that its fiber network had passed more than 30 million consumer and business locations, ahead of its own schedule, and finished the year at 32.0 million.
2026Accenture
Faculty and Ookla deals
Accenture completes the acquisition of UK AI company Faculty on March 16, 2026 and agrees in March 2026 to buy Ziff Davis's connectivity division (Ookla, Speedtest, Downdetector) for $1.2B in cash. Q3 FY2026 revenue is $18.72B.
2026AT&T
Lumen Fiber and EchoStar Spectrum Deals Close
AT&T completed two large network purchases in 2026. In February it closed the $5.75 billion acquisition of Lumen's mass markets fiber business, adding more than 1 million subscribers and more than 4 million fiber locations in eleven states.
Acquisitions
Accenture
- Faculty2026Undisclosed
- Ookla (Ziff Davis Connectivity division)2026$1.2B
- Udacity2024Undisclosed
- umlaut2021Undisclosed
- Droga52019Undisclosed
- Fjord2013Undisclosed
AT&T
- Lumen Mass Markets Fiber Business2026$5.8B
- Time Warner2018$85.4B
- DirecTV2015$48.5B
- BellSouth2006$86B
- AT&T Corporation2005$16B
Questions about Accenture vs AT&T
Who is the CEO of Accenture PLC and AT&T Inc.?
Accenture PLC is led by Julie Sweet and AT&T Inc. is led by John Stankey. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Accenture PLC founded vs AT&T Inc.?
AT&T Inc. was founded in 1885 — 104 years before Accenture PLC, which was founded in 1989. AT&T Inc.'s longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Accenture PLC.
How many employees does Accenture PLC have compared to AT&T Inc.?
Accenture PLC employs approximately 799,000 people, while AT&T Inc. employs approximately 133,030. Accenture PLC has the larger workforce at 799,000 employees, compared to AT&T Inc.'s 133,030. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are Accenture PLC and AT&T Inc. headquartered?
Accenture PLC is headquartered in Ireland and AT&T Inc. is headquartered in United States. Their different home markets mean they may face different regulatory frameworks, tax regimes, and currency exposure.
Who founded Accenture PLC and AT&T Inc.?
Accenture PLC was founded by Arthur Andersen Consulting Partners, George Shaheen. AT&T Inc. was founded by Alexander Graham Bell, Gardiner Greene Hubbard, Thomas Sanders.
Which company has a longer operating history — Accenture PLC or AT&T Inc.?
AT&T Inc. has been operating for approximately 141 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Accenture PLC has been in operation for around 37 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Accenture vs AT&T overview