American Tower vs Visa: Founders, CEOs and History
American Tower was founded in 1995 by Steven B. Dodge and is led by Steven Vondran. Visa was founded in 1958 by Dee Hock and is led by Ryan McInerney.
Company facts
American Tower
- Founded
- 1995
- Headquarters
- Boston, Massachusetts
- Current CEO
- Steven Vondran
- Employees
- 4,866
Visa
- Founded
- 1958
- Headquarters
- San Francisco, California
- Current CEO
- Ryan McInerney
- Employees
- 34,100
Founders
American Tower
Steven B. Dodge
Unlike legacy media or manufacturing companies, American Tower was not founded by a solitary inventor in a garage; it was a calculated, strategic spin-off orchestrated by a broadcasting conglomerate anticipating a structural shift in the telecommunications ind…
Visa
Dee Hock
Dee Hock (1929-2022) was the founding CEO of National BankAmericard Inc., the bank-owned company that took over the BankAmericard licensing system from Bank of America in 1970 and adopted the Visa name in 1976.
CEOs and their tenures
American Tower
- Steven B. Dodge1995–2003
Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Created American Tower as a tower division inside American Radio Systems in 1995 on the premise that carriers would rather lease antenna space from a neutral operator than build their own structures.
Source - James Taiclet2003–2020
Former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Joined American Tower in 2001 as president and chief operating officer, was named chief executive officer on October 10, 2003 and became chairman in February 2004.
Source - Tom Bartlett2020–2024
Former President and Chief Executive Officer
Joined American Tower as chief financial officer in April 2009 after a career at Verizon Communications and its predecessor companies, and became president and chief executive officer effective March 16, 2020.
Source - Steven Vondran2024–present
President and Chief Executive Officer
Became president and chief executive officer on February 1, 2024, succeeding Tom Bartlett. Vondran joined American Tower in 2000 and ran the US Tower Division, including its data center business, then served as global chief operating officer.
Source
Visa
- Alfred F. Kelly Jr.2016–2023
Chief Executive Officer
Serving as CEO from 2016 to 2023, he heavily modernized the massive legacy network, aggressively integrating fintechs and preparing the network to process highly complex cryptocurrency transactions.
Source - Ryan McInerney2023–present
Chief Executive Officer
McInerney joined Visa in 2013 as president after senior roles at JPMorgan Chase and became chief executive on February 1, 2023, succeeding Alfred F. Kelly Jr.
Source
Timeline: American Tower and Visa side by side
1958Visa
BankAmericard launched
Bank of America launched BankAmericard, the direct predecessor to Visa.
1976Visa
Visa name adopted
The network adopted the Visa name to support international acceptance and brand consistency.
1995American Tower
Tower division formed inside American Radio Systems
Steven B. Dodge set up American Tower Systems as a division of American Radio Systems to lease antenna space on broadcast and new cellular towers to multiple carriers at once.
1998American Tower
Spin-off from American Radio Systems and NYSE listing
CBS acquired American Radio Systems in June 1998 and the tower business became the independent, NYSE-listed American Tower Corporation with more than 1,800 towers in 44 states and the District of Columbia.
1999American Tower
First international markets in Mexico and Brazil
American Tower established operations in Mexico in 1998 and Brazil in 1999, beginning an international portfolio that later reached Europe, Africa and Asia.
2002American Tower
Telecom downturn cuts the company's market value
Carrier and competitive local exchange carrier bankruptcies cut leasing demand and closed credit markets. American Tower's equity market value fell to about $690 million at the end of 2002 before recovering to roughly $2.4 billion a year later.
2003American Tower
James Taiclet succeeds founder Steven B. Dodge as CEO
The board named James D. Taiclet chief executive officer on October 10, 2003, succeeding Steven B. Dodge. Taiclet added the chairman title in February 2004 and ran the company until 2020.
2005American Tower
SpectraSite merger completed
The SpectraSite merger closed on August 8, 2005 in a stock exchange valuing SpectraSite's equity at about $3.1 billion, creating a portfolio of over 22,000 owned communications sites.
2007American Tower
Added to the S&P 500
Standard and Poor's named American Tower as the replacement for ALLTEL in the S&P 500 in November 2007, after ALLTEL was taken private.
2008Visa
Visa IPO
Visa became a public company, changing the economics from a bank association structure to a shareholder-owned company.
2012American Tower
REIT conversion takes effect
After board approval in May 2011 and a stockholder vote in November 2011, American Tower qualified as a real estate investment trust for the taxable year beginning January 1, 2012 and began paying regular quarterly dividends.
2013American Tower
Global Tower Partners acquisition closes
American Tower completed the purchase of MIP Tower Holdings, parent of Global Tower Partners, on October 1, 2013, paying about $3.3 billion in cash and assuming roughly $1.5 billion of debt.
2015American Tower
Verizon tower transaction
American Tower took exclusive rights to lease and operate about 11,324 Verizon towers for roughly 28 years and bought about 165 towers outright for $5.056 billion in cash.
2016Visa
Alfred F. Kelly Jr. becomes CEO
Alfred F. Kelly Jr. became CEO of Visa in 2016. Chief executive of Visa from December 2016 to January 2023, when Ryan McInerney succeeded him; Kelly then served as executive chairman.
2020American Tower
InSite Wireless deal adds the first Canadian sites
The $3.5 billion InSite Wireless Group acquisition closed on December 23, 2020, adding about 3,000 communications sites primarily in the United States and Canada.
2020Visa
Acquired Plaid (abandoned)
Visa acquired Plaid (abandoned) for $5.3 billion. Visa agreed in January 2020 to buy US data-connectivity fintech Plaid for USD 5.3 billion.
2021American Tower
Telxius Towers and CoreSite reshape the portfolio
American Tower agreed in January 2021 to buy roughly 31,000 Telxius Towers sites in Germany, Spain, Brazil, Chile, Peru and Argentina for about $8.7 billion (7.7 billion euros), then closed the $10.1 billion CoreSite data center acquisition on December 28, 202…
2022Visa
Tink acquisition
Visa completed its purchase of Stockholm-based open banking platform Tink in March 2022.
2023Visa
Ryan McInerney becomes CEO
Ryan McInerney became Visa's CEO after serving as president.
2024American Tower
Leadership change and exit from India
Steven Vondran became president and chief executive officer on February 1, 2024. On September 12, 2024 American Tower closed the disposal of ATC India, about 76,000 communications sites, to Data Infrastructure Trust for total cash proceeds of about $2.5 billio…
2025American Tower
FY2025 results and a smaller, denser portfolio
American Tower reported FY2025 revenue of $10,645 million and adjusted EBITDA of $7.1 billion, ended the year with 149,686 communications sites and net leverage of 4.9 times adjusted EBITDA, and repurchased about $365 million of stock.
2025Visa
Revenue reaches $40.0B
Visa reported $40.0 billion in fiscal 2025 net revenue.
Acquisitions
American Tower
- Telxius Towers2021$9.4B
- CoreSite2021$10.1B
- Eaton Towers2020$1.9B
- InSite Wireless Group2020$3.5B
- Verizon tower portfolio2015$5.1B
- Global Tower Partners2013$4.8B
Questions about American Tower vs Visa
Who is the CEO of American Tower Corporation and Visa Inc.?
American Tower Corporation is led by Steven Vondran and Visa Inc. is led by Ryan McInerney. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was American Tower Corporation founded vs Visa Inc.?
Visa Inc. was founded in 1958 — 37 years before American Tower Corporation, which was founded in 1995. Visa Inc.'s longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger American Tower Corporation.
How many employees does American Tower Corporation have compared to Visa Inc.?
American Tower Corporation employs approximately 4,866 people, while Visa Inc. employs approximately 34,100. Visa Inc. has the larger workforce at 34,100 employees, compared to American Tower Corporation's 4,866. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are American Tower Corporation and Visa Inc. headquartered?
Both American Tower Corporation and Visa Inc. are headquartered in United States, meaning they operate under the same primary regulatory and tax environment.
Who founded American Tower Corporation and Visa Inc.?
American Tower Corporation was founded by Steven B. Dodge. Visa Inc. was founded by Dee Hock.
Which company has a longer operating history — American Tower Corporation or Visa Inc.?
Visa Inc. has been operating for approximately 68 years, making it the more established of the two companies. American Tower Corporation has been in operation for around 31 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 American Tower vs Visa overview