AT&T vs Burlington: Founders, CEOs and History
AT&T was founded in 1885 by Alexander Graham Bell, Gardiner Greene Hubbard, Thomas Sanders and is led by John Stankey. Burlington was founded in 1972 by Monroe Milstein and is led by Michael O'Sullivan.
Company facts
AT&T
- Founded
- 1885
- Headquarters
- Dallas, Texas
- Current CEO
- John Stankey
- Employees
- 133,030
Burlington
- Founded
- 1972
- Headquarters
- Burlington, New Jersey
- Current CEO
- Michael O'Sullivan
- Employees
- 83,309
Founders
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.
Burlington
Monroe Milstein
Monroe G. Milstein grew up in his family's wholesale outerwear business in New York.
CEOs and their tenures
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
Burlington
- Monroe Milstein1972–2006
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Milstein opened the first Burlington Coat Factory in Burlington, New Jersey, in 1972, broadened it from discount coats into year-round family apparel, shoes, baby and home goods, and took it public in 1983.
Source - Mark Nesci2006–2008
Chief Executive Officer
A 37-year Burlington veteran, Nesci became CEO in 2006 after Bain Capital took the company private for about $2.06 billion. He retired in December 2008, remaining an equity investor and senior adviser to the board.
Source - Tom Kingsbury2008–2019
President and Chief Executive Officer
A former Kohl's senior executive, Kingsbury was hired by Bain Capital in December 2008 to revamp buying, inventory management and the supply chain.
Source - Michael O'Sullivan2019–present
Chief Executive Officer
O'Sullivan joined from Ross Stores, where he spent 16 years and finished as president and COO, and became CEO around September 16, 2019.
Source
Timeline: AT&T and Burlington 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.
1972Burlington
Burlington Coat Factory opens
Monroe Milstein bought a coat outlet in a former factory building in Burlington, New Jersey, and sold brand-name coats at discount prices, the start of Burlington Coat Factory.
1983Burlington
First public offering
Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse Corporation went public for the first time, funding expansion from a regional discounter into a national chain with year-round apparel, shoes, baby and home departments.
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…
1989Burlington
Cohoes Specialty Stores acquired
Burlington bought the Cohoes Specialty Stores off-price chain from upstate New York, including a 50 percent stake in the Cohoes Commons building; a few stores still traded as Cohoes Fashions decades later.
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.
2006Burlington
Bain Capital takes Burlington private
Bain Capital acquired Burlington Coat Factory for about $2.06 billion, ending 34 years of Milstein family control. Long-time executive Mark Nesci became chief executive.
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.
2008Burlington
Tom Kingsbury named CEO
Former Kohl's executive Thomas Kingsbury became president and CEO in December 2008, succeeding Mark Nesci, and began overhauling buying, inventory management and the supply chain.
2013Burlington
Return to the stock market
Burlington Stores priced its IPO on October 2, 2013, selling 13.3 million shares at $17 each for about $226 million, and listed under the ticker BURL.
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.
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.
2019Burlington
Michael O'Sullivan becomes CEO
Former Ross Stores president and COO Michael O'Sullivan succeeded Tom Kingsbury as CEO around September 16, 2019, and later launched the Burlington 2.0 plan of leaner inventories and smaller stores.
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.
2020Burlington
Online sales end and stores close for the pandemic
On March 5, 2020, Burlington said it would shut its e-commerce business. Days later pandemic lockdowns closed its stores, and fiscal 2020 revenue fell to $5.76 billion with a $216.5 million net loss.
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.
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.
2023Burlington
Bed Bath & Beyond leases
Burlington won 44 Bed Bath & Beyond leases for $12 million at the June 2023 bankruptcy auction, the largest share of the 109 sold, and later reported 62 former Bed Bath & Beyond leases in total.
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.
2025Burlington
Joann leases
After Joann's second bankruptcy, Burlington agreed in April 2025 to take over 45 Joann store leases, many of which became part of its fiscal 2026 opening program.
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.
2026Burlington
Record fiscal 2025 results
Burlington reported fiscal 2025 total revenue of $11.57 billion and net income of $610.2 million, and ended the year on January 31, 2026, with 1,212 stores.
2026Burlington
Tariff refunds put into prices
In the second quarter of fiscal 2026, sales rose 11 percent to $2.998 billion. Burlington received $55 million in tariff refunds and said it would reinvest them in lower prices; the store count reached 1,287.
2026Burlington
Headquarters move to Philadelphia announced
On September 3, 2026, Burlington said it will invest $370 million to move its headquarters from Burlington Township, New Jersey, to Schuylkill Yards in Philadelphia, in phases from late 2028 or early 2029.
Acquisitions
AT&T
- Lumen Mass Markets Fiber Business2026$5.8B
- Time Warner2018$85.4B
- DirecTV2015$48.5B
- BellSouth2006$86B
- AT&T Corporation2005$16B
Burlington
- Joann store leases2025Undisclosed
- Bed Bath & Beyond store leases2023$12M
- Burlington Coat Factory (taken private by Bain Capital)2006$2.1B
- Cohoes Specialty Stores (Cohoes Fashions)1989Undisclosed
Questions about AT&T vs Burlington
Who is the CEO of AT&T Inc. and Burlington Stores, Inc.?
AT&T Inc. is led by John Stankey and Burlington Stores, Inc. is led by Michael O'Sullivan. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was AT&T Inc. founded vs Burlington Stores, Inc.?
AT&T Inc. was founded in 1885 — 87 years before Burlington Stores, Inc., which was founded in 1972. AT&T Inc.'s longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Burlington Stores, Inc..
How many employees does AT&T Inc. have compared to Burlington Stores, Inc.?
AT&T Inc. employs approximately 133,030 people, while Burlington Stores, Inc. employs approximately 83,309. AT&T Inc. has the larger workforce at 133,030 employees, compared to Burlington Stores, Inc.'s 83,309. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are AT&T Inc. and Burlington Stores, Inc. headquartered?
Both AT&T Inc. and Burlington Stores, Inc. are headquartered in United States, meaning they operate under the same primary regulatory and tax environment.
Who founded AT&T Inc. and Burlington Stores, Inc.?
AT&T Inc. was founded by Alexander Graham Bell, Gardiner Greene Hubbard, Thomas Sanders. Burlington Stores, Inc. was founded by Monroe Milstein.
Which company has a longer operating history — AT&T Inc. or Burlington Stores, Inc.?
AT&T Inc. has been operating for approximately 141 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Burlington Stores, Inc. has been in operation for around 54 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 AT&T vs Burlington overview