AT&T vs Cardinal Health: 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. Cardinal Health was founded in 1971 by Robert D. Walter and is led by Jason M. Hollar.
Company facts
AT&T
- Founded
- 1885
- Headquarters
- Dallas, Texas
- Current CEO
- John Stankey
- Employees
- 133,030
Cardinal Health
- Founded
- 1971
- Headquarters
- Dublin, Ohio, United States
- Current CEO
- Jason M. Hollar
- Employees
- 63,900
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.
Cardinal Health
Robert D. Walter
Cardinal Health possesses a unique and unexpected founding history: the pharmaceutical distributor was not founded by a doctor or a pharmacist, but rather by an ambitious entrepreneur attempting to consolidate the wholesale food industry.
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
Cardinal Health
- Robert D. Walter1971–2006
Founder, Chairman, and CEO
Walter founded Cardinal Health in 1971 as a food wholesaler and pivoted to pharmaceutical distribution in 1979. He executed dozens of acquisitions that transformed the company from a small regional distributor into a $50+ billion healthcare conglomerate.
Source - Kerry Clark2006–2009
Chairman and CEO
Clark led Cardinal Health through a period of strategic repositioning, including the spin-off of the CareFusion medical technology business. He focused on improving operational efficiency and addressing the challenges of the post-Walter era.
Source - George Barrett2009–2017
Chairman and CEO
Barrett led Cardinal Health through significant strategic initiatives including the acquisition of the Patient Recovery business from Medtronic ($6.1 billion) and the establishment of the Red Oak Sourcing joint venture with CVS Health.
Source - Mike Kaufmann2018–2022
CEO
Kaufmann led Cardinal Health through the opioid litigation settlement and the COVID-19 pandemic, which created demand for medical supplies and pharmaceuticals. He focused on operational execution and maintaining supply chain continuity during the crisis.
Source - Jason M. Hollar2022–present
CEO
Hollar joined Cardinal Health as CFO in 2020 and became CEO in September 2022. He has led the company through the OptumRx contract exit, the GMPD improvement plan, and acquisitions including GI Alliance, ADSG, and Solaris Health.
Source
Timeline: AT&T and Cardinal Health 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.
1971Cardinal Health
Cardinal Foods Founded by Robert D. Walter
Robert D. Walter, a 26-year-old Harvard MBA graduate, borrowed $1.3 million to acquire the food-distribution division of Consolidated Foods in a leveraged buyout, establishing Cardinal Foods in Columbus, Ohio.
1979Cardinal Health
Pivot to Pharmaceutical Distribution
Walter acquired Bailey Drug Co., a pharmaceutical distributor in Zanesville, Ohio, marking Cardinal's entry into pharmaceutical distribution.
1983Cardinal Health
Cardinal Distribution Goes Public
Cardinal Distribution Inc. completed its initial public offering on the NASDAQ at $1.03 per share, providing capital for continued expansion through acquisitions.
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…
1984Cardinal Health
Acquisition of Ellicott Drug
Cardinal acquired Ellicott Drug, a pharmaceutical distributor in Buffalo, New York, continuing the acquisition-driven expansion strategy that would define the company's growth for decades.
1988Cardinal Health
Sale of Food Operations to Roundy's Inc.
Cardinal sold its remaining food operations to Roundy's Inc., completing the company's transition from a diversified food and drug distributor to a pure-play pharmaceutical distribution company.
1994Cardinal Health
Name Change to Cardinal Health
The company changed its name from Cardinal Distribution to Cardinal Health, reflecting its expanding mission beyond pure distribution into healthcare services, manufacturing, and technology. Revenues exceeded $1 billion by 1991.
1995Cardinal Health
Acquisition of Medicine Shoppe International
Cardinal acquired Medicine Shoppe International, the country's largest franchise of retail pharmacies, marking the company's first significant non-distribution acquisition and entry into retail pharmacy.
1996Cardinal Health
Acquisition of Pyxis Corp.
Cardinal acquired Pyxis Corp., a manufacturer of automated supply and pharmaceutical dispensing systems for hospitals, adding medical technology capabilities to the company's portfolio.
1999Cardinal Health
Acquisition of Allegiance Healthcare Corp.
Cardinal acquired Allegiance Healthcare Corp. for approximately $4.4 billion, becoming a major player in the medical-surgical products market and establishing the foundation for what would become the Global Medical Products and Distribution segment.
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.
2013Cardinal Health
Red Oak Sourcing Joint Venture with CVS
Cardinal Health and CVS Caremark announced the creation of Red Oak Sourcing, a 50/50 joint venture to form the largest generic pharmaceutical sourcing entity in the United States. The venture began operations in July 2014 with an initial 10-year term.
2014Cardinal Health
Loss of Walgreens Contract
Cardinal Health lost a major pharmaceutical distribution contract with Walgreens, which shifted its distribution to AmerisourceBergen. The contract had generated $3.3 billion in quarterly revenue.
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.
2017Cardinal Health
Acquisition of Patient Recovery Business from Medtronic
Cardinal Health acquired the Patient Recovery business from Medtronic for $6.1 billion, expanding its medical products portfolio and adding significant scale to the Global Medical Products and Distribution segment.
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.
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.
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.
2024Cardinal Health
OptumRx Contract Non-Renewal Announced
Cardinal Health's pharmaceutical distribution contracts with OptumRx (part of UnitedHealth Group) expired at the end of June 2024 and were not renewed. They represented about $38.1 billion of fiscal 2024 revenue.
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.
2025Cardinal Health
Fiscal 2025 Results and Raised FY2026 Guidance
Cardinal Health reported fiscal 2025 revenue of $222.6 billion, down about 2% after the OptumRx contract expiration, while net earnings rose to about $1.6 billion.
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.
2026Cardinal Health
Fiscal 2026 Revenue Reaches $254.2 Billion
Fiscal 2026 revenue rose 14% to $254.2 billion and non-GAAP EPS rose 37% to $11.26, with profit growth in all five operating segments.
Acquisitions
AT&T
- Lumen Mass Markets Fiber Business2026$5.8B
- Time Warner2018$85.4B
- DirecTV2015$48.5B
- BellSouth2006$86B
- AT&T Corporation2005$16B
Cardinal Health
- Advanced Diabetes Supply Group (ADSG)2025$1.1B
- Solaris Health (via The Specialty Alliance)2025$1.9B
- Integrated Oncology Network (ION)2024Undisclosed
- GI Alliance (71% stake)2024$2.8B
- Patient Recovery Business from Medtronic2017$6.1B
- Allegiance Healthcare Corp.1999Undisclosed
Questions about AT&T vs Cardinal Health
Who is the CEO of AT&T Inc. and Cardinal Health, Inc.?
AT&T Inc. is led by John Stankey and Cardinal Health, Inc. is led by Jason M. Hollar. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was AT&T Inc. founded vs Cardinal Health, Inc.?
AT&T Inc. was founded in 1885 — 86 years before Cardinal Health, Inc., which was founded in 1971. AT&T Inc.'s longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Cardinal Health, Inc..
How many employees does AT&T Inc. have compared to Cardinal Health, Inc.?
AT&T Inc. employs approximately 133,030 people, while Cardinal Health, Inc. employs approximately 63,900. AT&T Inc. has the larger workforce at 133,030 employees, compared to Cardinal Health, Inc.'s 63,900. 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 Cardinal Health, Inc. headquartered?
Both AT&T Inc. and Cardinal Health, Inc. are headquartered in United States, meaning they operate under the same primary regulatory and tax environment.
Who founded AT&T Inc. and Cardinal Health, Inc.?
AT&T Inc. was founded by Alexander Graham Bell, Gardiner Greene Hubbard, Thomas Sanders. Cardinal Health, Inc. was founded by Robert D. Walter.
Which company has a longer operating history — AT&T Inc. or Cardinal Health, Inc.?
AT&T Inc. has been operating for approximately 141 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Cardinal Health, Inc. has been in operation for around 55 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 Cardinal Health overview