AT&T vs Ford: Revenue, Profit and Business Model
AT&T reported $125.6B of revenue in FY2025 and $22B of net income. Ford reported $187.3B of revenue in FY2025 and a net loss of $8.2B.
Latest financial snapshot
Financial summary
AT&T
AT&T's financial story is large revenue, large debt and a slow correction. The company funded the $48.5 billion DirecTV purchase in 2015 and the $85.4 billion Time Warner purchase in 2018 largely with borrowing, and net debt passed $180 billion after Time Warner closed. It then reversed course: WarnerMedia was separated in 2022, the dividend was cut, and the remaining 70% DIRECTV stake went to TPG in July 2025 for a $5.6 billion gain. FY2025 revenue was $125.6 billion, with $23.4 billion of total net income, $46.4 billion of adjusted EBITDA and $16.6 billion of free cash flow against $117.4 billion of net debt. Roughly $22 billion a year of capital investment goes mostly into fiber and 5G.
Ford
Ford's numbers show a profitable truck and fleet business funding an expensive EV reset. FY2025 revenue rose 1.2% to $187.267B, but Ford posted an $8.162B net loss as Model e lost $4.806B at EBIT and the company took charges tied to its December 2025 decision to cancel some EV programs. Ford Pro earned $6.843B of EBIT. In Q2 2026, revenue fell 4% to $48.3B on lower wholesale volumes and aluminum shortages linked to supplier Novelis, and the $1.3B net loss included $3.6B of charges for exiting the BlueOval SK battery joint venture. Adjusted EBIT still rose 17% to $2.5B, adjusted free cash flow was $2.1B, and liquidity exceeded $43B.
Revenue and profit by year
AT&T
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $125.6B | $22B | 17.5% | +2.7% | Source |
| FY2024 | $122.3B | $10.9B | 8.9% | -0.1% | Source |
| FY2023 | $122.4B | $14.4B | 11.8% | +1.4% | Source |
| FY2022 | $120.7B | -$8.5B | -7.1% | -9.9% | Source |
| FY2021 | $134B | $20.1B | 15.0% | -6.3% | Source |
| FY2020 | $143.1B | -$5.2B | -3.6% | -21.1% | Source |
| FY2019 | $181.2B | $13.9B | 7.7% | +6.1% | Source |
| FY2018 | $170.8B | $19.4B | 11.3% | +6.4% | Source |
| FY2017 | $160.5B | $29.4B | 18.3% | -2.0% | Source |
| FY2016 | $163.8B | $13B | 7.9% | — | Source |
Ford
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $187.3B | -$8.2B | -4.4% | +1.2% | Source |
| FY2024 | $185B | $5.9B | 3.2% | +5.0% | Source |
| FY2023 | $176.2B | $4.3B | 2.5% | +11.5% | Source |
| FY2022 | $158.1B | -$2B | -1.3% | +15.9% | Source |
| FY2021 | $136.3B | $17.9B | 13.2% | +7.2% | Source |
| FY2020 | $127.1B | -$1.3B | -1.0% | -18.4% | Source |
| FY2019 | $155.9B | $84M | 0.1% | -2.8% | Source |
| FY2018 | $160.3B | $3.7B | 2.3% | +2.3% | Source |
| FY2017 | $156.8B | $7.8B | 4.9% | +3.3% | Source |
| FY2016 | $151.8B | $4.6B | 3.0% | — | Source |
Where the revenue comes from
AT&T
- Mobility~71%
Wireless service plans and device sales. Segment revenue was $89.5 billion in 2025, of which $67.4 billion was service revenue and $22.1 billion equipment.
- Business Wireline~14%
Connectivity for businesses, from fiber and dedicated internet to legacy voice and data. Revenue fell to $17.2 billion in 2025 from $18.8 billion in 2024.
- Consumer Wireline~11%
Home broadband, led by AT&T Fiber and AT&T Internet Air. Revenue was $14.2 billion in 2025, with fiber revenue up 17.0% to $8.6 billion.
- Latin America~3%
Wireless service in Mexico. Revenue was $4.4 billion in 2025, up from $4.2 billion, with $145 million of operating income.
Ford
- Ford Blue~54%
Combustion and hybrid Ford and Lincoln retail vehicles generated $101.019B of FY2025 revenue.
- Ford Pro~35%
Commercial vehicles, fleet services, telematics, charging, and related customer relationships generated $66.286B of FY2025 revenue.
- Ford Model e~4%
Electric vehicles, EV technologies, and related software generated $6.670B of FY2025 revenue while remaining loss-making.
- Ford Credit and Other~7%
Vehicle financing, leasing, and other corporate activities complete Ford's consolidated revenue base.
Business model and strategy
AT&T
How it makes money
AT&T runs a capital-intensive network business. It buys licensed wireless spectrum, builds and upgrades cell sites, and trenches fiber, then charges consumers and businesses a monthly fee to use that network. Capital investment was $22.0 billion in 2025 against $125.6 billion of revenue.
Growth strategy
With the US smartphone market saturated, AT&T's growth depends on home internet and on keeping the wireless customers it has. It is building fiber, which passed 32.0 million consumer and business locations at the end of 2025 and carried 10.4 million subscribers, and it sells AT&T Internet Air fixed wireless where fiber is not available.
Competitive advantage
AT&T's advantage is the cost of replicating what it already owns. Its fiber network passed 32.0 million consumer and business locations at the end of 2025, and its mid-band 5G service covers more than 310 million people. Keeping that going took $22.0 billion of capital investment in 2025 alone, which is why the national market has three carriers rather than thirty.
Ford
How it makes money
Ford designs, builds, and sells vehicles through roughly 9,000 independent Ford and Lincoln dealers worldwide and reports three operating segments plus Ford Credit. Ford Blue sells gas and hybrid retail vehicles such as the F-150, Bronco, Explorer, and Maverick ($101.0B of FY2025 revenue).
Growth strategy
After its December 2025 EV reset, Ford is concentrating capital on trucks, hybrids, and higher-margin services rather than large first-generation battery-electric programs.
Competitive advantage
Ford's clearest moat is the F-Series truck franchise, the best-selling pickup line in the U.S. every year since 1977, combined with Ford Pro's position in commercial vans and Super Duty trucks. Fleet customers buy vehicles, service, parts, telematics, and financing from one supplier, and Ford's upfitter, dealer, and mobile-service network is hard for EV startups or importers to replicate.
Questions about AT&T vs Ford
Which company has higher revenue — AT&T Inc. or Ford Motor Company?
AT&T Inc. reported $125.6B (FY2025), while Ford Motor Company reported $187.3B (FY2025). By last reported revenue, Ford Motor Company is the larger business, with AT&T Inc. reporting a smaller revenue base.
What is the market cap of AT&T Inc. vs Ford Motor Company?
AT&T Inc.'s market capitalisation stands at $174.4B, while Ford Motor Company's is $48.0B. AT&T Inc. carries the higher market valuation, reflecting investors' expectations of its future earnings power relative to Ford Motor Company.
Which is more financially efficient — AT&T Inc. or Ford Motor Company?
AT&T Inc. generates $945k / employee in revenue per employee, while Ford Motor Company generates $1.11M / employee. Ford Motor Company shows higher revenue efficiency per headcount, though this reflects business model differences — capital-light software companies routinely outperform labour-intensive manufacturers on this metric.
How do AT&T Inc. and Ford Motor Company make money?
AT&T Inc. and Ford Motor Company generate revenue in fundamentally different ways. AT&T Inc.: AT&T runs a capital-intensive network business. Ford Motor Company: Ford designs, builds, and sells vehicles through roughly 9,000 independent Ford and Lincoln dealers worldwide and reports three operating segments plus Ford Credit.
Which company is valued higher relative to revenue — AT&T Inc. or Ford Motor Company?
On a price-to-sales (P/S) basis, AT&T Inc. trades at 1.4x P/S and Ford Motor Company at 0.3x P/S. AT&T Inc. commands a higher revenue multiple, typically indicating that investors expect faster growth or higher future margins compared to Ford Motor Company. A higher multiple is not inherently better — it may also signal that the stock is priced for perfection.
Is AT&T Inc. bigger than Ford Motor Company?
By last reported revenue, Ford Motor Company ($187.3B (FY2025)) is the larger company compared to AT&T Inc. ($125.6B (FY2025)). Revenue scale is one dimension of size — market capitalisation, employee count, and geographic reach are also relevant depending on the context.
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 Ford overview