AT&T vs Roche: Founders, CEOs and History

Company facts

Founders

CEOs and their tenures

Timeline: AT&T and Roche side by side

1. 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.

2. 1896Roche

   F. Hoffmann-La Roche Founded in Basel

   Fritz Hoffmann-La Roche founds the enterprise in Basel, Switzerland, pioneering mass-manufactured, chemically standardized prescription pharmaceuticals.

3. 1898Roche

   Commercial Breakthrough with Sirolin

   Roche launches non-prescription cough syrup Sirolin, achieving widespread international distribution and financing early clinical laboratories.

4. 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.

5. 1925AT&T

   Bell Telephone Laboratories Founded

   AT&T and Western Electric consolidated their research into Bell Telephone Laboratories in 1925.

6. 1934Roche

   First Industrial Synthesis of Vitamin C

   Roche becomes the first company to mass-produce synthetic Vitamin C (Redoxon) at industrial scale, anchoring decades of high-margin global cash flow.

7. 1963Roche

   Launch of Valium (Diazepam)

   Roche introduces Valium, which becomes the world's most widely prescribed psychotropic medication and establishes global pharmaceutical leadership.

8. 1968Roche

   Establishment of Roche Diagnostics

   Roche launches its dedicated diagnostic division, laying the foundation to become the world's preeminent in-vitro diagnostics (IVD) provider.

9. 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…

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. 2008Roche

    Severin Schwan becomes CEO

    Severin Schwan became CEO of F. Hoffmann-La Roche in 2008. Led Roche for 14 years; handed over to Thomas Schinecker in March 2023 and became chairman.

13. 2009Roche

    Full Acquisition of Genentech for $46.8 Billion

    Roche completes its historic $46.8 billion buyout of American biotechnology pioneer Genentech, securing market leadership in oncology biologics.

14. 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.

15. 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.

16. 2018Roche

    Foundation Medicine & Flatiron Health Acquisitions

    Roche acquires Foundation Medicine and Flatiron Health, integrating real-world oncology data analytics and genomic profiling into personalized healthcare.

17. 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.

18. 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.

19. 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.

20. 2023Roche

    Acquired Telavant

    F. Hoffmann-La Roche acquired Telavant for $7.1 billion. Roche paid $7.1 billion upfront for Telavant to gain US and Japan rights to the anti-TL1A antibody RVT-3101 (afimkibart) for inflammatory bowel disease.

21. 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.

22. 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.

23. 2025Roche

    Group Sales Reach CHF 61.5 Billion

    Under CEO Thomas Schinecker, Roche delivers group sales of ~$73.8 billion (CHF 61.5 billion), driven by ~$57.2B (CHF 47.7B) in Pharmaceuticals and ~$16.6B (CHF 13.8B) in Diagnostics.

24. 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

Questions about AT&T vs Roche