A majority of people want John Legere to return as T-Mobile's CEO.

Readers overwhelmingly chose John Legere, the former CEO, as their preferred choice to return, with 55.75% support. In 2012, when he assumed the role, T-Mobile ranked last among the four major U.S. carriers and was behind in launching 3G and 4G. Legere rebranded T-Mobile as the "Un-Carrier," eliminated two-year contracts along with subsidized phones, and introduced the "On Us" promotion, offering free services to subscribers.

The "On Us" perk started in June 2014 with Music Freedom. T-Mobile customers could stream unlimited music from platforms like Pandora, Spotify, and iTunes Radio without impacting their data. Later, Netflix was added to the list.

Legere, with his shoulder-length hair, typically wore a magenta T-Mobile shirt and sneakers, defying the CEO image. Known for his criticism of rivals, he humorously called Verizon and AT&T "Dumb and Dumber" in promotional videos. He even engaged in a Twitter exchange with Donald Trump, who later became president.

In April 2015, Legere, staying at a Trump hotel in Washington, complained on Twitter about street musicians. Trump responded by criticizing T-Mobile's service and banning it from his buildings. He later mocked Legere's hairstyle on Twitter.

These actions boosted T-Mobile's popularity, elevating it to the second-largest carrier. Under Legere, T-Mobile utilized mid-band spectrum for its 5G network, differing from Verizon and AT&T's initial use of mmWave. Mid-band spectrum offered wider coverage than mmWave. T-Mobile leveraged the 2.5GHz spectrum obtained from the $26.5 billion Sprint acquisition to establish its 5G lead. Consequently, Verizon and AT&T invested heavily in C-band spectrum auctions to compete.

In 2022, Legere expressed interest in becoming Twitter's CEO when Elon Musk was searching for a candidate, stating his value. Musk declined.

Legere's leadership was exceptional, earning him the title of best wireless CEO by Glassdoor for five years straight, until 2019. That year, he was also ranked fourth among all CEOs across industries, with a 99% approval from T-Mobile employees.

Employees from the Legere era have expressed that the company's direction declined after his departure. However, his return is unlikely, similar to the unlikelihood of a Beatles reunion or a "House MD" reboot. The success he achieved with T-Mobile might be unrepeatable.

His engagement with the smartphone industry was notable. It felt like he was a phone enthusiast leading a fast-growing wireless provider.

In other news, "Iconic Phones: Revolution at Your Fingertips," a coffee table book about the technological revolution of the 21st century, will be released in a few months.

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