Bloomberg Businessweek Lumen Inks Palantir Deal as Growth Strategy Takes Hold
Nov 13, 2025
Chris Stansbury, Chief Financial Officer and EVP of Lumen Technologies, shares insights on the company's strategic shift towards AI-driven services. He discusses a significant $5.75 billion asset sale to AT&T and a $200 million software sourcing deal with Palantir. Stansbury emphasizes Lumen's focus on enhancing network capabilities for AI traffic while prioritizing free cash flow and cost reduction. He highlights successful partnerships with tech firms and the competitive edge Lumen gains through low-latency services, positioning the company for future growth.
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Market Reward For AI Positioning
- Lumen's stock rally reflects investor recognition of its role in the AI economy and reduced debt risk.
- The company has delevered and expects further debt reduction after the AT&T asset sale closes in Q1.
Bandwidth Reckoning, Not An AI Bubble
- AI demand creates a bandwidth reckoning, not a speculative bubble, driven by GPU economics.
- GPUs must run constantly so networks need bigger pipes, higher capacity, and on-demand flexibility.
Integrate Partners Through Network APIs
- Build partnerships and APIs into networks so software vendors can sell integrated solutions together.
- Use network digital tools to enable real-time, low-latency services like instant backup and recovery.