What Tami Erwin Said to Verizon’s Laid-Off Employees

When the carrier began cutting more than 13,000 jobs, one of the most talked-about responses came from outside the building. Tami Erwin, who spent 35 years at the company and once served as CEO of Verizon Business, wrote an open letter on LinkedIn to the people affected. In short, she acknowledged the grief, defended the value of their work, and told them the experience would still carry weight in their next job.

What Is Tami Erwin’s Open Letter?

It’s a LinkedIn post, not a press release. She wrote it on a quiet Friday night, reflecting on the week’s news and the people behind the headlines.

Her credibility on this comes from her path. She began as a customer service representative. She later announced she would leave at the end of 2022, after 35 years. So she wasn’t an outsider lecturing from a distance, and she wasn’t a current executive defending a decision either. She sat somewhere in between, and that’s exactly why people paid attention.

What Did She Actually Say?

I’m paraphrasing here, since the full text belongs on her LinkedIn page. The main points:

• Permission to grieve. She told affected workers that a job carries identity, relationships, and pride, so losing one is personal. She signed off as someone who will always “bleed Verizon red.”
• Technology isn’t the whole story. She conceded the company must keep up technologically, then argued that people, not tools, are what change a company.
• Your experience still counts. She said their time at the carrier would open doors and urged them to hold their heads high.
• Build a plan. She encouraged them to sketch a framework for the next chapter and go after it.

Why Did Verizon Cut 13,000 Jobs?

The context matters, because the letter makes more sense alongside it. The cuts began on a Thursday, announced in a staff memo from CEO Dan Schulman, who said the company’s cost structure limits how much it can invest in customer experience. A spokesperson said the layoffs equal about 20% of the non-union management workforce.

Timing was part of it. Schulman, a former PayPal chief and the company’s lead independent director, had just replaced Hans Vestberg after the board soured on his network-first strategy. The quarter before, the company lost a net 7,000 postpaid phone connections. Meanwhile, T-Mobile had passed it as the largest U.S. wireless provider by customer count.

Support came with the cuts, too. The company set up a $20 million reskilling and career-transition fund focused on digital training and job placement.

Why Did the Letter Land So Hard?

Honestly? Because it’s a careful letter. She didn’t trash the strategy. She didn’t defend it either. She split the difference: yes, the business has to modernize, and no, that doesn’t make the people disposable.

Readers noticed the gap between corporate language and human language. In an unscientific reader poll on PhoneArena with 310 votes, about 69% said the company was panicking, while roughly 16% said staying lean was justified. Take that as a mood check, not data. But it shows where public sentiment sat.

What Can Laid-Off Employees Do Next?

I’m not a career counselor, so treat this as a starting list, and check your own separation paperwork first.

1. Read your notice closely. Severance, benefits end dates, and any internal re-hire windows vary by person and role.
2. Ask about the fund. The $20 million program exists, so find out how to apply and what training it covers.
3. Write down your wins. Numbers, customers served, teams led. Her point about transferable experience only helps if you can name it.
4. Tell your network. A short, plain LinkedIn post works better than silence.

FAQ: Tami Erwin and the Verizon Layoffs

Q: Who is Tami Erwin?
A: She’s a former Verizon executive with 35 years at the company, including time as CEO of Verizon Business. She left at the end of 2022.

Q: Where did she publish the letter?
A: On LinkedIn, as an open post addressed to the affected employees.

Q: How many employees were laid off?
A: More than 13,000, according to the Associated Press, which the Wall Street Journal described as the largest round in the company’s history.

Q: Is Tami Erwin still at Verizon?
A: No. She announced her departure in 2022, so her letter came from a former leader.

Q: Did the company offer help to departing workers?
A: Yes. It created a $20 million reskilling and career-transition fund.

The Bottom Line

The letter won’t change a single spreadsheet. But it gave 13,000 people something the official memo didn’t: permission to feel the loss, plus a nudge forward. That’s worth reading in full on her LinkedIn page.