Outspoken T-Mobile CEO Legere Says Without The iPhone Carriers Are ‘S**t’, Grovel If You Have To

In the beginning, AT&T secured an exclusive contract with Apple to carry the iPhone in the U.S., and it stayed that way until Verizon negotiated its way into the party nearly four years later in February 2011. Eight months later, Sprint announced that it too was going to carry the iPhone, leaving T-Mobile as the only major wireless carrier in the U.S. without an iOS handset. That finally changed in April 2013, and now T-Mobile CEO John Legere has some advice for any remaining carriers who aren't yet offering the iPhone -- beg for it.

Legere was asked at Recode's Code/Mobile conference why T-Mobile was quick to secure rights to sell the iPhone after he became the wireless carrier's head honcho two years ago, noting that he was named CEO in September of 2012, and by April of 2013, T-Mobile was offering the iPhone.


"Do whatever you have to do to get the iPhone. Because your store, without the iPhone in it, is s**t," Legere answered candidly, as he always does. And by do anything, he means "Get on your knees, crawl over" if you have to, because offering the iPhone is, quite simply, that important.

As for T-Mobile, Legere says the iPhone comprises about 20 percent of the company smartphone base, so you can see why he feels the way he does. As the most popular handset (iPhone) in the world and second most popular mobile OS (iOS), Legere certainly has a point, even if his delivery could use work.