Overview

• Allison Kirkby told the Financial Times that advances in artificial intelligence could enable BT to cut more roles than the 40,000 currently planned by 2030
• BT originally pledged to eliminate up to 55,000 jobs, including contractors, under a restructuring blueprint announced in 2023
• The company’s strategy to strip out £3 billion of costs by the end of the decade may underestimate AI’s potential to shrink its workforce further
• In an emailed response to Reuters, BT confirmed it is not actively pursuing a spin-off of its network arm, Openreach
• Strong demand for fibre broadband and £900 million in cost savings helped shore up BT’s most recent earnings and cash flow, with Openreach resilience offsetting declines elsewhere