Verizon chief network officer for core engineering and operations Adam Koeppe will leave the operator by the end of the year, closing a tenure of more than 26 years and deepening an executive reshuffle that began under CEO Dan Schulman.

Koeppe announced the move on LinkedIn, writing "it's time to move on to the next chapter." He gave no indication of his next role.

He struck a positive note about the company he is leaving. "My confidence in Verizon's future remains high," Koeppe stated. "The mission to build, secure, and scale the foundational networks of tomorrow matters now more than ever."

Who is leaving?

Koeppe started in telecommunications as a customer service representative at Bell Atlantic Nynex Mobile, a joint venture that later became part of Verizon's formation. He moved through a series of technology and engineering roles across more than two and a half decades. Verizon named him to his current position in December 2025.

Industry analysts tracked the departure closely. Recon Analytics analyst Roger Entner wrote on LinkedIn that Koeppe was among the employees "who made Verizon Verizon almost from day one." Entner congratulated him on "a terrific and highly impactful career."

What does this change for Verizon's network leadership?

In the short term, little. Koeppe's exit follows an established pattern rather than breaking one, and his responsibilities sit within a network organization already set for a change at the top.

Verizon announced in June 2026 that Joe Russo, executive VP and president of global networks and technology, will retire in Q1 of next year after 30 years at the company. Ex-Deutsche Telekom executive Abdu Mudesir will replace him. Koeppe's departure removes another layer of institutional network knowledge before Mudesir arrives.

A wider corporate reset

Schulman took over as CEO in October 2025 with a pledge to overhaul the company, including its executive team. The results have been visible at every level.

• Verizon announced a plan to cut about 15,000 jobs in November 2025.
• The operator laid off roughly 3,000 retail and corporate employees in July 2026.
• Consumer chief Sowmyanarayan Sampath stepped down in February as part of the turnaround effort. He resurfaced as CEO of Zayo on 1 September.
• Russo's retirement, announced in June 2026, completes the replacement of the senior network leadership within roughly a year.

Koeppe is the latest name on that list, and unlikely to be the last. His exit by year-end will leave Verizon's core engineering and operations function reporting into a network organization that Mudesir takes over in the first quarter of next year, with Schulman's wider restructuring still working through the company's cost base and leadership ranks.