Reddit Is Still Furious About AT&T's $47 Billion Loss From Six Years Ago

"AT&T acquired the bundle for $108.7 billion in 2018 and exited for roughly $43 billion in 2022, booking a $47 billion loss in the process. The Ellison family is now paying $111 billion for those same assets, backed by $57.5 billion in debt from Bank of America, Citigroup, and Apollo. Bold move or billionaire ego trip?"

"AT&T's history of acquiring media assets at peak prices makes its current $23 billion EchoStar spectrum purchase harder to evaluate with confidence. Operating income fell 7.25% year-over-year to $6.1 billion in Q3 2025, even as headline net income surged on the one-time DIRECTV gain."

"Consumer fiber broadband revenue grew 16.8% year-over-year to $2.2 billion in Q3 2025, and AT&T ended 2025 with over one million fiber net adds for the eighth consecutive year, demonstrating strength in core broadband operations despite broader operational challenges."

AT&T trades at $27.98, up 12% year-to-date but down 1.8% weekly, with retail sentiment declining from 30.4 to 24.7 monthly average. Reddit discussion centers on AT&T's $47 billion loss from acquiring a bundle for $108.7 billion in 2018 and exiting for $43 billion in 2022, which the Ellison family now purchases for $111 billion with $57.5 billion in debt financing. Operating income fell 7.25% year-over-year to $6.1 billion in Q3 2025 despite headline net income gains from DirecTV divestiture. Consumer fiber broadband revenue grew 16.8% year-over-year to $2.2 billion, with over one million fiber net adds for the eighth consecutive year. The pending Lumen acquisition will push net debt to adjusted EBITDA to approximately 3.0x before deleveraging begins.

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