T-Mobile’s CEO is almost too American for Deutsche Telekom

Madness and genius go hand in hand all to often, and both terms have been used to described T-Mobile CEO John Legere. Deutsche Telekom, which owns T-Mobile, acknowledges that Legere is “very American” and that his style wouldn’t fly down in Germany, but admitted that the executives at Deutsche Telekom don’t care about that too much considering how successful Legere has been. 

T-Mobile CEO John Legere has been called everything from outspoken to offensive — now you can add “very American” to the list. His managerial style may not work in Germany, the hometown of the company’s parent Deutsche Telekom, but that’s fine with upper management because Legere’s approach is working. In an interview with Re/Code during Germany’s DLD conference, Deutsche Telekom’s CEO Tim Hoettges answered several questions about Legere and his company’s stake in the U.S. subsidiary. “His management style will never be adaptable to Germany,”Hoettges said, adding that Legere’s competitive nature, however, does sync with the company’s culture. “I like people being disruptive… I like people who are brave. He is very much fitting to our DNA, how we want to be, even if he is very American in his approach.”