John Saw
T-Mobile USAbout John Saw
President of Technology & Chief Technology Officer at T-Mobile US, responsible for advancing the company’s 5G network across architecture, engineering, operations, and technology labs; joined T-Mobile in 2020 after serving as Sprint’s CTO and previously holding senior roles at Clearwire, AT&T, Netro, Nortel, and Bell Northern Research . He earned B.Eng., M.Eng., and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from McMaster University and is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering; he advises the University of Washington College of Engineering and serves on Spectrum Effect’s board . Company performance during his T-Mobile tenure includes 2024 Total service revenues of $66.2B, Net income of $11.3B, Core Adjusted EBITDA of $31.8B, Adjusted Free Cash Flow of $17.0B, and stock price up 159.3% from April 1, 2020 to Dec 31, 2024 .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| T-Mobile US | EVP, Advanced & Emerging Technologies; CTO; President of Technology | 2020–2023; 2023–2025; 2025–present | Led 5G innovation, founded AI‑RAN Innovation Center; elevated to oversee all network operations |
| Sprint | Chief Technology Officer; prior Chief Network Officer | 2015–2020; 2013–2015 | Spearheaded 5G rollout; transformed 2.5 GHz spectrum into a valuable asset |
| Clearwire | Chief Technology Officer | 2003–2013 | Built mid‑band spectrum strategy; early 4G/5G ecosystem leadership |
| AT&T; Netro; Nortel; Bell Northern Research | Senior engineering/technology roles | Various | Wireless systems engineering and product development foundation |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Washington College of Engineering | Advisor | Ongoing | Guidance on engineering education and industry linkage |
| Spectrum Effect | Board member | Ongoing | RF spectrum analytics governance and strategy |
| FCC Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee | Advisor | Prior service | Policy input on broadband deployment |
Fixed Compensation
- Not disclosed for John Saw in the latest proxy or 8‑K. T-Mobile’s executive program is heavily at‑risk, emphasizing pay‑for‑performance, with clawbacks, stock ownership guidelines (3× base salary for executive officers reporting to the CEO), and prohibitions on hedging/short sales/pledging .
Performance Compensation
- Annual cash STIP metrics and weightings (company-wide for executive officers): Service Revenue (20%), Total Net Additions (20%), Core Adjusted EBITDA (30%), Adjusted Free Cash Flow (30%) .
| Metric | Weight | Threshold | Target | Maximum | Actual FY2024 | Payout factor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Revenue ($mm) | 20% | $63,460 | $66,460 | $67,210 | $66,890 | 157% |
| Total Net Additions (mm) | 20% | 4.022 | 6.022 | 6.772 | 6.427 | 154% |
| Core Adjusted EBITDA ($mm) | 30% | $29,400 | $31,400 | $32,150 | $31,771 | 149% |
| Adjusted Free Cash Flow ($mm) | 30% | $15,250 | $16,500 | $17,250 | $17,424 | 200% |
| Total Corporate Attainment | — | — | — | — | — | 167% |
- Long‑term incentives (company design used for executive officers):
- RSUs: vest in equal installments over 3 years .
- PRSUs: 65% measured by relative TSR vs peer group over 3 years; 35% measured by three‑year absolute FCF; payout ranges 0–200%; RTSR >100% requires positive TSR .
- Clawback applied to incentive compensation; no dividends on unearned/unvested awards .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Item | Data |
|---|---|
| Total beneficial ownership | 40,026 common shares; includes 13,575 RSUs under Sprint 2015 Plan and TMUS 2023 Plan |
| Ownership as % of outstanding | Not disclosed |
| Vested vs unvested breakdown | Not fully disclosed; RSUs included above typically vest over 3 years |
| Shares pledged | Prohibited by policy (anti‑pledging/hedging/short sales) |
| Stock ownership guidelines | 3× base salary for executive officers reporting to CEO; 5× for CEO |
| Compliance status | Not disclosed for John Saw (NEO compliance reported; John not a named executive in proxy) |
Employment Terms
| Item | Terms |
|---|---|
| Current role | Appointed President of Technology; previously CTO and EVP Advanced & Emerging Technologies |
| Employment start at T‑Mobile | 2020 |
| Contract term/expiration | Not disclosed |
| Non‑compete / non‑solicit | Not disclosed |
| Severance / change‑of‑control | Company framework provides severance under Severance Guidelines/Executive Continuity Plan and equity plans; no excise tax gross‑ups; no single‑trigger payments/vesting on change‑in‑control |
| Clawback | SEC/Nasdaq compliant clawback for incentive‑based compensation on restatements |
| Insider trading policy | Prohibits hedging, short sales, and pledging |
Investment Implications
- Pay‑for‑performance alignment: STIP tied to service revenue, net adds, Core Adjusted EBITDA, and FCF delivered 167% corporate attainment in 2024; LTI PRSUs tied to three‑year RTSR and FCF, reinforcing multi‑year value creation and cash discipline .
- Trading/vesting dynamics: RSUs generally vest ratably over three years and PRSUs cliff‑vest after three‑year performance periods, creating predictable vesting windows that can drive periodic selling pressure; we found no recent Form 4 transactions for Saw to indicate current selling behavior .
- Ownership/retention: Initial Form 3 shows modest beneficial ownership relative to senior C‑suite norms, but anti‑pledging/hedging policies and stock ownership guidelines (3× salary) support alignment; actual compliance status and cash compensation details are not disclosed for Saw .
- Execution track record: Technology leadership roles at Sprint and T‑Mobile underpin network differentiation; company performance in 2024 (service revenues, EBITDA, FCF) and TSR since 2020 reflect value creation during his tenure, reducing execution risk on network strategy .