As T-Mobile (NASDAQ: TMUS) engages in a pricing battle with AT&T (NASDAQ: T), the new CEO Srini Gopalan is unreserved in addressing the situation.

In response to AT&T COO Jeff McElfresh's claim that T-Mobile has been misleading regarding its pricing and network coverage, Gopalan remarked during an interview on Yahoo Finance's "Opening Bid": "I can only assume it's because they are facing some pressure themselves."

He stated, "Let me put it this way, when a company starts throwing shade at its competitors, it must be under tremendous pressure."

On Thursday morning, T-Mobile announced its third-quarter earnings. The company reported an 8.9% year-over-year revenue increase, reaching $21.96 billion, slightly above the expected $21.88 billion; however, adjusted earnings per share fell 7.7% year-over-year to $2.41, though it still surpassed the expectation of $2.40.

T-Mobile's stock has been flat this year, with a 3% drop on Thursday, potentially reflecting investor concerns over rising costs and slowing profit growth trends.

KeyBanc Capital analyst Brandon Nispel noted that the quarterly results were "slightly better than expected," but he pointed out that T-Mobile's performance guidance may not have met market consensus levels.

T-Mobile raised its full-year guidance, expecting net postpaid additions to be 7.2 million to 7.4 million, an increase from the previous range of 6.1 million to 6.4 million; however, Wall Street anticipated about 7.5 million.

The net additions of postpaid users include 3.3 million new postpaid phone users and 130,000 new fiber service users, both higher than the previous guidance of 2.95 million to 3.1 million and 100,000, respectively; however, these figures were still below market consensus expectations of 3.5 million and 140,000.

The company also raised its core adjusted EBITDA guidance to $33.7 billion to $33.9 billion, up from the previous range of $33.3 billion to $33.7 billion, but still below analysts' expectations of $34 billion.

Additionally, T-Mobile elevated its capital expenditure forecast to $10 billion—analysts indicated that this $500 million increase might pressure cash flow. Nispel further noted that rising device subsidies and incoming merger activity could exert potential pressure on the stock price.

In contrast, AT&T's stock has risen 8% since the beginning of 2025, while the S&P 500 (^GSPC) has surged 15% during the same period.

Nevertheless, Gopalan continues to position T-Mobile as an "industry disruptor," emphasizing that the company prioritizes transparency and customer satisfaction over competition with peers.

He remarked, "The best performers in the industry have never relied on blaming each other; that's not the game we are here to play."

In the third quarter, T-Mobile achieved a net increase of 1 million postpaid phone users, its best performance for that period in over a decade. Conversely, AT&T's performance was mixed: earnings and revenue fell short of expectations, but it added 405,000 mobile phone users.

Gopalan also stated that AT&T and Verizon (NASDAQ: VZ) are "constrained" by their pricing strategies. He mentioned that these two carriers charge too much to their existing customers, which leads to a decline in average revenue per user (ARPU) when they attempt to cut prices to attract new customers.

He added, "We do not have this problem when attracting new customers."

Gopalan will officially take over as CEO on November 1, clarifying his immediate priorities: achieving network differentiation, advancing digital transformation, and expanding broadband services. He noted that artificial intelligence and digital tools are key to modernizing customer experience.

Regarding acquisition strategies, Gopalan indicated that T-Mobile remains cautious in its acquisition approach.

"We are open to acquiring fiber businesses," he noted, revealing that the decision-making process for spectrum purchases is similar to that of acquisitions. However, before pursuing any new deals, the company's current focus is on solidifying its core business and maintaining healthy leverage levels.

This strategy has driven T-Mobile to complete several significant acquisitions, including the $1.35 billion acquisition of Mint Mobile, owned by Ryan Reynolds, in May 2024—this transaction expands T-Mobile's influence in the cost-conscious wireless user segment.

Joining T-Mobile in 2023 as Chief Operating Officer, Gopalan previously held positions at telecom giants in countries such as Germany and India, including Deutsche Bank, Vodafone, and Bharti Airtel.