September 23, 2026, (Inside AI) — Verizon will invest $70 million to fund a nationwide artificial intelligence training program aimed at job seekers, small businesses, and educators, the company announced Wednesday from Washington. The telecom giant is partnering with nonprofits including Goodwill Industries and expects to train hundreds of thousands of people using curriculum and resources supplied by IBM, Google, Anthropic, Microsoft, and OpenAI.
The commitment adds $50 million to the $20 million Verizon pledged last year to help departing employees gain AI skills after it cut 13,000 jobs. That earlier funding was framed as a transition measure for workers displaced by restructuring. The new money expands the scope dramatically, moving from internal retraining to a public-facing workforce initiative.
CEO Dan Schulman framed the investment as a civic necessity, not just corporate philanthropy. "AI will change the face of the workforce," Schulman said in an interview. "You have to do this in order to protect the democracy."
Schulman, who took the helm at Verizon in 2024, has been vocal about the societal implications of AI-driven job displacement. His call for broader corporate participation is explicit. "It's in the self-interest of all business leaders to step up," he said. "If every Fortune 100 (company) put $50 million or $70 million into this, we have a multibillion-dollar fund."
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The math is straightforward. If all 100 Fortune 100 companies matched Verizon's contribution, the pool would exceed $5 billion. That scale could fund training infrastructure, curriculum development, and placement services across the country. Yet no other Fortune 100 company has publicly committed to matching Verizon's pledge at this level.
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Verizon's move reflects a broader shift among large employers. As AI automates tasks across customer service, logistics, and administration, companies face pressure to demonstrate they are not simply displacing workers without offering pathways to new roles. The partnership with Goodwill Industries signals a focus on workers who may lack access to expensive bootcamps or degree programs.
The involvement of OpenAI and Anthropic is notable. Both companies develop frontier AI models that some critics argue contribute to job displacement. By supplying training resources, they position themselves as part of the solution rather than solely the cause. Google and IBM have run their own AI skills initiatives for years, and Microsoft has invested heavily in AI education through its philanthropic arm.
Verizon's program will target job seekers, small business owners, and educators. Small businesses often lack the budget for formal AI training, and educators need updated skills to prepare students for an AI-integrated workplace. The program's success will depend on execution, not just funding announcements.
The timing is politically sensitive. The U.S. economy is undergoing what many economists describe as a structural transformation. AI adoption is accelerating faster than previous technological shifts, leaving less time for workers to adapt. Federal workforce development programs have struggled to keep pace. Verizon's private-sector approach could fill gaps, but it also raises questions about whether corporate-led training can match the scale of the challenge.
Schulman's reference to protecting democracy is unusual for a CEO discussing workforce policy. It suggests he views AI-driven inequality as a threat to social stability. That framing may resonate with policymakers in Washington, where lawmakers are debating AI regulation and workforce investment.
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Verizon's stock has faced pressure in recent years as competition in the telecom sector intensifies. The company's workforce reductions reflect broader cost-cutting across the industry. Investing in AI training could help Verizon rebuild public trust and position itself as a responsible corporate actor during a period of rapid change.
Whether other Fortune 100 companies follow Schulman's call remains uncertain. The CEO's proposal for a multibillion-dollar fund is ambitious, but it requires collective action that has historically been difficult to achieve. Individual companies often prefer to run their own programs rather than pool resources.
Verizon's initiative will be judged by outcomes. If hundreds of thousands of people gain marketable AI skills and find employment, the model could spread. If the program stalls or fails to reach its targets, it may become another example of corporate rhetoric outpacing results. For now, Verizon has placed a substantial bet on the idea that AI training is both a business imperative and a democratic necessity.
