First it was the Pope, now it’s the leader of the Un-Carrier movement.
T-Mobile (TMUS) CEO John Legere has his very own Twitter emoji, the company announced on Monday and Coins2Day subsequently confirmed. When users type in #TweetJohn between now and March 31 into their Twitter accounts, they’ll see a Legere emoji that looks somewhat similar to the outspoken T-Mobile chief executive.
In September, Twitter announced that it had launched a series of emojis centered on Pope Francis’ visit to the U.S. Last year, marking the first time a prominent figure was given a unique emoji. Now, Legere has become the second to join the party.
6/ Yep!! There it is!! Well done! #TweetJohn – How do i look? I can’t wait to use this all throughout the week! Https://t.co/qqi4LA1Yj1
— John Legere (@JohnLegere) March 28, 2016
In a statement, T-Mobile said the emoji launch is part of a broader celebration of Legere’s launch of the “Un-Carrier” movement in 2013. (Un-Carrier is a term used by T-Mobile to talk about its attempts to make widespread changes in the mobile market. The company has argued that it’s decidedly unlike its competitors and uses Un-Carrier to differentiate itself from traditional carriers.) Since that year, T-Mobile has made several moves that were considered unorthodox at the time, including dramatically changing contracts and offering free data consumption through its Binge On program. Its competitors have followed suit in some, but not all, of the cases.
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Along the way, Legere has easily been one of the more outspoken CEOs in the technology industry. And quite often, he’s shared his two cents on Twitter (TWTR). Since joining Twitter in 2013, Legere has amassed 2.26 million followers and has 12 million “engagements” with others.
He’s also used Twitter as a personal hammer, engaging with competitors at will. In November, for instance, Legere went on a Twitter tirade against Sprint (S) for launching a program designed to cut plan costs in half for a limited period of time. Legere quickly responded, saying customers should read Sprint’s fine print, then launched a series of tweets, including wondering if the world was about to “witness (the) beginning of the end for Sprint.” He then espoused the virtues of his own company’s plans and services.
Also in November, Legere took the fight to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, daring the billionaire to get into the “ring” with mixed martial arts fighter Ronda Rousey, adding that he would “pay big money to see it.” Never to let a jab get buy without a retort, Trump told Legere to “focus on running your company,” adding that he thought T-Mobile’s service offerings are “terrible.”
For more on Pope Francis and his social networking, check out:
“Try hiring some good managers,” the Republican nominee said in his tweet.
Still, Legere has reached hallowed ground in the Twitter world. Whereas once, it was important to have a verified account, now it’s cool when you have your own emoji. The Pope has already done it. Now it’s Legere’s turn. Who’s next?
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Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
