Comcast lost 144,000 broadband customers last quarter, is planning layoffs so AI agents can take over customer service

What happened

Comcast released its Q3 2026 financial results this week, showing lower revenue and adjusted profit amid an exodus of subscribers from its broadband business. Faced with dwindling revenues and a shrinking subscriber base, the company says it intends to implement massive job cuts as it prepares to replace humans with AI agents (AI that carries out multi-step tasks rather than answering one question) to reduce expenses and improve efficiency.

Comcast lost 144,000 domestic residential broadband customers during the quarter but added a net 368,000 domestic wireless lines, ending Q3 with 10.6 million. He added that AI has already cut service contact rates by roughly 20%.

The Web Industry comcast layoffs Comcast lost 144,000 broadband customers last quarter, is planning layoffs so AI agents can take over customer service Broadband losses show what happens when fiber and wireless undercut cable By Kishalaya Kundu October 25, 2026, 6:49 Add TechSpot Serving tech enthusiasts for over 25 years. TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust .

Facepalm: Comcast lost more residential broadband customers in Q3 2026 amid increased competition from fiber and wireless rivals offering connectivity at lower prices. The company reported $29.3 billion in total revenue, down 6.1% year over year from $31.2 billion on a reported basis, reflecting the Versant separation and the sale of Sky's German operations, but up 0.5% on a pro forma basis.

Operating income fell from $5.53 billion to $5.32 billion, while net income rose 3.5% from $3.33 billion to $3.45 billion. Adjusted diluted EPS was $1.07, down 4.0%, while reported diluted EPS was $0.97, up 7.2%.

Adjusted EBITDA came in at $9.106 billion, down 5.8%, and free cash flow totaled $4.21 billion, down 14.8% from the same period last year. Nearly 45% of its broadband customers are now on Gigabit+ plans, and premium unlimited plans accounted for about 40% of postpaid phone connects.