Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella Reflects on Past Error in Mobile Strategy
Microsoft was a significant part of the mobile division with Windows Phone when it still had access to Nokia’s patents and technology.
The company decided to abandon the project entirely and gave Google full control of the mobile ecosystem after it acquired Android in the late 2000s. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella continues to share the company’s mistake to stop focusing on the platform and serve people with more than two mobile operating systems.
Speaking in an interview with Business Insider, Nadella is the latest Microsoft CEO to share this sentiment, saying the company was never able to see the future of mobile and how it will shape the industry for years to come. Nadella was asked if Microsoft sees the discontinuation of Windows Phone as a mistake or as a corporate decision that was forced upon the company.
Nadella took over from Steve Ballmer in 2014 when he was assigned to lead the company’s massive turnover. And one of the decisions Nadella made was to exit the mobile business.
Nadella also explains that Microsoft could have handled this decision much better, which could have allowed the company to work in the mobile business and, who knows, eventually come up with a formula for success that would have made it a strong contender in the market. It’s hardly surprising to see Nadella once again talking about the mobile business in an interview, and it’s abundantly clear that leaving the mobile segment is the biggest regret any Microsoft boss has faced over the years.
Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer have often spoken about their regrets, and now that they see Apple making billions from iPhone sales, it must really hurt them. Ballmer once mocked Apple for launching a cell phone that costs thousands of dollars, and fast forward to 2023, the phone is one of the best on the market, helping Apple become a trillion dollar brand. To be fair, Nadella has made some bold decisions during his time at Microsoft, and the company will certainly benefit from his shrewd moves, making Microsoft a tough business entity.
Despite this, Microsoft has struck deals with Samsung to offer its Office suite of apps on Galaxy phones, while also working on apps like Phone Link, which lets you mirror your smartphone to a Windows PC. Microsoft entered the foldable segment with the Surface Duo line-up, but its future is also in doubt, with no new products in the pipeline and the head of the Surface division having joined Amazon’s hardware business earlier this year.
There is no doubt that everyone will have regrets, and giving up the mobile business so easily would be one of the biggest Nade and Co. will ever have.
