CEO and chairman of Microsoft Satya Nadella has stated that the company made a mistake by leaving the smartphone business, one that could have been handled more skillfully.
Microsoft initially announced in 2017 that it would no longer be developing new hardware or features for Windows 10 mobile devices, following years of difficulties selling Windows smartphones to consumers who preferred Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android operating systems (OS).
Users of Windows 10 Mobile stopped getting bug patches, security updates, and help options on December 10, 2019.
Nadella acknowledged that giving up on Windows Phone and mobile was a mistake in his most recent interview with Business Insider, which was published this week.
He was cited in the report as saying, “The decision I think a lot of people talk about — and one of the most difficult decisions I made when I became CEO — was our exit of what I’ll call the mobile phone as defined then.”
Nadella continued, “Looking back, I believe there were ways we could have made it work, maybe by redefining the category of computing between PCs, tablets, and phones.”
In 2014, Nadella succeeded former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.
Microsoft slashed 7,800 jobs in 2015, mostly in the phone division, and wrote off $7.6 billion associated with its purchase of the Nokia phone division.
In an email to staff members, Nadella stated, “We are moving from a strategy to grow a standalone phone business to a strategy to grow and create a vibrant Windows ecosystem including our first-party device family.”
In 2017, Microsoft ultimately acknowledged the demise of Windows Phone.
Bill Gates, the former CEO and co-founder of the business, previously declared that Microsoft’s defeat by Android was his “greatest mistake ever.”
