CEO Satya Nadella thinks Microsoft hung up on Windows Phone too soon

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella regrets nan abrupt termination of nan Windows Phone project.

In an interview pinch Business Insider, Nadella stopped short of straight calling nan move a mistake, contempt prompting from nan interviewer, but admitted things could person gone differently.

He said: "The determination I deliberation a batch of group talk astir – and 1 of nan astir difficult decisions I made erstwhile I became CEO – was our exit of what I'll telephone nan mobile telephone arsenic defined then.

"In retrospect, I deliberation location could person been ways we could person made it activity by possibly reinventing nan class of computing betwixt PCs, tablets, and phones."

It is difficult to pinpoint the nonstop infinitesimal erstwhile Windows Phone died. The level was launched successful 2010 and, contempt Microsoft spending billions connected acquiring Nokia, was killed disconnected by axe-wielding Microsoft engineers successful 2014. The corpse continued twitching into nan Windows 10 era earlier nan plug was pulled erstwhile and for each successful 2019, and information updates for nan past devices were halted.

Nadella is not unsocial successful regretting Microsoft's catastrophic foray into nan Windows Phone. In 2019, Bill Gates expressed regret for nan errors that near Android arsenic nan superior non-Apple mobile operating system. Former CEO Steve Ballmer similarly admitted to dropping nan shot wherever phones were concerned.

That said, Microsoft precocious re-entered nan mobile instrumentality marketplace pinch nan Surface Duo, aligning pinch Nadella's desire for class reinvention. The foldable does not, however, look to beryllium mounting nan marketplace ablaze. Perhaps things mightiness person been different had it launched arsenic a Windows Phone years earlier.

Considering Microsoft's existent financial success, it is difficult to respect Windows Phone arsenic a misstep, surely pinch respect to nan authorities of nan operating strategy and ecosystem. Yes, it could person been made to work, but hindsight is tricky.

• Microsoft opens early entree to AI adjunct for infosec, Security Copilot
• Microsoft admits 'power issue' downed Azure services successful West Europe
• Microsoft CEO Nadella's compensation drops... to $48M
• Take Windows 11... please. Leaks corroborate debased numbers for Microsoft's latest OS

As for Nadella, he said his biggest correction was really to do pinch people.

He said: "The curation of culture, and nan holding of standards arsenic a leader, becomes nan astir important thing. Because everybody tin consciousness nan quality betwixt what you opportunity and what you do.

"Over nan years, I would sometimes opportunity immoderate stuff, but not really mean it. And then, well, that doesn't work. That's why getting what you think, what you say, and what you do aligned is simply a struggle."

Those lessons person been learned arsenic nan institution seems laser-focused connected shoehorning AI exertion into each 1 of its products. Whether its customers for illustration it aliases not. ®