Steve Ballmer, the long-reigning ex-CEO of Microsoft is remembered dearly by fans for his efforts to make Microsoft a Mobile hardware company. He went on to acquire Nokia’s Devices business only to be written-off later by his successor Satya Nadella. But he is also deemed responsible for Microsoft’s poor decisions to avoid the Mobile Phone phenomenon that transformed the industry.
In an interview to Recode, Ballmer has expressed regret over his inability to make Microsoft a force in the hardware business. He admits being very slow in recognizing the need of developing capability in Hardware. He goes on to say that Microsoft should have built the capability to become a world-class hardware company.
“I think I was too slow in cases to recognize the need for new capability, particularly in hardware,”
“I wish we’d built the capability to be a world-class hardware company, because one of the new expressions of software is essentially the hardware,” Ballmer said
“The company under my leadership should have built that capability earlier than we did.”
Microsoft’s many infamous reboots of its Mobile Strategy and Mobile operating system is a big point of sharp debates among Microsoft fans, developers, and general Tech Media. Much of it happened under Steve Ballmer.
But when it seemed to go right for the very first time with Windows Phone claiming more than 10% market share in Europe and other markets, the latest mobile strategy reboot under Satya Nadella came as the big killing blow. The Windows Phone market share has crashed to an all-time low in most of the markets worldwide.
Source: Recode
