

The Nokia Torture - jcurbo
http://www.mondaynote.com/2012/06/18/the-nokia-torture/

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ChuckMcM
I don't doubt that this outcome was in the list of possible outcomes Microsoft
has considered. Nokia tanks, their CEO gives early notice to Microsoft, which
buys the 'good bits' and lets the rest of the body sink into the ocean
carrying unfavorable pension plans and other obligations with it. Turning
Microsoft into the third vertically integrated smartphone company after Apple
and Google. They might even get to keep the brand name.

~~~
quesera
Indeed. And there's no tax advantage to keeping the new company in Finland, so
they probably won't.

And I'd give dollars to donuts* that Microsoft gets the trademarks. HTC or
Samsung might want them, but Microsoft will get first right of refusal, and
they won't let them get away.

*Dollars to donuts isn't that compelling in this day and age. Canadian dollars, perhaps.

~~~
ChuckMcM
Have you tried VooDoo Donuts? Those are some serious donuts and well worth a
dollar :-)

~~~
tadfisher
Portland is leaking everywhere these days...

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Spearchucker
So how does mondaynote's view reconcile with, say, Nokia's role in IDC's
predictions?

[http://windowsphonegeek.com/news/IDC-Latest-Report-
Windows-P...](http://windowsphonegeek.com/news/IDC-Latest-Report-Windows-
Phone-number-two-mobile-OS-by-2016)

Everyone's an expert.

~~~
runako
If I'm not mistaken, Microsoft is a big customer of IDC. While IDC isn't
strictly pay-to-play, many of these "independent" analysts essentially make
money recommending products produced by their customers. I'd consider it
likely that Microsoft's cash is a factor in IDC's coverage.

Also worth noting is that IDC's track record here is pretty bad. From the
article you linked:

"IDC predicted that Windows Phone would become the number two smartphone OS in
terms of shipments back in March 2011"

Oops.

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saturdaysaint
This seems to ignore everyone's struggle to compete with Apple and Samsung at
the high-end and the bloodbath at the zero margin low end. HTC seems in a best
case scenario position compared to Nokia - they have well respected hardware,
a good name, and are established/experienced partners with the dominant mobile
platform - yet they're losing money. RIM are probably more analogous to Nokia
when Elop took over - a reputation for great hardware but maintaining a
dying/technologically stagnant platform with too hazy promises of something
better tomorrow - and their experience, even with a steadier strategy, says
that Nokia might not have had any win-win options.

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filmgirlcw
And this will likely be RIM in 12 months, but without a benefactor (for at
least the smartphone business) in the wings.

I still think that going Windows Phone was Nokia's best option -- even though
it was a risk. The problem is just that the ship turned too late. It hit the
berg anyway.

~~~
sounds
When RMS Titanic turned, too late to avoid the iceberg, the glancing collision
breached 5 of 16 watertight compartments, and she could only survive at most 4
flooded compartments. Some speculate if she had reversed her engines and only
struck the iceberg head-on, she would have remained afloat, though crippled.

I don't know that Nokia could have executed such a "head-on" for their crises,
though the "burning platform" memo is regarded as a mistake by many. Would you
take your analogy that far - Nokia could have faced the problem head-on?

~~~
sesqu
Nokia did have a head-on crash strategy in following up Symbian^3 with MeeGo.
I wasn't involved in that space, but it looked potentially survivable to me,
especially as a means to steal away developers from Android.

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confluence
Maybe it's just me - but isn't firing so many people in such a short time
period a clear sign of extremely bad management?

Whether or not it's the "fault" of the current or previous management, I don't
know, but it nevertheless looks like extremely poor planning.

 _If you hired so many people, and then fired them all again so quickly -
doesn't that show a lack of foresight?_

I always feel sorry for the employees in situations like this, and I wonder
how is it that such poor managers (as is shown by falling profits/market
share/firing everyone) end up running the place.

Then I remember that the world is extremely random and move on my merry way.

~~~
toyg
I remember seeing job postings by Nokia for Linux developers, a few weeks
after the "burning platform" speech, and thinking "this stuff must have been
approved more than a month ago, and you'll be fired as soon as you get hired
-- IF they'll hire anyone at all".

Nokia is a case study in bad corporate management practices.

