Microsoft management shakeup sees Stephen Elop depart

[HEXUS]

Terry Myerson leads a new team called the Windows and Devices Group (WDG).

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[azrael-]

One wonders where Mr Elop will turn up next. That is, which company might Microsoft be targeting for a cheap takeover next.

[crossy]

One wonders where Mr Elop will turn up next. That is, which company might Microsoft be targeting for a cheap takeover next.

How about HTC? They seemed to be in a similar setup to Nokia (make Windows phones, couple of Android ones, the odd tablet). Although - being rude - I don't think HTC will need the kind of "care" that Nokia did in order to downsize and roll them into the Microsoft juggernaut.

Kind of expected something like this - summer seems to be the time that US corps like to shake themselves up (and lose a lot of staff in the process).

By the way, why is the "Cloud & Enterprise group" setup as "C+E" rather than "CEG". After all "Windows & Devices group" is "WDG", the "Applications and Services group" is "ASG". Also kind of strange that 'Enterprise' and 'Services' are in different groups - I would have expected them to be in the same group and perhaps cloud and apps to be put together

[chrestomanci]

One wonders where Mr Elop will turn up next. That is, which company might Microsoft be targeting for a cheap takeover next.

With his reputation, I can't imagine any other company would be that foolish.

There is a lengthy blog post out there that spells out all of Elop's criminal miss-mangement of Nokia:

http://communities-dominate.blogs.co...-waterloo.html

It is long, and covers a lot of points, but the short version is that some of his actions went beyond stupidity, into deliberately harming Nokia for the benefit of Microsoft. I still can't believe that the authorities in Finland (or even in New York) have not indicted him for the way he deliberately run the company into the ground so that Microsoft could buy it cheaply.

[GuidoLS]

How about HTC? They seemed to be in a similar setup to Nokia (make Windows phones, couple of Android ones, the odd tablet). Although - being rude - I don't think HTC will need the kind of "care" that Nokia did in order to downsize and roll them into the Microsoft juggernaut.

If Nokia hadn't of gotten the 'care' afforded by MS, then instead of just discussing some news reports about the dismissal of Mr. Elop, we'd be not talking about the total failure, bankruptcy, and dismissal of thousands of employees worldwide. Granted, Nokia made a fair product, but they didn't, and still don't, have the cache of, say, Blackberry, which is surviving despite itself.

Simple truth is, MS doesn't traditionally reward what it considers mediocrity. Windows phone? Good devices, decent OS, not even mediocre sales. Surface line? Again, not even mediocre sales. Not entirely sure a change of face will offer a fix for the perceived problem, but it will allow them to remove an executive from an absorbed company that maybe didn't fit in with Mr. Nadella's view of today, tomorrow or the distant future. The only reason we're seeing this is because it's MS.

[tribaljet]

Now that Nokia was bought, he'll be putting on his villain cape and flying to less green pastures. And yes, Symbian is dead, long live Symbian.

But I do have to say Windows Phone is a joy to use in terms of resource usage, overall smoothness from budget to flagship and especially imaging on Lumia phones, just a shame that while the store had big strides in the last year, it still has plenty of catching up to do.

[spacein_vader]

If Nokia hadn't of gotten the 'care' afforded by MS, then instead of just discussing some news reports about the dismissal of Mr. Elop, we'd be not talking about the total failure, bankruptcy, and dismissal of thousands of employees worldwide. Granted, Nokia made a fair product, but they didn't, and still don't, have the cache of, say, Blackberry, which is surviving despite itself.

Nokia still exists, it's only the handset business MS acquired. They're also very much still involved in mobile, and have at least as much pull in that industry as Blackberry, probably more.

This is because as well as their in house mapping (currently branded HERE and possibly up for sale,) they create and own a lot of patents that are vital to 2/3/4g radios in phones. I'd be very surprised if there is a single phone on the market that doesn't pay a licence to Nokia for something. They're also still heavily involved in the mobile backend, creating mast radios and other equipment for the networks.

[GuidoLS]

Nokia still exists, it's only the handset business MS acquired. They're also very much still involved in mobile, and have at least as much pull in that industry as Blackberry, probably more.

This is because as well as their in house mapping (currently branded HERE and possibly up for sale,) they create and own a lot of patents that are vital to 2/3/4g radios in phones. I'd be very surprised if there is a single phone on the market that doesn't pay a licence to Nokia for something. They're also still heavily involved in the mobile backend, creating mast radios and other equipment for the networks.

I didn't say they didn't exist. I said without the infusion of cash from MS, they wouldn't exist. I stand by that comment, because it was pretty much accepted industry wide as being the situation. The comparison to Blackberry was more or less a backhanded compliment to Blackberry, stating the only reason they still exist is that they do make the superior phone, on many levels.