Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella's Biggest Regret Is Ditching Windows Phone

pcmag.com:

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella recently sat down for an interview with Bloomberg Insider, where he covered topics from family to leadership to AI. But in one of his more surprising admissions, he admitted regret to "exiting mobile phones."

"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 said when asked about his a strategic mistake or decision he regrets. "In retrospect, I think there could have been ways we could have made it work by perhaps reinventing the category of computing between PCs, tablets, and phones."

Unfortunately, that's the beginning and end of the conversation, so we can only imagine what he has in mind for reinventing the category of Windows Phone. Microsoft does have some experience in the matter through its Surface line. Until the Surface, the 2-in-1 laptop/tablet category didn't exist, and now most manufacturers (even Apple) have some entry like it.

But while Microsoft did re-enter the mobile phone world to some extent in recent years, it has yet to truly re-invent the category. The Surface Duo is a dual-display Android device masquerading as a foldable, but it hasn't performed well due to a bundle of compromises. Microsoft said recently that it will no longer support the original Surface Duo; it will do the same for the Surface Duo 2 effective Oct. 21, 2024. There's no telling if there will ever be a Surface Duo 3.

It may be hard to remember now, but Microsoft really put effort into Windows Phone, and it had a lasting effect on smartphones as we know them. Both Android and iOS would go on to borrow concepts from Redmond's mobile OS. Material Design and iOS,