Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella opened up on Microsoft - Nokia acquisition

Microsoft's CEO expressed his thoughts on acquisition of Nokia in his book "Hit Refresh". He said he never wanted the acquisition to happen as he voted "No" for the same. He said that he still respected the decision of Steve Ballmer (Former Microsoft CEO) and his idea on expansion to the third ecosystem or platform.

"Over the summer, while still in negotiations to buy Nokia outright, Steve Ballmer asked the members of his leadership team, his direct reports, to vote thumbs-up or thumbs-down on the deal. He wanted a public vote to see where the team was on the matter. I voted no. While I respected Steve and understood the logic of growing our market share to build a credible third ecosystem, I did not get why the world needed the third ecosystem in phones, unless we changed the rules,"

He added that even after numerous efforts the company lagged behind in the competition and he also expressed his pain for the people who lost their jobs due to Microsoft - Nokia separation.

"A few months after I became CEO, the Nokia deal closed, and our teams worked hard to relaunch Windows Phone with new devices and a new operating system that came with new experiences. But it was too late to regain the ground we had lost. We were chasing our competitors' taillights. Months later, I would have to announce a total write-off of the acquisition as well as plans to eliminate nearly eighteen thousand jobs, the majority of them because of the Nokia devices and services acquisition. It was heartbreaking to know that so many talented people who gave so much of themselves to their work would lose their jobs,"

Those were very true statements by Satya Nadella as many of of hated the Nokia - Microsoft acquisition due to the love for Nokia brand.