“I don’t think Microsoft would be keen to pursue Nokia X on a strategic level,” is what I had reasoned in a comment for Light Reading India a little more than four months ago.
Now that it has come true, but is also accompanied with big job cuts, I wish it could have been proven wrong. Unfortunately, it’s not going to be that way.
Microsoft has decided to kill the Nokia X line of smartphones and axe thousands of jobs, some of which are likely to be related to the Nokia X development and manufacturing.
Here’s exactly what I had then said (click here to read the report):
“While Nokia X could have been a good step after Nokia decided to discontinue the Symbian platform a few years ago, it doesn’t appear to be a good move from a strategic viewpoint, partly because it creates more confusion for the buyer and partly because it would scatter management focus at a time when all of that should be going into further strengthening the Lumia momentum, which is there.”
“It is likely that the Nokia X development would have started before the M&A deal was announced with Microsoft. I don’t think Microsoft would be keen to pursue Nokia X on a strategic level, so the real fate of Nokia X series would be decided after the acquisition process of Nokia’s device business by Microsoft is completed.”
This is also why I advise people that a well thought-out strategy is important not only for organizations when they are embarking on new product or business lines; it is of equal importance for employees who jump onto a new project offer just because a big technology company is backing it up.
No, I don’t mean to say that people—or companies—should not be taking risks; I only suggest that they should reason it out well.
Importantly, the Nokia X project is understood to have started around the time when Nokia was rumored to be in talks with Microsoft for an M&A deal for some time. It was even rumored that a disgruntled group was behind the Nokia Android project, with the intent of giving a ‘parting shot’ to Microsoft.
In other words, the project was not strategically aligned with the organization’s goals in the first place. Pity, that people would have got carried away to believe in the project. Imagine that some of the developers would have actually put their soul into it! One could only feel sad for them!
BTW, do you think employees are researching more about the offers they have at hand these days? Let me know in your comments.
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