• Source:JND
Add as a preferred


Rich Miner's Comment on Bill gates: Microsoft had incurred a loss of $400 billion after losing its mobile market to Android, a fact that even Bill Gates acknowledged, but the Android Co-founder Rich Miner had something else in his mind, he attributed this loss to Bill Gates' own decision-making.

 

"I literally helped create Android to prevent Microsoft from controlling the phone the way they did the PC - stifling innovation. So it's always funny for me to hear Gates whine about losing mobile to Android," Miner wrote in a post on X, reacting to Gates's comments about Microsoft's biggest mistake.

Miner expressed that he had concerns that Microsoft would create a monopoly in the mobile market while working its way through the first Windows mobile.

ALSO READ: Apple Makes History In India, Cracks The Top 5 Rankings

Miner has had a history with Microsoft and this strengthens his critique. While he was working on the Windows Mobile Phone Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) in 2002, he foresaw how the dominance that Microsoft holds in the PC world could also become the fate of the mobile market. This is precisely what motivated him to pursue something different, an open platform that was able to liberate itself from Microsoft’s grip.

"I helped Orange launch the first Windows Mobile phone in 2002, the SPV. I worried MSFT might end up controlling mobile like they did the PC, I wanted something more open. So, sorry Bill, you're more responsible for losing the $400B than you realize," he stated.

Miner’s remarks follow Gates' admission to Eventbrite CEO Julia Hartz that Microsoft's inability to dominate the smartphone market was "one of the greatest mistakes of all time."

Microsoft’s delay in launching the mobile platform proved to be fatal. By the time Microsoft was up and ready with its product the Windows Phone 7 in 2010, Apple and Android had already taken over the market. 

Apple’s iPhone (2007) and Google’s Android (2008) paved the way for the modern smartphone era, but Microsoft fell behind. Sticking to its PC-centric strategy rather than embracing the open approach that made Android successful, Microsoft struggled to keep up. While Android quickly became the preferred choice for both manufacturers and developers, Microsoft's rigid strategy hindered its ability to compete.

Microsoft acquired Nokia’s business in 2013 for $7.2 billion, with the goal of solidifying its presence in the mobile market. However, the decision was overturned by Satya Nadella who became the CEO in 2014, he reversed the strategy, abandoning the Nokia deal and cutting thousands of jobs. By 2015 Microsoft was largely out of the smartphone business, and this was a costly misstep in its mission of competing in the smartphone space.

“You know, in the software world, especially for platforms, these are winner-take-all markets,” Gates said, acknowledging his role in the “mismanagement” at Microsoft that led to its loss to Android. Calling it his “greatest mistake,” Gates added that it was “a natural thing for Microsoft to win” against Apple in the phone market.

During that time Microsoft was Apple's top contender, rigorously working towards the expansion of its business including the mobile phone market.

ALSO READ: Nintendo Switch 2 Announced: Bigger and Better – Here's Everything We Know So Far

Also In News