My little Nokia story.

Facts are never really connected, we connect them to produce meanings that may turn out to be valid later on.

Today I’ll connect some facts and produce a meaning that isn’t popular around here so hear me out, sound off in the comment and PLEASE don’t come at me with torches.

 

• OPK

For me the story is simple Nokia fired OPK; the previous CEO’s short sight on touch screens and his financial decisions later on crippled Nokia phones, in a sense he was responsible for the worst PR the company ever faced.

 

• THE REPLACEMENT

Nokia’s board hired a financially driven CEO, as Elop’s biggest strengths are financial.

I would think that if Nokia’s board wanted a comeback they would’ve hired the creative type CEO,  who knew everything about the company and was in fact Finish.

my personal preference would’ve been Marko Ahtisaari. ( there was lots of other candidates as well.)

• Turning the other eye

Nokia’s board also stood firmly behind every money grabbing decision Elop made, every trimming and every lay off.

It almost felt like Stephen Elop was performing an objective, Trojan horse was thrown around all the time and still Nokia’s board didn’t move an inch.

Nokia’s board also approved every decision to create a new brand that feels separate from Nokia, in fact in a very short term, Elop axed two brands synonymous with Nokia “OVI & Symbian” and created three individual ones that are SEPARATE from Nokia’s brand. (Here, Lumia and Asha)

Selling and then leasing Nokia’s HQ is just another big example of how Elop was actually setting this thing up for a clean take over.

Something the board couldn’t have missed and wouldn’t have approved in the first place “IF THEY WANTED TO”.

 

• Forcing an outcome

Ever wondered why Stephen Elop in the first place? why go after a guy who has a good job at the biggest software company in the world? Why a Microsoft guy?

I think it makes sense for Elop to go after Microsoft for his smartphone strategy, he knows Microsoft and would have better deals on that basis.

Google however would’ve been a very uncharted territory for Elop. (apparently Google didn’t give Nokia much of an incentive to join. ie; no special treatment) 

The board must have predicted this and this adds to the feeling I have; Its actually Nokia’s board who courted Microsoft and NOT the other way around.

Its when you look where the board is focusing its efforts that you start to see how Nokia have been in the process of changing course for the last two years at least.

 

• Bigger fish to fry

Nokia’s acquisition of Siemens followed by Nokia’s tie up with Alcatel, paints the real picture of future Nokia, NSN controls 18% of their business which will be bumped to 30% if the Alcatel deal went through.

 

• Gardener/Trojan horse

From my perspective Elop was not a Trojan horse, he was a hired gardener and even his contract shows it and its of no surprise that Nokia’s stock raised after the Microsoft  acquisition.

If the Alcatel deal goes through the stock would probably get a healthy surge.

I think from the a financial stand point, Nokia’s board is doing a great job for both their country and their shareholders.

It kept all the jobs of its devices branch, it shed the weight and its now pursing Alcatel.

(If the Siemens Networks alliance was anything to go by, this will pay off handsomely ) 

 

• Business as usual

After all Nokia have been always about surviving odds and changing businesses would not be their first time.

For Nokia its business as usual, they’ve been doing it for well over a century, they KNOW what they’re doing and I totally support it.

Thanks for reading.

Tags: Elop, Nokia, Personal opinion., Selop, Stephen, Stephen Elop, story, Trojan Horse, View

Category: Nokia