Recently-appointed Nokia CEO Stephen Elop has all but admitted defeat in the smartphone wars in an internal memo today. According to Engadget, the memo is indeed real and has Elop saying that Nokia is currently a “burning platform,” and that the only way off is to jump into the freezing water. Elop wasn’t vague about it, either.
"The first iPhone shipped in 2007, and we still don't have a product that is close to their experience. Android came on the scene just over 2 years ago, and this week they took our leadership position in smartphone volumes. Unbelievable."
After losing the top spot to Apple, and not seeing a big-time and successful major product launch in a good while, Elop is strategically positioning himself as “the new guy,” the maverick that doesn’t have the traditional Nokia/Finnish background that a Nokia CEO would be expected to have, and the guy that’s going to come in and start taking names and kicking Apple. If this is how he usually composes memos, Nokia is definitely in for a wake-up call.
After such a memo, one would expect some follow-through. It is expected that Elop will be announcing his ultimate plans for the company at the upcoming Nokia Calital Markets Day this Friday, where other big Nokia announcements are typically made.
