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Acquisition Was Inevitable For Hardware Expertise
- Microsoft acquiring Nokia was an almost inevitable vertical-integration move to gain hardware engineering and consumer mobile know-how.
- Ben Bajarin argued Microsoft lacked hardware expertise (outside Xbox) and needed Nokia's engineers and carrier relationships globally.
Platform Rewrite And Cultural Hesitation Delayed Action
- Microsoft delayed earlier acquisition attempts because Windows Phone required a kernel transition to NT and internal hesitation about entering hardware.
- Matt Rosoff noted the platform rewrite (WP7→NT) and Microsoft’s historical software-first mindset slowed moves into devices.
Price Was Cheap Because Nokia Was Weakened
- The $7.1B price looked like a bargain for Microsoft given cash reserves and strategic value, but reflected Nokia's weakened state.
- Matt emphasized tax/repatriation and timing made the deal pocket change for Microsoft.