Nokia tries to escape from a burning platform

By Emmanuel Legrand

Thanks to a leaked memo, we know more about what Nokia’s new CEO Stephen Elop thinks about the mobile phone company (in short, being there is akin to working on a burning oil platform over frozen seas), but we now little more about his global strategy, other than the much-publicised deal with Microsoft.

It is somehow easier to figure out what went wrong at the company that once was the pride of Finland. In "What sealed Nokia's fate?", The Register's Andrew Orlowski offers a fascinating view into Nokia’s failed strategy over the past few years. One of the faults listed by Orlowski was the over-dependence on R&D, with Nokia investing a lot in research but not delivering enough groundbreaking stuff to please the consumers.

As a result, the company that led the market lost its edge and other entrants delivered the goods. What it shows is that companies like Nokia that think too much about the future forget about inventing the present. And get by-passed by some smart ass (Steve Jobbs at Apple) who just does it!