TL;DR: Bravo, Microsoft. Well done!! Nine years ago, I remember having a conversation with a (now-departed) Microsoft executive about the future of Windows Phone. My take was that we would be better off monetizing Office for Mac and Android by making it available on the hundreds of millions of devices already being sold. I distinctly remember saying: "We already own the office productivity market for Desktop, this is the easiest way to win in Mobile - right now. We can fight the hardware battle another day." Emphatically, I was told that I was wrong, without any data to back up that assertion, other than, and I quote: "We will kill the iPhone." Years later, $40+ billion wasted on Nokia, many lessons learned, we now have this: "But Microsoft has assured CNET that it's sticking with Android and has no plans to make a Windows-based phone. The company's Chief Product Officer Panos Panay was so emphatic about that fact, he told Wired so -- twice" What a tremendous cultural change by Microsoft. Where Steve Ballmer and many of his former leaders fanatically pushed a dying idea to the brink of despair, Satya Nadella smartly monetized Office, embraced the world's biggest phone OS, and quietly beat everyone to innovation. This is how you win. …see more