- The story of Windows’ decline is relatively straightforward and a classic case of disruption – great article via Ben Thompson
- The Internet dramatically reduced application lock-in
- PCs became “good enough”, elongating the upgrade cycle
- Smartphones first addressed needs the PC couldn’t, then over time started taking over PC functionality directly
- And finally, last week’s reorganization that, for the first time since 1980, left the company without a division devoted to personal computer operating systems
- Windows was split, with the core engineering group placed under Azure, and the rest of the organization effectively under Office 365; there will still be Windows releases, but it is no longer a standalone business
- Windows persisted as the linchpin of Microsoft’s strategy for over three decades for a very good reason: it made everything the company did possible
- A month after taking over as CEO, Nadella introduced Office for iPad
- Read the full article if you are interested in seeing via Microsoft’s leadership memo’s how this realization of Window’s decline developed and how CEO Satya Nadella convinced the company to accept the obvious.
Microsoft’s stock price since Satya Nadella became CEO.