Microsoft and Nokia held a press conference on Tuesday morning to discuss Microsoft’s takeover of Nokia’s phone hardware and services business. Naturally, several interesting details came out about the deal and its likely impact.
The first came from Nokia’s interim CEO, Risto Siilasmaa (Stephen Elop is back off to Microsoft, and is in the running for Steve Ballmer’s job). Siilasmaa said the two companies had been mulling over the deal since February this year – and Microsoft was the suitor:
“Nokia alone does not have the resources to fund the required acceleration across mobile phones and smart devices, especially as we have great opportunities in our other businesses as well… [Nokia’s 32,000 transferring employees] will have stronger financial backing to be successful in the mobile marketplace.
