Andre Yoskowitz
5 Jul 2012 18:34
Silicon Valley veteran Jean-Louis Gassée has made some bold comments relating to Nokia and their struggles.
Gassée says the handset maker should fire current CEO Stephen Elop, as well as the entire Board of Directors.
Adds the tech vet: "I think that Elop will have to go, but I also think that the board also needs to be renewed with people who have an understanding and working knowledge of the mobile industry."
Elop has come under heavy fire multiple time since being named CEO, most notably after his 'burning platform' memo and more recently when he allowed partner Microsoft to make Nokia Windows Phone 7 products obsolete by announcing Windows Phone 8 months ahead of schedule.
"Microsoft can do that with new versions of Windows; IBM used to do that in the olden days. But I'm shocked that the board of Nokia allowed Elop to do that," noted Gassée.
Windows Phone 7 devices, including the well-received Nokia Lumia 900, cannot upgrade to Windows Phone 8, although they will get a downgraded version, called Windows Phone 7.8.
While Gassee was very critical of Elop, his largest criticisms were for Elop's predecessor Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo. The Board asked Gassee for his advice and he says, "I told them to drop everything and go Android. Do it in secret and let the rumours fly... I would have used Nokia's design flare to make very nice phones. I would integrate Ovi [Nokia's app store] into Android and people would say that Nokia sided with the winner. It would have been tough fighting Samsung, though, because Samsung takes no prisoners. They don't brush their teeth in the morning – they file them."
In the end, Kallasvuo rejected the suggestions, saying instead they would "lose control of their destiny." That seems to have worked out well.