On Tuesday, the Saïd Business School in the UK hosted Steve Ballmer. The former Microsoft CEO pointed out that if he had to do it all over again, he would consider mobile platforms in a serious light. The main reason for acquiring Nokia’s mobile division is that Microsoft wants to remedy this problem. And with Windows Phone now reported as the fastest growing smartphone platform there are prospects of achieving this sometime in the future.
“We would have a stronger position in the phone market today if I could re-do the last 10 years,” said Ballmer.
Facebook’s recent $19 billion gamble on WhatsApp also formed a speaking point for Ballmer. “Is it a fad?” he said. “Well, probably not. It looks more like text [messaging.] I don’t know whether they’ll be successful or not. Will that asset ever be worth anything? Will those 450 million people ever generate enough revenue?” he said. “Reasonable people – Zuckerberg believes so, and no reason to doubt it.”
Technology is set to transform entire fields in the future including healthcare and education. Ballmer also mentions that the consumer economy is set to grow as a result of technology.
bloomberg will be repeating that debate on saturday..