(Image source from: Cnbctv18.com)

Android has become the world's leading mobile operating system, but things might have turned out differently if Microsoft had developed a strategy to attack this segment before acquiring Apple. It is known that Microsoft has decided to abandon Android in its phones and work on the Windows Phone platform instead. However, new details from the Android founder suggest that he didn't want Microsoft to dominate the mobile space, as it has done in the PC industry for decades. Microsoft's Bill Gates has often said that one of his biggest regrets is not jumping on the mobile trend. Gates believes the loss of mobile competition has cost Microsoft more than $400 billion in market value over the years, something he often points out in interviews. But recently his views were challenged by none other than Android co-founder Rich Miner in a post where he says he's done it.

“I literally helped develop Android so Microsoft couldn't control phones the way they control PCs and stifle innovation. That's why Gates complains about Android's dominance in mobile. Miner also said that after he helped develop the first Windows Mobile ecosystem, the HTC-based device. ", Microsoft finally decided to work on its mobile platform He thought a challenge to Apple's iPhone ecosystem , but Google and Miner had other ideas, and Android will quickly become a platform by 2025. The company has been the biggest beneficiary of the mobile market boom since 2010, followed by iOS. Completely under the control of Apple, we could see a very different future for the smartphone industry if Microsoft were to buy Android or partner with Miner and Co.

I helped Orange launch the first Windows Mobile phone in 2002, the SPV. I worried MSFT might end up controlling mobile like they did the PC, I wanted something more open. So, sorry Bill, you're more responsible for loosing the $400B than you realize
https://t.co/xuWu7paunM

— Rich Miner (@richminer) January 14, 2025

Windows Phone had a lot of potential, which was exploited in the Nokia Lumia series, but the Nokia Lumia series also fell short of market expectations. Microsoft eventually had to sell its stake in Nokia to a Finnish consortium called HMD Global, which granted the brand licenses to sell Nougat Android phones in a number of countries, including India. HMD is concentrating on selling its own brand of smartphones for now, but continues to partner with Nokia in the mobile segment.