In a recent interview on his time as Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella reflected on the complexities behind the company's decision to discontinue Windows Phone and admitted that it was one of the most difficult decisions he made< It was highlighted that perhaps, in retrospect, they could've made it work by reinventing the category of computing between PCs, tablets, and phones< Microsoft entered the mobile market in the mid-1990s but did not release its first smartphone until 2010< By 2017, they confirmed the cessation of development for new features and hardware for the Windows Phone<

Nadella is not the first Microsoft CEO to voice regret over the course of action followed by the company about its mobile market strategy< Prior to him, Steve Ballmer recognized that neglecting the mobile market in the early 2000s was a missed opportunity and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said his greatest mistake was the mismanagement that led to Android becoming the leading non-iOS mobile operating system<

After years of the Windows Phone being dormant, Microsoft returned to the mobile market with the Surface Duo in 2020, a foldable smartphone running on Android< In 2021, it released the Surface Duo 2< However, it is yet to be seen if Microsoft will continue with the foldable smartphone lineup<