Bill Gates was largely responsible for Microsoft’s failure in the field of mobile devices. The person saying this is someone directly involved in the matter: Rich Miner, the computer scientist responsible for the creation of Android.
In a post on social network X, formerly Twitter, Miner commented on an old interview Gates gave. The billionaire explained the following in his speech: He thinks his biggest mistake was getting carried away by Android in the mobile device market – What would cost the company US$400 billion in market valuemoney going to rival Google’s side.
In the post, Miner not only confirmed that Gates’ sentiment was correct, but also revealed a new detail: decided to start the project precisely because of the businessman.
“I literally I helped create Android to prevent Microsoft from controlling mobile phones the way it controls PCsIt stifles innovation. That’s why it’s always funny to me when I hear Gates complain about losing on Android phones,” comments the investor.
I literally helped create Android to prevent Microsoft from controlling the phone the way it controls the PC and stifling innovation. So it’s always funny to me to hear Gates whine about losing his mobile device to Android.
Retweet if you think I should share our original presentation
1/2 pic.twitter.com/urjZWK0yHE— Rich Miner (@richminer) January 14, 2025
The miner said this Helped operator Orange launch first device with Windows Mobile In 2002. Only then did he realize that if he did nothing, Microsoft would dominate the industry.
He helped create Android in search of a more transparent and open platform — it was eventually acquired by Google and became the dominant platform to this day. “So I’m sorry Bill, More responsible for losing $400 billion than you think“, jokes Miner.
Remember the end of Windows Phone
Although Windows Phone is preferred by a significant portion of the public in some regions, including the Brazilian market It hasn’t proven to be a strong competitor against Android and iOS.
The stakes were really high: after years of working with other brands, in 2013 the legendary manufacturer decided to buy the mobile division of Nokia.
After several years of releasing devices in the Nokia Lumia series, the company I officially gave up the platform in 2019. It disabled Windows Phone 8.1 stores, stopped selling models, and was quietly withdrawn from the market following the launch of the Lumia 950 XL.
In interviews over the years, brand executives have said that the lack of support from major manufacturers that stand alongside Android, such as Samsung and LG, is the main reason for this imbalance. Still, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella believes it was the company’s fault to leave the industry.
Source: Tec Mundo

I’m Ben Stock, a highly experienced and passionate journalist with a career in the news industry spanning more than 10 years. I specialize in writing content for websites, including researching and interviewing sources to produce engaging articles. My current role is as an author at Gadget Onus, where I mainly cover the mobile section.