Anssi Vanjoki: "My Hair Stands On End" Over Nokia's Fall
Ex-Nokia smartphone chief Anssi Vanjoki has expressed his horror at the current trajectory of the Finnish firm, suggesting that "my hair stands on end as I follow Nokia." Speaking to newspaper Kauppalehti in the aftermath of Nokia's dreary Q2 2011 financial results announcement, Vanjoki suggested that "no company can have its golden age last forever."
Nokia revealed it had suffered an operating loss of €487m ($692m) and net sales of €9,275m in the three month period, down 7-percent from Q2 2010. What income it did see was boosted in no small way by patent settlements, with Apple believed to have contributed handsomely to the €430m of licensing-related income that quarter.
Vanjoki was a frontrunner for the Nokia CEO position after former chief Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo was ousted from the firm. However, the Nokia Board opted for ex-Microsoft exec Stephen Elop – who promptly led the company into the loving arms of Windows Phone 7 – and Vanjoki resigned, claiming "the time has come to seek new opportunities."
Those new opportunities have so far been discrete, though it's worth noting that Vanjoki's non-compete agreement expires in September 2011. What the exec will choose to do after that point is likely to be a matter of great interest to loyal Nokia fans; Vanjoki is believed to have disagreed significantly with the direction new CEO Stephen Elop was taking the company.