Step outside of your comfort zone…

This post is meant mostly for Paul, but I’d enjoy seeing other opinions on this too 😉

Imagine if part of Microsoft’s mission statement was this: “We NEVER give up on our customers! We don’t abandon our vision!” With that pair of rose-colored glasses on (and assuming we’re in an alternate universe), what should Microsoft have done when:

1) Developers ignored the UWP platform, and Windows Mobile. Since adoption of Windows Mobile was so poor, what should Microsoft have done to fix it. (No, going Android was NOT an option!) They essentially owned Nokia – what could they have done with it to make it work?

2) Microsoft Band sales were weak. How should Microsoft have fixed that?

3) Nobody bought anything at the physical Microsoft stores. What could have Microsoft have done to increase traffic and sales? Hololens game rooms (for a fee)? Steep discounts on Surface products (or a generous XBox game pass add-on with every purchase, or a free Surface hoodie)? If failure was not an option and you *had* to do something to get people to come in and spend money (but still keep it Microsoft-centric), what would you do?

Extra credit question: How would things have turned out if Bill Gates have stayed on? If Steve Ballmer had stayed on?