Vodafone steals Microsoft exec – Knook

Rating: Didn’t he just present @ MWC?When the news came through that Vodafone has stolen a key employee from Microsoft, his name – Pieter Knook – sounded awfully familiar. It didn’t take me long to recall that Pieter had played major part in presenting Microsoft’s strategy at MWC. That’s a mere two days before he jumped ship for Vodafone. Personally I don’t think that Microsoft can have known his plans, otherwise they’d have side-lined him.
According to the official press bumph, Pieter will be charged with “delivering new revenue growth around internet, content and advertising.” So that’s a pretty key role.
And what was Pieter doing before he joined Vodafone? Well, it looks like he was pretty much Mr Windows Mobile for Microsoft.

Significantly, one of the key highlights to Mr Knook’s speech at MWC was the growing momentum behind getting developers onboard for Windows Mobile. He claimed that in one quarter along, the relevant SDK had been downloaded 1.5 million times.
Consequently, Vodafone really seem to have got value for money. Microsoft has lost a steady hand behind the tiller at Windows Mobile and Vodafone has gained somebody with considerable expertise in what’s fast becoming the next battleground – the mobile internet.
I also think Mr Knook’s defection sent out another important signal. While still at Microsoft, Knook said it recently sold circa 14.3 million handsets in 12 months and hopes to raise that to around 20 million.
Microsoft has been playing in the mobile space for years and yet 20 million is the best it can do having spent $ millions on grabbing market share. Compare that to the four million which Apple acquired in just 200 days.
Methinks it’s time for Microsoft to launch a major rethink of its strategy. Or perhaps that’s why the company acquired Danger?