Back to Ragnar...

There are problems with some of Nokia's messages not matching results, particularly here in the US, and the situation has persisted long enough that consumers here are jaded about it.

Nokia once led in phone sales here.

Now it severely lags.

Nokia could have dominated here in smartphones.

Now it is losing to Apple and RIM.

These facts are not up for debate as to validity; only to cause.

Some of the causes are well-known, too. Like the failure to anticipate the popularity of flip-phones and the failure to promptly and effectively capitalize on touchscreen technology. But we can't stop there-- we have to drill down to find root cause... and that becomes a problem for US consumers. They don't have access to inside details, Nokia's not going to provide them, so they are left to speculate.

In the absence of fact, fantasy and fiction fill the void. What US consumers CAN readily identify is that Nokia's message does not match its results. "Yes, we care about the US market... but we will (1) close down the factory and distribution center; (2) reduce the size of the US device and delivery operations teams; (3) continue to lose market share.

I'm not going to reveal too many stories of inside Nokia, but I will compare the situation with another company, Boeing. I was brought into Boeing years ago as a contractor to help get AWACs caught up. The project was behind schedule and being fined millions by the US government. Every week we would be called to meetings that went like this: "We are further behind. Our fines are increasing. So... (wait for it)..."

"We are going to lay off more people."

...

Sometimes it felt like that in Nokia. Like we were living in a Dilbert cartoon. We would discuss the declining presence of Nokia in the US while all the while possessing ideas (and I don't mean just me) to improve the situation. Those ideas addressed products, manufacturing, marketing, sales, logistics-- everything. But they fell on deaf ears, which was very frustrating. Yes, feedback IS there, but the necessary chain is broken which suggests to me that decision makers are acting on flawed info. What else are we to think when Nokia consistently misses the mark here?

And every time Nokia released a commercial in the US, viewers would ridicule it. Every time a phone slipped launch date by several months, we would lose valuable employees who feared (rightly) for the future of Nokia in the US. Every time a consumer survey would come out, it seemed to be designed by grade school kids.

It was as if Nokia were saying, "You know what, America? We don't care if we succeed there or not. We're not even going to do our homework. We'll toss devices and advertisements at you, and if they don't resonate, oh well."

And the bottom line is, perception creates reality. The US is very similar in tech culture to Japan... and Nokia gave up on Japan as a market last year. That's not speculation or opinion: it's fact. And when US citizens see that, the natural thought is "we're next".

Nokia kept insisting the US was a valuable market, without seeming to treat it that way. It made no sense. If Nokia was to just state publicly "Ok, we give up on the US as we did Japan" that would be easier to swallow than this bizarre current limbo-like status.

Sorr for rambling but i hope this is conveying the frustration felt here by current and former Nokia employees but also US consumers in general. We don't get it. We're waiting for an explanation that makes sense.

I realize this is a rant and comes across harshly, but I truly loved my work at Nokia and wanted to be part of something big and successful. I am still unhappy about my release because there was so much unfinished business and I take pride in taking care of my responsibilities. So while I'm not bitter, I am sure frustrated to say the least...