{"id":227560,"date":"2026-05-29T19:47:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T19:47:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/bill-gates-is-to-blame-for-the-biggest-mistake-of-all-time-that-cost-microsoft-400-billion-says-android-co-founder\/"},"modified":"2026-05-29T19:47:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T19:47:13","slug":"bill-gates-is-to-blame-for-the-biggest-mistake-of-all-time-that-cost-microsoft-400-billion-says-android-co-founder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/bill-gates-is-to-blame-for-the-biggest-mistake-of-all-time-that-cost-microsoft-400-billion-says-android-co-founder\/","title":{"rendered":"Bill Gates is to Blame for the “Biggest Mistake of All Time” That Cost Microsoft $400 Billion, Says Android Co-Founder"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Nobody is perfect. Not even the great tycoons who have taken technology companies to the peak of success. One of these examples is Bill Gates, who during an interview recognized what has been the biggest mistake he has made in his time running Microsoft.<\/strong> The co-founder of Android seized the opportunity to mock him through social networks several years after this confession.<\/p>\n

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Today, we all associate the Android operating system with Google, the company behind it. But in its beginnings, Android was in limbo between Microsoft and Google<\/strong>. This is where Bill Gates’ mistake lay; he did not decide to bet on this operating system, allowing Google to take hold of it and achieve the tremendous success it boasts today.<\/p>\n

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Android Co-Founder Gives a Different Take on Gates’ “Biggest Mistake”<\/h2>\n

A few years ago, during an interview with Julia Hartz, CEO of Eventbrite, Gates acknowledged that his biggest mistake was, “the mismanagement that I got involved in that caused Microsoft to not be what Android is.<\/em>“<\/p>\n

This mismanagement allowed Google to develop Android before Microsoft<\/strong>, leading to Android’s remarkable success. As the operating system with the largest market share, Android holds a 72.46% global share, according to statistics from the end of 2025. This series of poor decisions and issues with antitrust laws ultimately meant that the Android operation eluded Microsoft.<\/p>\n

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Although Gates attempted to replicate Android’s success with Windows Phone, it did not turn out well. Gates believed there was only room for one non-iOS operating system in the market. This mistake resulted in a staggering loss of 400 billion dollars<\/strong> due to his poor decision-making two decades ago. He elaborated on this by stating:<\/p>\n

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The biggest mistake of all was the mismanagement I got into that caused Microsoft to not be what Android is… In reality, it is a winner-take-all market. If you have half as many applications or 90% of them, you are on your way to total ruin.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Gates firmly believes that if Microsoft had successfully entered the mobile market before Google, it would be the dominant player today. Their error was allowing Google to develop Android “for free” while attempting to build Windows Phone.<\/p>\n

The most intriguing part of this saga comes from the Android co-founder, who responded to Gates’ admission last year via his X account. He noted that his aim in developing Android was to ensure Microsoft did not control mobile phones “as it did with computers, stifling innovation.”<\/p>\n

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Click on the image to access the publication.<\/span>\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Addressing the concern that Microsoft could dominate the mobile landscape, the Android co-founder remarked, “Sorry Bill, but you’re more responsible for the $400 billion loss than you think.”<\/em><\/p>\n

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In related remarks, Steve Ballmer<\/a>, the charismatic former CEO of Microsoft, echoed these thoughts, admitting that the company\u2019s overconfidence and arrogance in the Windows brand led to severe underestimations of competitors, resulting in their inability to dominate emerging markets.<\/p>\n

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Images | Wikimedia Commons (UK Government<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Via | Windows Central<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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General News – 2<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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