Steve Ballmer

, former CEO of

Microsoft

recently admitted how overconfidence in Windows prevented the software giant from capitalizing on the smartphone market. Speaking on the Acquired podcast, Ballmer said, “We were too confident,” as he reflected on Microsoft’s past strategy of pushing Windows into markets where it didn’t fit, instead of building solutions tailored to specific platforms. His remarks echoes with Android co-founder

Rich Miner

who – earlier this year – attributed Microsoft’s loss of smartphone wars to Android to Bill Gates’s decision. In an X post in January, Miner wrote “I literally helped create Android to prevent Microsoft from controlling the phone the way they did the PC - stifling innovation. So it's always funny for me to hear Gates whine about losing mobile to Android”.

“I helped Orange launch the first

Windows Mobile

phone in 2002, the SPV. I worried MSFT might end up controlling mobile like they did the PC, I wanted something more open. So, sorry Bill, you're more responsible for losing the $400B than you realize,” he then stated.

Stating that the company was “too confident”, Ballmer admitted on the podcast: “I don’t think we stuck with Windows too long. I think what we did is we tried to put Windows in places that it didn’t naturally go.” He pointed to Windows Mobile and automotive applications as key examples, where Microsoft's push to use Windows APIs and interfaces led to forced and unnatural user experiences.During the podcast, Ballmer revealed that Microsoft’s strategy was driven by a mix of “paranoia and confidence” in Windows, which the company saw as its “birthright” and “permission to enter” new markets. This mindset influenced its push into areas like media center applications and TV integration, where simplified versions of Windows struggled to match the performance and user experience of purpose-built solutions.