There was a time when Microsoft was widely known in the smartphone market. The Redmond-based technology giant entered the smartphone segment in 2010 with Windows-based Lumia devices. The company entered the competition with Android and iOS smartphones. However, this was short-lived when Microsoft announced in 2017 that it would not develop any features or hardware for Windows 10 mobile phones. Satya Nadella, CEO of the software giant, admitted in an interview with Business Insider that he made the mistake of leaving the mobile business. But he’s not the first company CEO to discover this.

Satya Nadella took over from former CEO Steve Ballmer in 2014. Just over a year later, it lost $7.6 billion in connection with Microsoft’s acquisition of Nokia’s phone business. When asked about any actual strategic mistakes or bad decisions during the interview, the CEO said: “One of the toughest decisions I’ve made since I became CEO, which I think a lot of people are talking about, is that we’re moving away from what I would call the mobile phone as defined.”

The executive also added that Microsoft’s mobile phone business could have been managed better. The company could reinvent the computing category between computers, tablets and phones.

It’s no surprise that Nadella acknowledged his mistake in shutting down Microsoft’s phone business. Former CEO Bill Gates said the company did not develop its mobile operating system well enough. Steve Ballmer also admitted that he regretted not focusing on the phone sooner.

Microsoft has tried its hand at the smartphone business several times but without success. Even after acquiring Nokia’s smartphone division, the company failed to break the Android and iOS duopoly. The Redmond-based company has Android-based Surface Duo and Surface Duo 2 foldable phones, which it launched a few years ago, but their future remains uncertain.