Nokia's CEO Stephen Elop has warned employees at the handset maker that the company stands on a "burning platform", that will require a major change its behaviour. The leaked memo comes ahead of Nokia's strategy announcement and analyst meeting in London on 11 February. Elop compared the company to a man standing on the edge of a burning oil platform, who faces the choice of awaiting burning flames or plunging into deep, cold waters and must make a quick decision on a radical change in behaviour. The memo highlights the "intense heat" from competitors, where Apple has captured the high-end smartphone market, Android has overtaken Nokia in market share and is expanding into the mid- and low-end markets, and Chinese manufacturers are quickly taking Nokia share in emerging markets. At the same time Nokia has been unable to bring its MeeGo devices to market, the Symbian system is uncompetitive in major markets, and the company risks a downgrade in its credit ratings. Elop highlighted Nokia's failure to build its own ecosystem of related mobile services, and said the company will need "to decide how we either build, catalyse or join an ecosystem". The memo, leaked in parts to Engadget, TechCrunch and The Register, comes amid reports that Nokia may be considering adopting the Windows Mobile platform. Other reports suggest a major management shake-up is in the works, while the Register reported that Nokia is planning on shifting its centre of gravity towards Silicon Valley.
