Microsoft’s Write-Down on Nokia Adds to String of Merger Missteps - The New York Times

Accentuating the negative; also see Microsoft’s Four Most Costly Blunders Besides Nokia (BloombergBusiness)

"Microsoft’s total merger-related write-downs now tally about $14 billion over the last three years.

The $9.5 billion Nokia deal was the last in a string of bad deals struck by the previous chief executive, Steven A. Ballmer. As part of the deal, Microsoft received $1.5 billion in cash and paid about $2 billion to license Nokia’s patents and maps. Essentially, the financial cost disclosed on Wednesday — and the accompanying round of 7,800 layoffs — means the handset business is almost worthless and that Microsoft overpaid for the intellectual property."

Microsoft’s Write-Down on Nokia Adds to String of Merger Missteps - The New York Times