You're thinking of Ari Jaaksi, AIUI Ansi Vanjoki is still @Nokia working the remainder of his 6-month notice period. That will have expired by June though, so the keynote is most probably outdated info.
Seems that Engadget has picked the story after it has been Google translated and mutated between several foreign blogs. Having read the longer print version in today's Kauppalehti, here's few things missing from Engadget's soap opera version.
-Ollila isn't talking to press. The whole thing is based on (in)famous 'insider' sources. Edit. Engadget seems to have edited their story and fiex this.
-Vanjoki had allready been told that he would be the next CEO. Board had also asked him to outline a plan. Vanjoki's plan included sacking all but two of the current nine EVPs. He also wanted to simplify Nokia's burecrautic structure radically.
-Elop wasn't pulled from a magic bag at the last minute. He had been the number 2 choice. Then couple of large american investment funds wanted North American CEO. So to appease Wall Street, Elop was then chosen instead of Vanjoki. Allegedly these funds also threatened to try get the board fired, if the board didn't do as they wanted.
So.... Nokia is in even worse shape than the media has thought/portrayed.
Don't really know if there's a simple answer to that. I think they are in some ways better and some ways worse than media portrays. Finacial fundamentals and basic business are on much stronger foundation that the hysteria would let one to belive. On the other hand, just how Elop will affect the ongoing transition is big question mark.
Tomorrow we get results from Q4. February 11th is the annual investor event. Elop is supposed to start revealing at that event, what has been cooking in his mind during the past months. I hope he has read that alleged Vanjoki plan, especially the part about firing most EVPs. There are many dinosaurs that need to be sent to less stresfull fern forests.
Seems like Anssi has finally gotten bored of golfing, skiing, angel investing and fiddling with his iPad.
According to two different rumors he has been offered CEO position at both TeliaSonera (swedish-finnish network operator with 150 million customers) and at Nokia's former luxury brand Vertu.
Personally hoping that he takes that TeliaSonera job and gets some sense back to TeliaSonera's business.
OTOH, I hope he takes over at Vertu and does a better job there than what it already is...After all its a luxury brand, people are ready to pay thousands of $ for a Vertu product yet it feels like Vertu have not properly exploited their potential...
If Anssi does a fabulous job at Vertu it would be a perfect sign of what could have been at Nokia under his stewardship...
