Yesterday I did a long train commute to attend AT&T’s Cyber-security Conference, so I had plenty of time to read the news on my phone. By far, the most interesting news I found was this. Actually, it is not a news, but a rumor. Apparently, a very influential Russian blogger (Eldar Murtazin, English Google Translation) affirms that Microsoft could be about to close a deal to acquire Nokia’s cell-phone division for about 32$ billion.

Everything is just a rumor and pure speculation, but Murtazin discusses how this could be the biggest trojan horse in the history after the one that Achilles and his soldiers used to invade the city of Troy. Nokia’s stock value sank after the announce that its mobile devices would be using Windows Mobile OS. Not only that, but the new Nokia CEO, Stephen Elop, was the president of the Microsoft Office division.

From SeattlePi:

What’s fascinating about this rumor is the numbers. After last week’s $8.5 billion Skype acquisition, Microsoft has about $32 billion left in cash reserves. And, as The Guardian points out, Nokia’s market capitalization is just shy of $32 billion. Coincidence?

Interestingly, Nokia’s market valuation plummeted to that level in recent months. Before the Windows Phone partnership was announced, Nokia’s market cap was about $44 billion. Manipulation?

Nokia’s stock price plummeted on news of the Microsoft partnership. (Yahoo Finance chart with seattlepi.com annotations)

Of course, Microsoft wouldn’t be able to buy Nokia outright for market value – there’d have to be some sort of premium. But remember, Murtazin reported Microsoft is in negotiations to buy Nokia’s phone division, not the whole company (though that is most of the company).

What else does Nokia do? It’s got mobile services such as maps, music and messaging. It’s got Navteq, a major navigation and mapping service. And it operates wireless services in Europe and elsewhere through Nokia Siemens Networks.

Oh, and remember that Microsoft has a good friend at the top of Nokia. Its chief executive, Stephen Elop, was president of the Microsoft Office division before moving to Nokia in September. After the Windows Phone partnership was announced, shareholders pressured Elop to justify the Microsoft deal and wondered whether he was a Trojan horse.

If this acquisition rumor turns out to be true, Elop could be one of the biggest Trojan horses in the history of big business.

Again, I am not saying this is true or offering any personal opinion beyond the fact that this was, by far, the most interesting thing I read on the news… well, if I do not consider the Spanish sports newspapers I read daily. There are always interesting news there…

Update: More news about the rumored Microsoft – Nokia acquisition here.