Microsoft created a special history book for Nokia employees

In the months leading up to Microsoft’s acquisition of Nokia’s phone business, the two companies approached Shoreditch-based media company TCOLondon to secretly build a unique book for the nearly 20,000 Nokia employees set to join Microsoft. The 128-page book was edited and illustrated in London before being printed and shipped to employees in more than 90 cities in 53 countries. It’s a celebration of the rich history that Nokia and Microsoft both share, including etchings of Nokia’s origins in a paper mill in Finland and Microsoft’s roots in New Mexico.

Nokia employees who joined Microsoft as a result of the recent merger received a surprise package to welcome them aboard. Designed by a company called TCOLondon, a 128-page illustrated commemorative book was sent to former Nokia staffers last month on the day Microsoft and Nokia officially merged. Shipped to Nokia employees in more than 90 cities across 53 countries, the book was created as a keepsake gift to mark the joining of the two companies. As described by TCOLondon, the “Day One” book “celebrates the two tech titans’ history of innovation and the possibilities their new partnership holds.” The red-and-gold-covered book opens with the message: “One thing will help us change the world again: You.” One page in the book highlights the vision of “a computer on every desk and in every home” as spelled out by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. Another page tells the tale of Nokia’s first handheld phone. Launched in 1987, Nokia’s Mobira Cityman phone earned the nickname “The Gorba” after then Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev used one to phone home.