This graph[1] tells some of the story, but the bigger story was they failed to capitalize on the patents, and even got fined by a jury for trying to abuse FRAND

This graph[1] tells some of the story, but the bigger story was they failed to capitalize on the patents, and even got fined by a jury for trying to abuse FRAND patents on WiFi and H.264. http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/52605103ecad0479335c44d0-960/chart-of-the-day-motorola-losses.jpg http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/52605103ecad0479335... http://m.computerworld.com/s/article/9242129/Microsoft_wins_jury_trial_in_patent_dispute_with_Motorola http://m.computerworld.com/s/article/9242129/Microsoft_wins_... Edit: The timing is very interesting too. Google reports its quarterly earnings tomorrow, and was known to have spent about $500M on advertizing the Moto X which hasn't been selling well and which must have dragged Google's earnings down. Releasing this news now will help calm investors tomorrow. Also, can't imagine that Lenovo will continue subsidizing the Moto X/Moto G, so I expect prices to go up once the acquisition completes.