So let's assume for the moment that the IT director isn't a complete idiot. How did they come to this purchase decision? What other factors beside "it's obvious Windows Phone is a dead-end" were considered? I'm not trying to give anyone the benefit of the doubt, but rather wondering how I can personally avoid the same mistakes in the future by identifying the blindspots. I don't learn anything by just blowing them off as idiots that shouldn't be allowed to have a budget. (Though that hypothesis is still on the table.)

For instance, with the Surface example, maybe it's not outright graft but rather "in for a penny, in for a pound"? So they already have the Surfaces, and by golly, they're staying in the ecosystem come hell or high water?