One big takeaway from Thursday’s terrible news that Microsoft is laying off 18,000 employees is that the company now sees former CEO Steve Ballmer’s decision to buy Nokia as a Gob Bluth-style huge mistake. 12,500 of the affected employees came from the Nokia devices and services division, which amounts to around half of the roughly 25,000 employees that Microsoft absorbed when it officially acquired Nokia earlier this year. Barron’s flags some research notes that similarly say that Microsoft CEO Nadella’s decision to lay off so many Nokia employees is really his way of cleaning up Ballmer’s “mess.” “We believe [the 18,000 layoffs were] about double what the Street was expecting, and while the cuts will be painful for employees, they were necessary,