Two more top execs exit RIM as company weighs options

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014


It was announced in a Thursday statement that two top executives would be leaving the BlackBerry maker following a bleak earnings report as the embattled Canadian telecommunications company seeks a solution to its financial woes.



Senior Vice President Alan Brenner will leave Research in Motion after a transition period and will follow Alistair Mitchell, a vice president of the company's BBM service, who has already exited, reports Bloomberg.



The departures come after RIM's fourth quarter earnings call last week that saw the resignations of former co-CEO Jim Balsillie, CTO David Yach and global COO Jim Rowan.



The BlackBerry maker was hit with a billion dollar sequential drop in quarterly revenues with an estimate miss so substantial it caused current President and CEO Thorsten Heins to put a halt to all future "qualitative guidance."



RIM is said to be weighing its strategic options which may include a focus shift from hardware to software and services. The new cross-platform BlackBerry Mobile Fusion software was released on Tuesday, offering mobile device management to enterprise customers that not only use BlackBerry handsets, but iOS and Android devices as well.



It seems that the company is not looking to exit the consumer market altogether, however, as Managing Director of Global Sales and Regional Marketing Patrick Spence said RIM is looking to "build on [its] strengths to go after targeted consumer segments." Part of that plan includes pushing current BlackBerry 7 smartphones to gain new customers ahead of an already-delayed BlackBerry 10 launch.





Former RIM Senior Vice President Alan Brenner (left)and BBM vice president Alistair Mitchell (right). | Source: Bloomberg and Crossmedia NYC







Dismal handset sales drove BlackBerry's market share down 14 percent year-to-year in the last quarter of 2011, leaving the company with only 8.2 percent of the global smartphone market.



Competitors Apple and Android handset makers have all but taken over the mobile marketplace, now accounting for some 80 percent of the important U.S. market. RIM is even being outperformed by Apple in its home country, previously one of the last bastions of hope for the Waterloo, Ontario company.



Heins said that a sale of the company and its holdings is not off the table, but it's not the "main direction" RIM is looking toward. He did concede that the company is looking into joint ventures, though no specific partners have been announced.



[ View article on AppleInsider ]

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 40
    mac.worldmac.world Posts: 340member
    Seriously, you'd have to be a complete idiot to buy any device from this company at this point. I doubt they will even be selling hardware come this time next year.
  • Reply 2 of 40
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    RIM will be dead within a year or two.
  • Reply 3 of 40
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
  • Reply 4 of 40
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SpamSandwich View Post


    RIM will be dead within a year or two.



    Unless Sony buys them.... No, on second thought, RIM will still be dead.
  • Reply 5 of 40
    quadra 610quadra 610 Posts: 6,757member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post






    Post of the day.



    I couldn't have come up with a better example of a picture that tells a thousand words

    myself.
  • Reply 6 of 40
    nagrommenagromme Posts: 2,834member
    I hope these execs have been nicely compensated for their accomplishments.
  • Reply 7 of 40
    Dead by end of this year (2012)



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SpamSandwich View Post


    RIM will be dead within a year or two.



  • Reply 8 of 40
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by nagromme View Post


    I hope these execs have been nicely compensated for their accomplishments.



    I'm sure... I heard that the entire staff accompanied them to the parking lot waving pitchforks and burning faggots. This was done after a farewell party outside the front door that included a barrel of tar and a several feather pillows. It's heart-warming to see how everyone sped them on their way.
  • Reply 9 of 40
    quinneyquinney Posts: 2,528member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    RIM is said to be weighing its strategic options which may include a focus shift from hardware to software and services.



    This may be their only hope of continued existence.

    It will mean lots of layoffs, though.
  • Reply 10 of 40
    rabbit_coachrabbit_coach Posts: 1,114member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post






    for just a moment I thought to see Jim Basillie in the live boat.
  • Reply 11 of 40
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Rabbit_Coach View Post


    for just a moment I thought to see Jim Basillie in the live boat.



  • Reply 12 of 40
    rabbit_coachrabbit_coach Posts: 1,114member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Apple ][ View Post






    Ha!!



    I Knew it!!








    That almost rippend my lungs!
  • Reply 13 of 40
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Rabbit_Coach View Post


    Ha!!



    I Knew it!!








    That almost rippend my lungs!



    I spit tomato soup all over my desk and keyboard!!!!!!!!



    It came out my NOSE!!!!!!!!11111
  • Reply 14 of 40
    uguysrnutsuguysrnuts Posts: 459member
    This makes one wonder...



    Is there a graveyard for defunct CEOs or execs? I mean where do they go and happens to them?



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Apple ][ View Post






  • Reply 15 of 40
    island hermitisland hermit Posts: 6,217member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Suddenly Newton View Post


    Unless Sony buys them.... No, on second thought, RIM will still be dead.



    Unless HP buys them... No, on second thought, RIM will still be dead.
  • Reply 16 of 40
    eriamjheriamjh Posts: 1,631member
    It's a shame that RIM has completely ceded the entire smartphone market to its competitors in 5 short years. A comeback? Not likely. They would be better off if the just sold some android phones. They have lost too much mindshare to ever get it back.
  • Reply 17 of 40
    uguysrnutsuguysrnuts Posts: 459member
    Microsoft? Google? They're such big spenders.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by island hermit View Post


    Unless HP buys them... No, on second thought, RIM will still be dead.



  • Reply 18 of 40
    realisticrealistic Posts: 1,154member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by uguysrnuts View Post


    This makes one wonder...



    Is there a graveyard for defunct CEOs or execs? I mean where do they go and happens to them?



    Their local country club. Remember many of these defunct CEOs and or execs have made millions. I feel no remorse for most of them.
  • Reply 19 of 40
    scottkrkscottkrk Posts: 25member
    RIM is probably hoping Steve Ballmer will get out his chequebook, it is highly likely that they are already talking.



    I imagine MS won't want to pay for the company but will just pay RIM to be a partner like Nokia, a lot cheaper and less risk, it will depend on how much value MS puts on RIMs existing relationships with business customers.
  • Reply 20 of 40
    charlitunacharlituna Posts: 7,217member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by scottkrk View Post


    RIM is probably hoping Steve Ballmer will get out his chequebook, it is highly likely that they are already talking.




    He might, if they any valuable patents, or Page might for the same
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