

RIM CEOs to Give Up Top Posts in Shuffle  - matt_p
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204624204577177184275959856.html?fb_ref=wsj_share_FB&fb_source=home_oneline

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faramarz
Quote from The Globe and Mail article[1] I read earlier:

    
    
      "...new chief executive officer says the company is doing 
      everything right and does not need a change in 
      strategy..."
    

oh boy!

[1] [http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/at-
researc...](http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/at-research-in-
motion-a-new-ceo-vows-to-silence-the-doomsayers/article2310968/)

~~~
xal
That's generally a good thing to say when the people that he has to calm the
most are the Street and their demotivated workforce. People as a whole don't
like change.

~~~
eli
Yeah, I agree. Even if you can see the current strategy is failing, you
shouldn't go throwing bombs unless and until you think of something better.

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kefs
Official press release:

<http://press.rim.com/release.jsp?id=5358>

and more info:

[https://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/jim-
balsillie...](https://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/jim-balsillie-
mike-lazaridis-out-thorsten-heins-in-as-new-rim-ceo/article2311029/)

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mvkel
Too little too late? If we start seeing tons of "expense cutting" measures
with no innovation, they need to

a) hire from the outside for a fresh perspective

or

b) get acquired

~~~
MBCook
I think their only chance to be relevant would be to get our of the hardware
business and rush to be a service company. They should start making Blackberry
Enterprise Server integration for Android. They should see if they could get
Apple to let the iPhone hook in too.

Their phones are a lost cause. Even if they had an amazing phone in the
pipeline, I don't think they could stop their slide if it was released
tomorrow.

At this point, BES and their patents are the things with any value.

~~~
cpeterso
Spot on. People loved their CrackBerries because of the messaging services
(and maybe the keyboards), not the tired phone software. iOS and Android
devices dominate the enterprise now, but RIM could retain a server-side
position BES. IT departments might like a single enterprising message service
that can they can standardize across the variety of Android and iOS devices
they will have to support.

~~~
colton36
Can someone enlighten me as to what advantage BES holds over the way iOS and
Android communicate?

I agree that several years ago, when phone having an IP address was unheard
of, BES made all the sense in the world. It's kind of pointless now.

------
rdl
Perhaps Ballmer will step aside at Microsoft for Qi Lu, next?

HP would be the other company in my "management-impaired former titans"
portfolio which might benefit from a change (they'll probably want to wait a
bit, and Meg Whitman is definitely an improvement over some of their other
CEOs.)

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davidw
I could see this company earning a spot in future versions of 'In Search of
Stupidity'. (If you don't know the book, don't knock what I'm saying before
you read it. It's one of my favorite reads about high tech business)

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phil
According to the press release, they are also out as co-chairs of the board.

Lazaridis is becoming Vice Chair (whatever that means) and Balsillie is
retaining his seat but will be stripped of all titles.

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Mordor
Perhaps RIM's real value lies in their patents (or lack thereof) and this
explains why they are unable to make a viable product?

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digamber_kamat
Too less too late. They should focus all their energies on BBX and be a lot
more developer friendly.

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Slimy
Full article without ad:
[http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB1000142405297020462420...](http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424052970204624204577177184275959856-lMyQjAxMTAyMDIwMjEyNDIyWj.html)
Video: <http://youtu.be/QUFwhpcrCTw>

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wavephorm
The fact that it took this long for the CEO's to step down reflects the
extreme arrogance of this company. I've attended a few RIM-sponsored events in
the Waterloo, and it's downright shocking how cocky the reps and developers
are. RIM appears to be living in its own little tech bubble, blissfully
ignorant that pretty much everywhere else in the first world owns or will own
an iPhone.

This company makes a lot of money, they still have a lot of marketshare, but
there's no question they are in a serious downdraft. It would be completely
normal for any company in this situation to put itself up for sale. I'm a
little surprised Google choose to buy Motorola Mobility rather than RIM, given
that RIM has a lower market value and has more attractive assets.

Regardless of what it says in the press I imagine finding a potential acquirer
of the company will be the first task of the new CEO.

~~~
martythemaniak
"...blissfully ignorant that pretty much everywhere else in the first world
owns or will own an iPhone"

Speaking of living in a bubble...

~~~
wavephorm
What I meant was that RIM and their execs have been insulated from the true
damage being done to their business and more importantly their mindshare among
developers. Apple's success with iPhone and iPad is absolutely not what I'd
call a bubble.

~~~
cryptoz
You suggested that Apple has some kind of majority market share or something.
They don't. Hence, your bubble is showing.

~~~
mbreese
It depends on if you are counting devices versus OS... Android sells more than
iOS, but the numbers are split amongst all the manufacturers.

~~~
Samuel_Michon
"Android handsets vs iPhones", not "Android vs iOS". iOS as a platform
includes iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and AppleTV.

We'll have to wait until tomorrow [1] to find out whether Android as a
platform has a bigger marketshare than iOS does.

[1] [http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2012/01/20FY-12-First-
Quarte...](http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2012/01/20FY-12-First-Quarter-
Results-Conference-Call.html)

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jeffdechambeau
Finally.

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JS_startup
Deck chairs..Titanic..

