RIM Co-CEOs Step Down, Not A Seismic Event Says CEO
RIM, the maker of BlackBerry smartphones and devices, had two of its co-CEOs and co-Chairmans step down today, Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis. Over the last couple of years, the company has been going through some difficult times.
While their phones continue to sell, the likes of Android and iPhone have rose to the top and are commanding the bulk of the smartphone market, while they’ve been pushed further and further to the bottom.
Currently, BlackBerry is just a few percentage points higher than Windows Phone which, according to Nokia and Microsoft, they look to have a very strong year with new phones and may just be able to catch up or surpass.
“RIM’s U.S. market share of smartphones declined from 44 percent in 2009 to 10 percent in 2011, according to market researcher NPD Group. The company still has 75 million active subscribers, but many analysts believe the company will lose market share internationally as it has in the U.S.”
“Thorsten Heins, a little known chief operating officer who joined RIM four years ago from Siemens AG, replaces RIM’s founders after the company has lost tens of billions in market value. Balsillie acknowledged in December that the last few quarters have been among the most challenging times the company has seen.”
Despite all of that, Heins says that he doesn’t think significant change is needed. Quite surprising to hear from a company that has been on the decline for quite some time. It’s either wake up and smell the coffee, or wake up and it’s too late.
Do you think RIM has a chance of making a comeback?
