research in motion ltd. co-ceos jim balsillie , mike lazaridis stepping down, wall street journal reports.
reuters adds thorsten heins, former siemens executive, took on rim ceo on saturday. balsille-lazaridis duo had been partnered 20 years.
bloomberg notes rim shakeup comes after pair failed compete against tech giants apple , google. poor sales saw waterloo, ontario-based company's stock fall 75 percent last year.
more reuters:
activist investors have clamored in recent months "transformational" leader revitalize rim's product line , resuscitate once cutting-edge image. heins, longtime lieutenant, may seen close outgoing management bring sweeping change.
barbara stymiest, independent board member once headed toronto stock exchange, take on chairman, role lazaridis , balsillie had shared.
pair, built lazaridis' 1985 start-up global business $20 billion in sales last year, have weathered storm of criticism in recent years apple's iphone , army of devices powered google's innovative android system eclipsed email-focused blackberry.
"there comes time in growth of every successful company when founders recognize need pass baton new leadership. jim , went board , told them thought time now," lazaridis said in hastily arranged interview @ rim's waterloo headquarters, flanked balsillie , heins , stymiest joining via telephone.
executives keen paint shuffle orderly transition on succession plan mapped out @ least year ago, , not retreat in face of plummeting share price, shrinking u.s. market share , criticism of products.
both lazaridis , balsillie - 2 of rim's 3 largest shareholders more 5 percent each - remain board members, lazaridis keeping particularly active role vice-chair , head of newly created innovation committee.
in group interview announcing change, heins said immediate concern sell rim's current lineup of blackberry 7 touchscreen devices, deliver on promised software upgrade playbook tablet computer february, , rally rim's troops launch next-generation blackberry 10 phones later year.
in longer term, heins, 1 of rim's chief operating officers, said push more rigorous product development , place greater emphasis on executing company's marketing plan , reaching out customers.
said rim, suffered damaging outage of of network last year, has embarked on global search chief marketing officer improve advertising , other communication consumers. consumers account majority of rim's sales though blackberry built reputation business tool.
rim critics, focus on customers may seem long overdue. company seemed blindsided apple's introduction of iphone in 2007 , slow launch competitor ipad. when playbook tablet hit market last spring, not equipped rim's trademark email service. reviews scathing, sales anemic , company has been forced offer steep discounts.
heins said wrong of rim focus on licensing software or integrated email package, strategy many analysts , investors have thought company might pursue. so, new ceo said company open discussions of nature.
rim's share price plummeting eight-year lows, flurry of speculation has bubbled surface in recent months rim sale. lazaridis , balsillie seen major obstacles deal.
neither lazaridis nor basillie detailed future plans outside rim, lazaridis particularly eager point out still-active role confidante new ceo.
both have other interests outside of rim - lazaridis donated hundreds of millions of dollars set theoretical physics institute attached alma mater, university of waterloo; balsillie heads think-tank in international governance , long dreamed of owning nhl hockey franchise.
lazaridis said plans buy additional $50 million of rim shares on open market.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/...n-jim-balsillie-mike-lazaridis_n_1222605.html
http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/22/rim-ceo-quits/
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news...ep-down-as-company-reboots-top-leadership.ars
hopefully new ceo (singular) able revitalize company. more competition good.
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