RIM’s finally going through some changes after months of having a tough time with its products and public image. The first thing they did was replaced the two Co-CEOs with a single boss, Thorsten Heins, former COO now CEO. RIM director Barbara Stymiest will take over as chairman of the board and in case you’re wondering who the new CEO is, know that Heins joined RIM 4 years ago, after leaving Siemens AG, in a CTO position.
Lazaridis and Balsillie have been CEOs of RIM for decades, with the former founding RIM back in 1984 and bringing the latter later on. Balsillie left his chairman position in 2007, but kept the co-CEO status with Lazaridis. Now the founder will become a vice chairman of the board, while Balsillie will remain a board member, says Bloomberg. Back in December RIM released their Q3 earning, that were disappointing and both the board and stock holders wanted to oust the co-CEOs, while searching for a new alternative.
I have to remind you of the problems that RIM had over the past months: losing trademark for the QNX OS, people getting trampled during a BlackBerry launch in Asia, RIM officials arrested while drunk on a plane, PlayBook shipments declining, lack of a decent smartphone on the market, rumors about a Microsoft buyout and much more… Last year, in July Research in Motion fired 2,000 employees and then the PlayBook got price cuts, but still the company’s stock plummeted.
I guess we’ll have to wait and if Thorsten Heins has any ideas on how to turn around this huge mess and deliver a decent strategy….
