[rthonpm]

Well, the 1Q FY2014 call didn't go as well as most of us were hoping. The 4Q FY13 call, if I'm remembering correctly, has Thorsten warning that the next few quarters could be rather rocky and that the full impact of the BlackBerry 10 launch wouldn't be seen for some time. In this call, he re-iterated the point several times that this is a transitional period.

Having been through a few 'transitional' phases with different companies, in the process of change things can seem rather rocky. Employees, customers, and outsiders will all see different phases of the process and all have their own points of view. Turmoil ensues and a lot of things that seemed certain will be taken away. For BlackBerry, add in the process of making a major strategic change with the added pressure of the stock market and there's one solution that comes to mind: take the company private. The stock market is the ultimate 'what have you done for me lately' institution. Most traders are looking to make money fast, and will do it through fair and fell means whether the impact is good for the company or not.

We're not privy to the inside decisions being made in Waterloo, but it appears that the board is behind the current plan with the understanding that this would be a difficult process without immediate results. With the degree that BlackBerry's stock has turned on every piece of bad news and with a long standing belief that the company is on the decline, the best strategy that the company can take is to get out of the market. Without having to justify every turn, triumph, and setback to investors the company can really work to rebuild its brand, be less afraid of taking a short term loss (if leading to a long term gain), as well as maybe even better communicate to its customers without the requirements of a public company.

This is all just being thrown out there, I'm curious what other people think...

[kwm1337]

This is all just being thrown out there, I'm curious what other people think...

Who would bring the company private? Are you expecting BBRY to take out debt which they don't currently have to do so? That's insane! I'm just thinking out loud here... When you take a public company back behind the curtain of privacy you can fix some issues, this or should I say these issues are not those issues. Taking BBRY private would not persuade the iPhone user or Android user to decide to buy a BlackBerry, this is a fundamental break down that people have been waiting for. BBRY will be around in years to come, in my own guess, but I don't think they'll be selling any products to consumers...

[LoganSix]

Who would bring the company private?

Stock buy back.
Get the focus off of the stock price and back onto the products.

[kwm1337]

You were good to quote my first statement, why didn't you quote the next two

[rthonpm]

Who would bring the company private? Are you expecting BBRY to take out debt which they don't currently have to do so? That's insane! I'm just thinking out loud here... When you take a public company back behind the curtain of privacy you can fix some issues, this or should I say these issues are not those issues. Taking BBRY private would not persuade the iPhone user or Android user to decide to buy a BlackBerry, this is a fundamental break down that people have been waiting for. BBRY will be around in years to come, in my own guess, but I don't think they'll be selling any products to consumers...

You make several good points. I guess to rephrase part of my original post: is the pressure to maintain a balance sheet palatable to stockholders holding back BlackBerry from executing the plan they really want to? The debt issue is one that I considered, but could that be worth the risk?

For the record: I don't completely endorse the idea of going private, but in an 'all hands on deck' situation like the company is in don't all options have to be put on the table?

[kwm1337]

You make several good points. I guess to rephrase part of my original post: is the pressure to maintain a balance sheet palatable to stockholders holding back BlackBerry from executing the plan they really want to? The debt issue is one that I considered, but could that be worth the risk?

For the record: I don't completely endorse the idea of going private, but in an 'all hands on deck' situation like the company is in don't all options have to be put on the table?

I think it might have been a pressure, I do not think it will right now and in the short term. I believe what we have seen is a company so desperate were BBRY is now so beat up they are responsible to shareholders, but shareholders in this case now give management a carte blanche to do what they need to do without fear of repercussion. So there's no point in being private now, maybe awhile back, that benefit existed, but that's just my opinion. Companies have gone through this successfully before, but not many, I'm honestly not sure about BBRY.