[andyahs]

While Research In Motion's market position has slowly eroded, morale inside the company remains strong, at least according to one rank and file employee who reached out to us.

RIM Insider: "We Know Things Aren't Perfect, But We're All In For The Long Haul"

[sg8330]

I, for one, refuse to believe that the kind of talent RIM has access to is below that of Google, Apple, and Microsoft. And so a pattern is starting to emerge that points the problems directly at the leadership of this company.

[Seijuro]

thanks for sharing
Go RIM ! : )

yep, QNX is the future
when they first announced it, i was so excited and really couldnt wait for it,
but right now im way more excited for the 9900 and OS 7

i seriously cant wait, it seems to be an amazing phone, from what people said, its the best keyboard to date, a bigger screen than the 9700 + a touchscreen
i mean, what else do we need?!

well, ok.. for QNX phones.. flash support, bigger LED, more RAM, dual core and stuff like that, but for now the 9900 seems perfect
1 year 9900 -> QNX

[1magine]

Interesting read. Hopefully management the board and officers will feel the same about the rank and file employees.

[Spawn12]

I, for one, refuse to believe that the kind of talent RIM has access to is below what Google, Apple, and Microsoft. And so a pattern is starting to emerge that points the problems directly at the leadership of this company.

Took the words out of my mouth...i dont think RIMs software engineers are any worse than say Apple or Androids software engineers. But i do think that the CEO's of RIM are holding them back...i mean so what if they put super duper hardware into the phones regardless the software needs it or not...just do it and stop the raging tide of Apple and Android more importantly washing over RIM and other mobile phone OS's....its this ancient thinking thats slowly RIM down and therefore their shares are being beat down badly.

Step it up RIM....get QNX running like a dream...sort the issues out with the playbook ie native email and PIM apps...get the native sdk out asap...

[Blacklac]

I, for one, refuse to believe that the kind of talent RIM has access to is below that of Google, Apple, and Microsoft. And so a pattern is starting to emerge that points the problems directly at the leadership of this company.

Took the words out of my mouth...i dont think RIMs software engineers are any worse than say Apple or Androids software engineers. But i do think that the CEO's of RIM are holding them back...i mean so what if they put super duper hardware into the phones regardless the software needs it or not...just do it and stop the raging tide of Apple and Android more importantly washing over RIM and other mobile phone OS's....its this ancient thinking thats slowly RIM down and therefore their shares are being beat down badly.

Step it up RIM....get QNX running like a dream...sort the issues out with the playbook ie native email and PIM apps...get the native sdk out asap...

How much do you guys know about building an OS from the ground up?

[jacmeister68]

Qnx has been in existence for ages, they built the os into a tablet form factor, when they were doing this they should have done he same for HHS and released them by now, but no they decided to introduce new HHS on an ageing architecture that will be obsolete within twelve months, all the while losing ground to our competitors,

This bad execution stems from mismanagement of the company, the younger guys and tat are the future with qnx but one wonders whether they will have a chance to shine if the share price keeps dropping,

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[Seijuro]

we all say: "they shouldve done this, they shouldve done that", but seriously...
we've got absolutely no insight, so its easy for us to say what they should've done

does anyone here actually think that a billion dollar company, a huge one like RIM doesnt have a plan and thinks everything through before they do it?
cmon, what do we actually know? we know nothing
im sure RIM and all their employees didnt come up themselves with what you and all the others just said jacmeister68, maybe they should hire some of you guys??

[dooodads]

I can't even believe people still debate what's happening here. RIM is straight up, 100% objectively speaking, a terribly ran company. It's just run that badly. The insider basically says it himself in that link, we can obviously see it ourselves through the past few years, and it's just growing increasingly evident with each passing day.

And it's a damn shame because (as this link shows) there are people within the company that genuinely want to do better things and do a better job yet they simply cannot because of the processes holding them back. Processes which don't seem to effect anyone else but them. It's all terrible management and leadership. So unless all the people in charge have spiritual epiphanies and decide it's time to change themselves, things will remain on the same trajectory. And it sucks because I'm sure we all hope it wasn't the case, but that's how it is.

Hopefully something (anything) is done.

[sg8330]

How much do you guys know about building an OS from the ground up?

what does this have to do with the labour pool each firm has access to for new employees and the amount of money they can pay for the said talent?

[rollingrock1988]

The workers at Nokia were in the same boat.

It is mismanagement. Lets hope the enthusiasm can pull RIM through.

[PlugGuy]

Surprised the shareholders (yes, I am one) are not raising **** with upper management, and same for analysts and major investment houses. If the pressure is applied strongly enough, change is inevitable (in mgt). I am a fan of RIM, have been holding out for an updated phone for over a year, and am (semi) patiently waiting....all while the shares dump half their value due to lack of product introduction. Let's hope.

How ironic that the proxy and voting info was sent early today. Woohoo! I think heads will be rolling.

[brucep1]

we all say: "they shouldve done this, they shouldve done that", but seriously...
we've got absolutely no insight, so its easy for us to say what they should've done

does anyone here actually think that a billion dollar company, a huge one like RIM doesnt have a plan and thinks everything through before they do it?cmon, what do we actually know? we know nothing
im sure RIM and all their employees didnt come up themselves with what you and all the others just said jacmeister68, maybe they should hire some of you guys??

For a while, I didn't think RIM had a plan. It was like they were throwing ideas against the wall and hoping something stuck. The Blackberry Storm being a prime example of that.

I think they are on better track now than they were 2 years back tho.

[[email protected]]

How much do you guys know about building an OS from the ground up?

Collectively, I'd say everyone on this forum has a better idea than the co-CEO's do.

But that's the 'crazy talk' in me......

[[email protected]]

How much do you guys know about building an OS from the ground up?

I look at it this way, progress is not stopped at the development level, it is stopped at the upper management level....I guarantee that their devs have awesome ideas that aren't being implemented.

I'll quote a Steve jobs thing here....(not saying that I like iOS or Apple but this works for Apple)....he says if anyone who works for the company has a good idea, bring it to him, regardless of title or position. If you make a strong presentation and what you say makes sense, that idea is put into motion.

Smart. Don't quash ideas because they came from positions lower than yours, quash ideas because they don't work.

Success is only as strong as your weakest link and in this case it is the management team.

Fifty bucks says the devs that work there are frustrated as all **** because they can't do what they want to do and no one really listens to their ideas with intent to do something about it.

[jacmeister68]

I look at it this way, progress is not stopped at the development level, it is stopped at the upper management level....I guarantee that their devs have awesome ideas that aren't being implemented.




+ 1


I'll quote a Steve jobs thing here....(not saying that I like iOS or Apple but this works for Apple)....he says if anyone who works for the company has a good idea, bring it to him, regardless of title or position. If you make a strong presentation and what you say makes sense, that idea is put into motion.

Smart. Don't quash ideas because they came from positions lower than yours, quash ideas because they don't work.

Success is only as strong as your weakest link and in this case it is the management team.

Fifty bucks says the devs that work there are frustrated as all **** because they can't do what they want to do and no one really listens to their ideas with intent to do something about it.

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Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[BoldtotheMax]

I look at it this way, progress is not stopped at the development level, it is stopped at the upper management level....I guarantee that their devs have awesome ideas that aren't being implemented.

I'll quote a Steve jobs thing here....(not saying that I like iOS or Apple but this works for Apple)....he says if anyone who works for the company has a good idea, bring it to him, regardless of title or position. If you make a strong presentation and what you say makes sense, that idea is put into motion.

Smart. Don't quash ideas because they came from positions lower than yours, quash ideas because they don't work.

Success is only as strong as your weakest link and in this case it is the management team.

Fifty bucks says the devs that work there are frustrated as all **** because they can't do what they want to do and no one really listens to their ideas with intent to do something about it.

Best post in here really. Spot on!

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[allengeorge]

The co-CEOs need to be replaced. I worry however, that that would mean a repeat of the Nortel debacle. The new CEO pulled a lot of the engineering out of Canada, gutted the company and now it's being sold for scrap.

To be clear: I don't think engineering is the problem there, I think it's poor management and management culture. There seems to be plenty of myopia at the top.

[1812dave]

The co-CEOs need to be replaced. I worry however, that that would mean a repeat of the Nortel debacle. The new CEO pulled a lot of the engineering out of Canada, gutted the company and now it's being sold for scrap.

To be clear: I don't think engineering is the problem there, I think it's poor management and management culture. There seems to be plenty of myopia at the top.

I agree: the co-captains are steering RIM's ship into a gigantic iceberg. Everyone on board will perish.

[mmcpher]

The co-CEO's are the guys that helped bring RIM this far and lf you judge them by recent tactical decisions, they seem committed to change and painfully aware of the predicament the company is in. I'm a skeptic when it comes to the tabloid/celebrity financial press. I've seen too much wreckage left behind in the wake of former Fortune Coverboys, too many smartest guys in the room unmasked even as they've gone unpunished. A lot of the calling for dual beheadings is premised on the idea that all RIM needs is one guy calling all the shots. Who, other than Jobs in his prime, and I don't think he will be available anytime soon, is this one guy? And its possible to forget that there was a time when Jobs was deposed by Apple.

Of course it matters, who the bosses are. Hate or love Microsoft, the company has changed since Gates left. And while RIM certainly reflected the co-CEO's characters and temperments, I've always thought of it as a true company culture rather than a bi-level cult of personality. Continuity may turn out to be a deep strength in so volatile a business. Every time I see a CEO awkwardly trying to demo a new product, I cringe. There is no Apple but Apple and there is only one Steve Jobs and his like doesn't appear often, even if you count by generations. It just serves to remind everyone of Apple's competitive advantages whenever a lesser CEO tries to ape Apple tactics and methods.

RIM's image has been as a dependable, solid company. How many of RIM's most loyal customers identify themselves with either of the CEO's when they pick up there phone? I think of a company with vision but with the discipline to carry it out because they believe in their company, their people and their products. This is the company that took those weird little beeper things with the cheesy, sickly displays and changed the way the world works. Why were those early RIM customers reading their pagers so much anyway? It's not resting on ancient laurels, its taken account of history and of the plan and products ahead.

RIM has to become more agile and fast. Who knows how much of RIM's success was due to their sticking stolidly too a good plan and riding out the passing trends and over-hyped releases? Given their history, it is easy to see where they could fall behind and be slow to realize that the pace of industry had changed, so that they had to change too. People like to portray RIM as a dull and plodding enterprise, but they've come far and have the legs to go further.

[123berryaddicted]

i see the argument that the CEOs are a problem. But i am a little hesitant to buy 100% into that idea. Look at it from this stand point: RIM was very very successful in the business portion of he market. They realized quite a while ago actually that they had to adapt to the consumers demands. They started making changes, and quite frankly - if they pull it off in a couple years and successfully navigate their firm into the consumer waters, that in itself will be a huge feat. I think we forget how hard a thing it is for a company to actually do something like this. Many have tried and many have failed, so lets keep things in perspective here... it aint as easy as just saying it.... to take a company that is totally geared ONE way and try to change that is NOT an easy thing to do. A good example of this is Toyota: they made/make great cars... they make/made great minivans.... but pickup trucks? Its taken them 10 years to learn how to compete in the pickup truck market. They have now successfully done this, and should be applauded as such... it aint easy to do is my point.

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[123berryaddicted]

quote from the article: Regardless of what the analysts or media say when we hit our upswing it's going to carry us well into the next decade, that we're sure of"

this i strongly believe.

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[ekafara]

quote from the article: Regardless of what the analysts or media say when we hit our upswing it's going to carry us well into the next decade, that we're sure of"

this i strongly believe.

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I do as well. I can't wait.

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[Caymancroc]

Unfortunately the long haul might only be 12 months. I am a huge RIM fan but with all of the delays and fumbles even I have thought about iPhone. I love the underdog though so am staying.

The discussions about replacing the CEO positions reminds me of Office Space, where the consultants come in. Classically spot on and funny. You can't hire passion and I still believe the co-CEOs have enough chips in the game to be passionate about the company they founded. If not they will suffer too.