[laketrout73]

The BBM team was put under John Sims of Global Enterprise Solutions at BlackBerry. He was the lead in mobile solutions for SAP. Relax guys. This is Chen putting the right guys in the right place.

Posted via CB10

Yup. Bocking was likely the top internal candidate to lead the new BBM unit. When someone from outside is chosen and not him, he probably decided it best to explore other options.

Z10 STL100-3 |10.2.1.1925 | Bell | CB10

[nabil114]

Yup. Bocking was likely the top internal candidate to lead the new BBM unit. When someone from outside is chosen and not him, he probably decided it best to explore other options.

Z10 STL100-3 |10.2.1.1925 | Bell | CB10

His work for Blackberry 10 was not a hit. Old management supported him.

[ray689]

Not sure why some people are saying this is bad for BBM...I mean yes he was in charge but chances are he has nothing to do with the app from a technical and developer point of view. He may have been the face but not the heart of it. That's the folks working hard coding and so on who don't get the recognition.

Posted via CB10

[xanadome]

The BBM team was put under John Sims of Global Enterprise Solutions at BlackBerry. He was the lead in mobile solutions for SAP. Relax guys. This is Chen putting the right guys in the right place.

Sounds like the new management team values the accountability and enforces it.
Botched launch of BBM for Apple and Android....
That was ugly and miserable, and still struggling.

[BBUK14]

Is Kinsella gone? I missed that, if it's the case. I'd love some news on BBM 2.0 though. It seems likely that the delay is connected in some way to this departure. It was supposed to be out two weeks ago.

I do wonder if it's being held back because it wasn't ready and whether Chen came down on Bocking for botching the launch.

Who knows...

Posted via CB10

[RubberChicken76]

Not sure why some people are saying this is bad for BBM...I mean yes he was in charge but chances are he has nothing to do with the app from a technical and developer point of view. He may have been the face but not the heart of it. That's the folks working hard coding and so on who don't get the recognition.

Lots of teams work on making a product success, not just the software developers. That's a very engineering-centric view of the world

[raino]

Is Kinsella gone?

Yes.

[BBUK14]

Yes.

Was Kinsella fired or did he quit too?

I'd really love to see an article from Kevin on what's going on here, but I guess BlackBerry are not talking much.

WhatsApp and the rest aren't just going to sit on their backsides and let BlackBerry eat their lunch...the success of BBMx is there for BlackBerry right now...it won't necessarily be there in six months. Audio and Channels have got to get released just about yesterday.

BlackBerry could at least try to release the emoticon update to keep people feeling as though BBM is improving and not stalling.

Anyway, we will have to wait and wait and wait and see as usual.

Posted via CB10

[raino]

Was Kinsella fired or did he quit too?

He left (on good terms, supposedly) to join a Waterloo startup.

[RubberChicken76]

I'd really love to see an article from Kevin on what's going on here, but I guess BlackBerry are not talking much.

It would be a short article.

In Bocking's case, executive turnovers are common when a new CEO comes on board. They bring on their own people, have a different vision, don't like what they see etc. Thorsten cleaned the executive house when he came in too. Nothing new here.

In Kinsela's case, it's probably just him wanting to try something new. People are reading way too much into it. Do a little exercise yourself - ask yourself if you know anyone who works in high tech who has left a company or started a new role in the last five years. Have you done the same thing? Turnover is normal in any company, tech or otherwise. People want to try new things, start different careers, take more time for family, get better offers etc. the BBM team is bigger (much bigger) than Alex Kinsella or Andrew Bocking. They don't do all the work by themselves. LOL they just happen to be more public faces because Bocking is a longtime exec and Kinsella used to work in public relations

[koolrosh]

Sounds like the new management team values the accountability and enforces it.
Botched launch of BBM for Apple and Android....
That was ugly and miserable, and still struggling.

I see Bocking leaving as a difference of strategy between him and Chen. Chen probably wants to focus BBM on Enterprise while Bocking was more consumer centric, hence why BBM is now under John Sims

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[BBUK14]

I see Bocking leaving as a difference of strategy between him and Chen. Chen probably wants to focus BBM on Enterprise while Bocking was more consumer centric, hence why BBM is now under John Sims

Play Starcraft? Join our Channel: C001242DE

That's what I'm worried about. I think it's a huge mistake to think that one can separate consumers from enterprise. Nowadays everything is connected. The last few years have proved that. BBMx is the most important part of fixing the brand image right now, and now that they have publicly committed to it, it has to happen.

Posted via CB10

[techvisor]

Facebook Hires Ex-BlackBerry BBM Head to Run Internet.org App | Re/code

Facebook Hires Ex-BlackBerry BBM Head to Run Internet.org App

Facebook has hired former BlackBerry executive Andrew Bocking to lead its new Internet.org mobile app.

Bocking, who left BlackBerry in February, was in charge of the company�s flagship messaging product, BlackBerry Messenger, prior to his departure. At Facebook, Bocking will serve as a product manager overseeing the company�s newest app, Internet.org, which launched in Zambia last week.

A Facebook spokesperson confirmed Bocking�s new role, but did not provide further comment.

The Internet.org app provides free Internet services like Google Search, Wikipedia and, of course, Facebook to people in developing nations, and Zambia is the first country with access to the app. Internet.org wrote in a blog post that the app will roll out to �other parts of the world� over time, and Bocking will be responsible for those versions of the app, too.

Bocking, who worked at BlackBerry for more than 13 years, is familiar with this type of international push. During his time working on BBM, Bocking focused on expanding the messaging service into developing markets like Southeast Asia and Africa.

Internet.org has been a focus for Facebook since Mark Zuckerberg unveiled the initiative last summer. The ultimate goal is to get the entire world online. Facebook has partnered with data providers in the past to provide free, temporary access to Facebook, but the Internet.org app is the first to offer other free services in addition to the social network.

Bocking will report to Guy Rosen, the product management lead for Internet.org.

[Tre Lawrence]

Good for him. Happy to see him land on his feet.