[Doggerz]

Let's not forget how Chen could have turned BBM around but he needed the 3 people who pay for custom PIN to pay for his Starbucks.

Could have had free retraction. Ad free. Free stickers. Free pin. Free cross platform video calls. Free stickers.

Could have wiped whatsapp off the msp

But no. Not Chen.

Z30STA100-5 / 10.3.2.2813 / T-Mobile

[southlander]

The problem is... no one trusts this CEO anymore.

I don't agree that he is not trusted by anyone.

Also the share price of BlackBerry has been trending down for oh, about 8-9 years now. If you look at the chart a huge majority of the shareholder value was nuked from 2007-2011. Calling J Chen the culprit is like blaming someone for starting a trashcan fire on the Titanic as it plunged into the ocean. Lol.

[ssbtech]

Let's not forget how Chen could have turned BBM around but he needed the 3 people who pay for custom PIN to pay for his Starbucks.

Could have had free retraction. Ad free. Free stickers. Free pin. Free cross platform video calls. Free stickers.

Could have wiped whatsapp off the msp

But no. Not Chen.

I did manage to convert a few friends on iOS and Android to BBM, but they stopped using it pretty quickly after some pretty significant battery drain issues.

[BigBadWulf]

I'd love to hear some of the billion dollar business conglomerate success stories you arm chair ceo's have. I'm not pleased with how BlackBerry has operated over the years myself. I'm also not arrogant enough to believe sitting in Chen's chair, I wouldn't have made many of the same decisions, even ones from my perspective were dumb, nor that I could have done any better. It's so much easier to be the critic than the man.

When you actually control the reins, you have to make the hard choices and live with them, without benefit of hindsight, reflect only in private, all the while staying positive publicly, focusing on the future. To that end I think JC has done well. As a company, BlackBerry is viewed now in a much better light than it has in years.

[crackberry_geek]

I'd love to hear some of the billion dollar business conglomerate success stories you arm chair ceo's have. I'm not pleased with how BlackBerry has operated over the years myself. I'm also not arrogant enough to believe sitting in Chen's chair, I wouldn't have made many of the same decisions, even ones from my perspective were dumb, nor that I could have done any better. It's so much easier to be the critic than the man.

When you actually control the reins, you have to make the hard choices and live with them, without benefit of hindsight, reflect only in private, all the while staying positive publicly, focusing on the future. To that end I think JC has done well. As a company, BlackBerry is viewed now in a much better light than it has in years.

On a 'per employee basis' I can assure you that my company is wildly more successful than Mr Chen's attempts.

But my company is private and I don't owe you or anyone those details.

[JeepBB]

Poor Chen. I can understand why he worried about the CB crowd putting out a contract on him! LOL

So, let's list who thinks Chen is doing a good job, the job he's there to do...

1) Prem Watsa
2)...

Actually, there's no need for me to add to that list because as long as Prem (who gave Chen the job) continues to think that Chen is doing what's necessary to salvage as much of BB as possible for the future benefit of shareholders, Chen doesn't need to worry about his job.

And I'm sure Prem *does* believe that Chen is doing a fine job.

Once again, Chen's task is *not* to save BB10.

[BigBadWulf]

On a 'per employee basis' I can assure you that my company is wildly more successful than Mr Chen's attempts.

But my company is private and I don't owe you or anyone those details.

I'm sure it is, and no you don't.

There's no point rehashing the state BlackBerry was in when Chen took charge. It's been discussed in this thread and others in great detail already. If you cannot understand and appreciate that the shareholders haven't lost everything by now, your opinion will probably never change.

[Elephant_Canyon]

I don't owe you or anyone those details.

Well, then, nobody is going to take your word. No evidence to back up your claims? Then your claims are meaningless.

[Doggerz]

Poor Chen. I can understand why he worried about the CB crowd putting out a contract on him! LOL

So, let's list who thinks Chen is doing a good job, the job he's there to do...

1) Prem Watsa
2)...

Actually, there's no need for me to add to that list because as long as Prem (who gave Chen the job) continues to think that Chen is doing what's necessary to salvage as much of BB as possible for the future benefit of shareholders, Chen doesn't need to worry about his job.

And I'm sure Prem *does* believe that Chen is doing a fine job.

Once again, Chen's task is *not* to save BB10.

The BB10 people shouldn't feel so left out. Chen's task wasn't to just kill BB10 it was to pretend to try to save the handset business with Android, fail, and then kill android too. His mission is to end handset sales by the end of this year and start 2017 without having any more inventory to sell to anyone.

The Priv (with a different name, different keyboard, better construction, better carrier launch, better marketing, reasonable pricing) could have been the best android device ever. He chose to kill it. What he didn't count on was how stubborn BlackBerry people are. He thought that if the offensive name didn't work the crazy price would. But there are BlackBerry fans who would pay 1500 for the Priv. They could have named the Priv the BlackBerry "I'm a Privileged spoiled brat look at my phone" and people would have bought it.

Chen didn't count on the sales he got. He has to work on 3 fronts now. Killing off what's left of BB10, killing off what's left of BBM and killing off the Priv.

For the Priv all he can really do right now is not lower the price and just let people keep exchanging one bad device after another. He will win at killing BlackBerry. It may take a few months longer than he hoped it would. But he will win.

He is Chen. Resistance is futile.

Z30STA100-5 / 10.3.2.2813 / T-Mobile

[JeepBB]

The BB10 people shouldn't feel so left out. Chen's task wasn't to just kill BB10 it was to pretend to try to save the handset business with Android, fail, and then kill android too. His mission is to end handset sales by the end of this year and start 2017 without having any more inventory to sell to anyone.

The Priv (with a different name, different keyboard, better construction, better carrier launch, better marketing, reasonable pricing) could have been the best android device ever. He chose to kill it. What he didn't count on was how stubborn BlackBerry people are. He thought that if the offensive name didn't work the crazy price would. But there are BlackBerry fans who would pay 1500 for the Priv. They could have named the Priv the BlackBerry "I'm a Privileged spoiled brat look at my phone" and people would have bought it.

Chen didn't count on the sales he got. He has to work on 3 fronts now. Killing off what's left of BB10, killing off what's left of BBM and killing off the Priv.

For the Priv all he can really do right now is not lower the price and just let people keep exchanging one bad device after another. He will win at killing BlackBerry. It may take a few months longer than he hoped it would. But he will win.

He is Chen. Resistance is futile.

Z30STA100-5 / 10.3.2.2813 / T-Mobile

On the whole, I don't disagree with you... But perspective is everything.

You see the ending of BB10 and the closing of hardware as "bad". Chen and Prem will (I am certain) see the same events as the ending of a waking nightmare!

I would disagree with you on the Priv because I reckon sales of the Priv are poor, but I agree with you that the long-term prospects for the Priv aren't rosy regardless of how it's selling. I'm sure that once BB no longer needs the revenue the Priv's days will be numbered (it won't be explicit, it'll simply not be replaced with a model refresh and allowed to fade away.)

Gotta love Chen LOL

Especially as not loving him is futile and won't change how it unfolds.

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

The BB10 people shouldn't feel so left out. Chen's task wasn't to just kill BB10 it was to pretend to try to save the handset business with Android, fail, and then kill android too. His mission is to end handset sales by the end of this year and start 2017 without having any more inventory to sell to anyone.

The Priv (with a different name, different keyboard, better construction, better carrier launch, better marketing, reasonable pricing) could have been the best android device ever. He chose to kill it. What he didn't count on was how stubborn BlackBerry people are. He thought that if the offensive name didn't work the crazy price would. But there are BlackBerry fans who would pay 1500 for the Priv. They could have named the Priv the BlackBerry "I'm a Privileged spoiled brat look at my phone" and people would have bought it.

Chen didn't count on the sales he got. He has to work on 3 fronts now. Killing off what's left of BB10, killing off what's left of BBM and killing off the Priv.

For the Priv all he can really do right now is not lower the price and just let people keep exchanging one bad device after another. He will win at killing BlackBerry. It may take a few months longer than he hoped it would. But he will win.

He is Chen. Resistance is futile.

Z30STA100-5 / 10.3.2.2813 / T-Mobile

That wasn't really his "goal".... but when your primary product isn't competitive in the market it's in, and it's out of your power to make it competitive. You look for other revenue sources, while milking as much as you can from your once primary product. I've really never heard anyone one come up with a real solution for making BB10 a viable product in the market....
- More marketing... don't really see how that would change things - as it was the product that was the problem.
- Pay Developers.... hasn't helped Microsoft.
- Hire Cobalt to bring over Google Play.... they could do it without him, but they would have to hire a bunch of lawyers.
- Release a flagship all touch.... WHY? It's not the hardware that is the issue.

Chen has used BB10 and now is using Android... to sell as many phones as he can, with as little cost and risk to BlackBerry as possible. Thus keeping some amount of revenue flowing. But he knows that hardware isn't in BlackBerry's future - even if he seems to be trying to stay in the hardware business. That's just to sell a few more phones.

His biggest obstacle has been that BlackBerry didn't have a software company to fall back on. QNX is great, but it's small potatoes. BES was dying along with hardware. So Chen has had to buy BlackBerry a product to sell.... Good with some of the other acquisitions might (and might not) come together to make BlackBerry a small but eventually profitable software company. Or might attract a larger company's notice.. for the right price.

As for BBM... think he would have loved for it to have taken off, but sadly most of it's growth is in markets where it is hard to monetize BBM. It's just another case of by the time Chen arrived, that story had already been written.

Do I believe everything Chen says... no, he is a business man with his own agenda. But I do think he has done a remarkable job with what he had to work with. Maybe someone else with more hardware and consumer experience might have saved THE BlackBerry (not sure Steve Jobs could have). But that isn't who Mr. Watsa hired.....

[BeautyEh]

You guys are way off if you think that the Android decision was somehow made cynically, as though "hoping it will fail" to paraphrase @Doggerz above. First of all - that would be patently absurd, and that is not how businesses work. Second, Chen has been very clear about BB10 driver costs and his entire approach from the beginning was to get cost down to make it sustainable - hence, the Foxconn deal.

Here in the US - they are actually starting to actively ADVERTISE for the Priv. Recently on the Republican debate; but also locally. I listen to a sports talk radio show every day - AT&T has commercials now where they are PUSHING the Priv.

Does that sound like they are trying to kill it? A mere 3 months after it was released!?!

Now whether or not BB will beat the odds and keep hardware going in some way, perhaps through Android, I have no crystal ball. But some of the comments here are just ludicrous.

Posted via CB10

[zzbsb]

You guys are way off if you think that the Android decision was somehow made cynically, as though "hoping it will fail" to paraphrase @Doggerz above. First of all - that would be patently absurd, and that is not how businesses work. Second, Chen has been very clear about BB10 driver costs and his entire approach from the beginning was to get cost down to make it sustainable - hence, the Foxconn deal.

Here in the US - they are actually starting to actively ADVERTISE for the Priv. Recently on the Republican debate; but also locally. I listen to a sports talk radio show every day - AT&T has commercials now where they are PUSHING the Priv.

Does that sound like they are trying to kill it? A mere 3 months after it was released!?!

Now whether or not BB will beat the odds and keep hardware going in some way, perhaps through Android, I have no crystal ball. But some of the comments here are just ludicrous.

Posted via CB10

Well said.

[anon(679606)]

JC saving funds for his golden parachute...

Posted via CB10

[anon(679606)]

You guys are way off if you think that the Android decision was somehow made cynically, as though "hoping it will fail" to paraphrase @Doggerz above. First of all - that would be patently absurd, and that is not how businesses work. Second, Chen has been very clear about BB10 driver costs and his entire approach from the beginning was to get cost down to make it sustainable - hence, the Foxconn deal.

Here in the US - they are actually starting to actively ADVERTISE for the Priv. Recently on the Republican debate; but also locally. I listen to a sports talk radio show every day - AT&T has commercials now where they are PUSHING the Priv.

Does that sound like they are trying to kill it? A mere 3 months after it was released!?!

Now whether or not BB will beat the odds and keep hardware going in some way, perhaps through Android, I have no crystal ball. But some of the comments here are just ludicrous.

Posted via CB10

Actually the GOP debate was sponsored by BlackBerry & there were acknowledgment spots a few times, but there were no advertisements from BlackBerry shown in the US afaik...

Posted via CB10

[koool1]

Actually the GOP debate was sponsored by BlackBerry & there were acknowledgment spots a few times, but there were no advertisements from BlackBerry shown in the US afaik...

Posted via CB10

Saw that!

Posted via  BlackBerry Z30

[abwan11]

No matter how you feel about them personally, Prem and John and their agenda, saved BlackBerry. If they have a mission to kill hardware and hardware does dissappear, the markets will rejoice and place a higher evaluation the moment it happens , so keeping it alive is counter productive to this so called agenda.
There's more going on to this story then anyone here could come up with.

Posted via CB10

[crackberry_geek]

No matter how you feel about them personally, Prem and John and their agenda, saved BlackBerry. If they have a mission to kill hardware and hardware does dissappear, the markets will rejoice and place a higher evaluation the moment it happens , so keeping it alive is counter productive to this so called agenda.
There's more going on to this story then anyone here could come up with.

Posted via CB10

... except that every time Chen opens his mouth and hints at that... the stock tanks.

Nice theory but not reality.

[abwan11]

Where did he open his mouth about exiting hardware and the market tanked??
Any interview or comments I've seen have been him defending his decision to stay in hardware. The last was on cnbc where he said the market will decide and he followed with it looks promising that BlackBerry will remain.

Posted via CB10

[matt4pack]

There are some miserable people here.

And the truth is that there was never anything blackberry could have done to stay on top. Not when the massive monopolies decided to get in the smartphone business. Just like sega and palm had no chance either. No company that focuses on one area can compete with the giants in the long run.

The only thing that would have helped is the regulators not letting crony capitalism take over but we know there was never a chance of that.

Posted via the CrackBerry App for Android

[anon(9710735)]

^ I agree. And to be honest, I appreciate the fact that BlackBerry decided to stick with the business-minded people. So what they missed out on appealing to the masses with overpriced toys that reduce productivity instead of boosting it?

Posted via CB10

[JeepBB]

"Tools Not Toys", and the "Global Conspiracy that did for BlackBerry" never gets old does it?

[anon(9710735)]

"Tools Not Toys", and the "Global Conspiracy that did for BlackBerry" never gets old does it?

No it does not.

Posted via CB10

[johnny_bravo72]

"Tools Not Toys", and the "Global Conspiracy that did for BlackBerry" never gets old does it?

Don't forget their other mantras...

Amateur hour is over.

Wake up!

Better Android than Android.

*ME173X

[Jerry A]

"Tools Not Toys", and the "Global Conspiracy that did for BlackBerry" never gets old does it?

It's easier to blame everyone else than to recognize and accept that BlackBerry as a business failed to deliver a device which had any chance of being successful in modern smartphone dynamics.