[louzer]

If there were any truth to this rumor, Facebook would not dare announce anything like this before the IPO. Given how RIM is currently viewed by the market, Facebook could not afford any negative investor sentiment just prior to their IPO considering yesterday, they raised their estimate for IPO share prices.

[sleepngbear]

If there were any truth to this rumor, Facebook would not dare announce anything like this before the IPO. Given how RIM is currently viewed by the market, Facebook could not afford any negative investor sentiment just prior to their IPO considering yesterday, they raised their estimate for IPO share prices.

Actually, they would have to have revealed some sort of plan to regulators and investment banks before going public. As someone here noted, Zuck is already flush with cash; they have to have some major strategic need for new working capital, and a major acquisition is just one example of exactly that kind of need. They would not, however, be obliged to make those plans public until after the IPO at the earliest, or after an acquisition is signed-sealed-and-delivered at the latest.

Frightening as it sounds, RIM makes more sense than anybody else. If Facebook is indeed seeking a presence in mobile, they surely would not get in bed with Google, which puts most other handset makers off the table. In my opinion, this is like the worst-case scenario for BB users.

[avt123]

I will not be purchasing a BB10 device if FaceBook does actually buy RIM. I don't want Zuckerberg anywhere near my information. I hope this doesn't happen.

[OniBerry]

I have better chance of buying RIM than FB does.


@cgk - Current favorite is; No Sale, due to National Security interests. Falls under the Investment Canada Act.

Under the Investment Canada Act, the government can review and block any foreign investments worth more than C$312 million, a paltry sum in the global mergers game, if it thinks a deal is not in Canada’s best interests.

It's been used twice. Potash Corp (2010) and a Satellite company that was about to be sold to a US Firm was also blocked.

[johnenglish]

Though, i am extremely curious about why facebook is doing an IPO. Normally companies do that to raise funds for some purpose. Be it for expanding operations or what. They don't just go public for money, that just seem a bit.. weird. its not as if he isn't rich already. What is Mark planning? Venture into the mobile phone market? Does anyone know? is it stated in their agenda?

That's exactly why companies, including FB, go public; money. Plus a lot of the inital investors want to cash out.

[pkcable]

LinkedIN makes more sense, BUT I don't see RIM getting bought by any social media company.

[glamrlama]

We need to have a clarification on this. This can be:

1) [rumour]: something I heard from someone who heard from someone that has a friend who cleans keyboards at facebook at night;

OR

2) [made up sh*t]: something a guy at Daily Fail made up cuz his editor told him to fill a space on the financial page by 8:00 AM

I'm putting this in category 2

[sleepngbear]

FWIW, an article on Forbes.com says there's no way it will happen. Which suggests to me that it could already be a done deal, as I place Forbes right next to BGR on the credibility scale when it comes to anything they have to say about RIM.

Edit: http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericsavi...tner=yahoofeed
This guy really makes me want to gouge his eyes out with a clam rake.

[FSeverino]

Facebook and RIM is like ...
well... i dont even want to think of what it is like because it depresses me so much

[OzarkaTexile]

FWIW, an article on Forbes.com says there's no way it will happen. Which suggests to me that it could already be a done deal, as I place Forbes right next to BGR on the credibility scale when it comes to anything they have to say about RIM.

Edit: Will Facebook Buy RIM? Uh, No, Not In A Zillion Years - Forbes
This guy really makes me want to gouge his eyes out with a clam rake.

So what has Forbes written about RIM that has proven incorrect?

I don't think there's any logic to a Facebook acquisition of RIM. I don't think there is a public buyer for RIM at this point. Maybe private equity if things get dicey, but I doubt even that.

[xandermac]

What could FaceBook possibly want RIM for? They're on every phone already, not like they have to fight for awareness.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9800 using Tapatalk

[tchocky77]

The author of the Forbes article writes....."Facebook, for one thing, is not going to spend its new pile of shareholder cash on buying a rickety, crumbling contraption like RIM."

I tend to agree. FaceBook didn't get itself to a $100,000,000,000.00 IPO by being stupid.

[tchocky77]

So what has Forbes written about RIM that has proven incorrect?

I don't think there's any logic to a Facebook acquisition of RIM. I don't think there is a public buyer for RIM at this point. Maybe private equity if things get dicey, but I doubt even that.

I also agree with this. I don't see any company accountable to shareholders touching RIM with a ten-foot pole. More likely private equity will pick them up at a price they can flip the patents for profit.

[grover5]

I also agree with this. I don't see any company accountable to shareholders touching RIM with a ten-foot pole. More likely private equity will pick them up at a price they can flip the patents for profit.

It would seem if a negative position could possibly exist for any RIM conversation, you are first in line to offer it. To be fair you do have some competition.

[dbmalloy]

Funny thing is this in an old rumor.... memory serves we heard this one a couple of months ago.... W

hat worries me more that RIM being bought is who buys it.... THere was a famous case in early 2002 when HP bought what was touted as the most secure and toughest laptop ever developed.... US militarty were intersted in it.... within 9 months the laptop project was cancelled due to mis management.....

That would be a greater fear with a non tech company buying RIM....

[grover5]

Funny thing is this in an old rumor.... memory serves we heard this one a couple of months ago.... W

hat worries me more that RIM being bought is who buys it.... THere was a famous case in early 2002 when HP bought what was touted as the most secure and toughest laptop ever developed.... US militarty were intersted in it.... within 9 months the laptop project was cancelled due to mis management.....

That would be a greater fear with a non tech company buying RIM....

Good Lord, how many good products has HP killed.

[veritas_vincit]

Just what everyone would want. Not. There goes security and privacy.

Agree with you. Not good for privacy and security...

[kevinnugent]

Being Canadian is hard.

Yes, but they are nice .... and polite.

I can see Zuck buying RIM. He'd have change left over. The Canadian Gov't would allow it if the shareholders voted in favour of it. At this stage, anyone who doesn't want to take a nice jump in their share price of RIMM would vote against it. Not many.

[zar1964]

That's funny! FB buys RIM...thank you for the joke

[kevinnugent]

Here's an interesting article, about whether or not the Canadian Government would block a foreign sale.

The Canadian government won’t step in to block a sale of RIM, if it comes, despite its significance not only to research and development in the area of networking, consumer electronics and the enterprise, but also to the city of Waterloo and its many thousands of resident employees.

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said that the company “will be the masters of their own destiny,” but that he and his government would prefer them to stay Canadian, and successful. Right now, analysts say, RIM is ripe for a takeover, with a dwindling market share in key markets like North America, and a product line up that does not compete with its rivals in Apple and Google.

Canadian government won't block RIM sale if it comes | MobileSyrup.com

[tchocky77]

It would seem if a negative position could possibly exist for any RIM conversation, you are first in line to offer it. To be fair you do have some competition.

I'm excited to see BB10. I want it to do well for RIM. I truly believe the market is healthier and that i'm in a better position as a consumer if there are four, rather than three, major players in the smartphone market. I just no longer believe that BB10 can, realistically, repair the damage of the passed four years. No matter how good it is, I don't think they can recover. I know that most here will not agree with me on this, But if RIM doesn't have the developers in place (NETFLIX, SKYPE, the usual) on LAUNCH DAY, I don't think they'll survive in any recognisable form.

[thecsman]

1234567lol. :d

[addicted44]

... 9 months the laptop project was cancelled due to mis management.....

That would be a greater fear with a non tech company buying RIM....

hmmm...i think anyone with half a brain would instantly choose FBs management over RIM's. I don't think RIM can suffer any more mismanagement than they have over the last couple of years already.

Also, how can anyone say Facebook is not a tech company. It is currently doing the hottest tech work in the world and the best engineers are picking it over Google.

[grover5]

hmmm...i think anyone with half a brain would instantly choose FBs management over RIM's. I don't think RIM can suffer any more mismanagement than they have over the last couple of years already.

Also, how can anyone say Facebook is not a tech company. It is currently doing the hottest tech work in the world and the best engineers are picking it over Google.

Facebook is not a tech company. Which management? The current?

[Plazmic Flame]

I honestly laughed out loud. That would be the absolute worst thing to happen to RIM. I would rather them be bought by anyone else, even Huawei.