RIM Changes CEO’s, But Nothing Really Changes
RIM has announced that they will be replacing their 2 co-CEO’s with a new one, which actually is only their COO. Heins, the new CEO, also doesn’t think RIM needs a major shift in strategy, and that RIM only needs better scaling and marketing. In other words, RIM is still clueless about what has caused their downfall and how to get it back on track.
Heins says they might license BB10, which is based on the Playbook OS, to other companies. That seems like a pretty smart move – if it was done 3 years ago. Nothing RIM can do with BB10 will matter by the end of 2012. The OS will still be way behind in functionality, and not to mention app ecosystem. By 2013, RIM will be lucky if the BB10 ecosystem will be on the 5th place.
I’ve written about it many times before. The only time to beat Apple was to create an OS that many companies use. Android was the first to do that, and it’s why it has been so successful. But if they really didn’t want to join Android, they should’ve joined another open source OS very early on as well. At the time I thought Meego was the right answer. But Nokia tried to keep it mostly for themselves, and the others weren’t interested in an OS that wasn’t their own either. If Nokia, RIM, HP, and maybe even HTC, Samsung and LG would’ve taken Meego as an alternative to Android, they would be a lot better off right now.
But they completely missed that opportunity. There’s no way that taking an OS with virtually 0% market share will help them get on track right now. RIM’s only solution is to bank on Android, and do it fast. This new CEO has no intention of doing that anymore soon, which means RIM is just as doomed as they were before the CEO switch.
Marketing won’t get them out of this. Heck, even a “better” product won’t get them out of this. What they need is a strong ecosystem *first*, and then have flawless execution. It’s such a shame. RIM still has the money to become a pretty strong Android player. But they will actually go through this failed strategy for another couple of years, until they have no money left and are close to bankruptcy, and then maybe consider switching to Android. Of course it will be too late by then.
Category: androidheadlines.com
Don’t blame CEO, they want RIM win.
RIM has strange culture and self distruct political environment.
In RIM if a new hired person figure out major problem and introduce efficient approach, both manager and his buddy group member will proof their wrong approach works. just like someone point out driving a car is right way, pushing a car is wrong way, then both manager and his buddy group member will hate you, and proof that 3 person can also move the car by pushing it. cheating email will be sent to some vice president, saying like: see, the car moving, pushing a car is a natural part of the process, in order to deny new hired contribution of introducing skill of drive a car, they have to deny merit of driving a car.
It is very strange company culture and strange company political environment, it promote stealing and cheating skill. RIM’s management may be a typical instance in MBA course.
This culture deny or steal hardworking team members’ contribution/innovation, generate strange political environment, destroy RIM.
So don’t blame CEO, some of their VPs and VPs’ expert generate terrible culture and self destruct political environment.