So much seems to go wrong for RIM that it’s almost impossible not to feel a little sorry for them. Instead, feel sorry for a swathe of over 2000 employees who are about to be axed by the company in a desperate attempt to make the BlackBerry profitable once more.
All Things D reports that over 10 per cent of RIM’s staff is set to be sacked over the next few months. One source explained to All Things D that:
“RIM has about 16,500 employees worldwide now… That number will be down to 14,500 before the summer’s over. … 14,500 or less.”
Eeep. Last year, RIM axed a similar number of staff — but clearly that wasn’t enough. Apparently the cuts are exptected to be company-wide, with every division taking a hit, but I’d like to nominate the marketing department for an extensive clear out. [All Things D]
Product design over marketing IMHO
Nope, definitely marketing. That "wake up" ad campaign is patronising & obnoxious.
If anything, it showed everyone that RIM have truly lost touch with their customers - and, hence, their raison d'être.
I'd say marketing - if only because of their horrid advertisements plastering the Gizmodo front page like a black, obnoxious, patronising miasma.
All it showed us, is that RIM have lost touch with their customers - and in doing so - their raison d'être . There should be a counter campaign from the Disgruntled Blackberry's User's Association : "No, YOU wake up."
BlackBerry phones suck. The Bold 9900 has a lousy screen - the touch sensitivity is off, you think your finger is on the link but it goes 5mm off to somewhere else on the screen, the battery life is non-existent, the OS is just confusing, it freezes every so often to think. A basic smartphone has more capability than their halo phone, that's pretty weak. If any of the guys who lose their job had a say in developing the Bold 9900, they deserve it for developing a lousy smartphone.
Honestly, BlackBerry needs to get the smartphones from the other manufacturers and compare to see why their phones suck. Otherwise they're living in la-la land with the stuff they pump out.
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.