TORONTO - BlackBerry maker Research in Motion co-leaders, Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis, announced Sunday to resign as co-managers once iconic company that is struggling to compete in recent years.
RIM founders will be replaced Thorsten Heins, chief operating officer of RIM, who joined four years ago from Siemens AG, RIM said.
The Canadian company has addressed the email smartphone into a device, which is commonly many people could not live without, but U.S. users have moved on to flashier touch screen phones such as Apple's iPhone and the various competing models that work for the Android software from Google. RIM has suffered a series of mishaps and lost tens of billions in market value.
RIM said last month that the new phones are critical to the future the company will be postponed until the end of this year. And it PlayBook tablet, the answer to RIM IPad Apple, could not get support consumer, making the company a deep discount to move the device from the shelves.
Many shareholders and analysts say that the change or sale of the company was necessary, but the sudden departure of the two founders, no one expected, despite their promises that they will learn co-director and co-chairmen of the structure.
Balsillie and Lazaridis have long been celebrated as a Canadian hero, even members of the nationality of the country's leadership for new immigrants as models of success. They headed Waterloo, Ontario-based RIM together for the past two decades.
"There comes a time, the growth of every successful company, the founders recognized the need to pass the baton to new leadership. Jim and I went to the board and told them that we thought the time right now," Lazaridis said in a statement.
Lazaridis will assume a new role as vice chairman and chairman of RIM's new innovation board committee. Balsillie is a board member.
"I agree that this is an opportune time to pass the baton to new leadership, and I have complete confidence in Torsten, management team and company", Balsillie said in a statement. "I remain a significant shareholder and director, and, of course, they will have my full support."
Company that was worth more than $ 70 billion a few years ago, now has a market value of $ 8.9 billion.
Analysts say RIM future depends on it so late a new software platform as RIM tried and failed to revive the BlackBerry. Apple, co-founder Steve Jobs said at the end of 2010, RIM will not be easy to catch up with Apple, RIM, because I was forced to move beyond its area of strength and in unfamiliar territory in an attempt to become a software platform company.
Haynes said Lazaridis and Balsillie RIM took in the right direction, and said that he was committed to the new software.
"We are more confident than ever that it was the right way. She continued reluctance to Mike and Jim to sacrifice long-term value for short-term gain, RIM has made a large company, what it is today. I share this philosophy, and I am very happy future of the company , "said Haynes.
Barbara Stymiest, former chief operating officer of Royal Bank of Canada, who was a board member of RIM in 2007, has been named an independent chairman. RIM also named a new board member, Prem Watsa, CEO of Fairfax Holdings Ltd financial
