Blackberry vs iPhone | A Requiem in Slow Motion | 4

Business Wars

Wondery

History, Business, David Brown, Management

4.6 • 13.2K Ratings

🗓️ 24 November 2021

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

It’s January 2011 and Research in Motion’s Jim Balsillie is in Davos, Switzerland when he discovers that his company is being threatened by the Egyptian government. BlackBerry’s BBM messaging system is a lifeline for protestors in the country. Balsillie starts to think that BBM could hold the key to RIM’s survival — even as its sales disintegrate.

Apple, meanwhile, isn’t resting on its laurels. Steve Jobs innovates with a tablet that further buries RIM, as it steals one of RIM’s closest business partners.

Listen to new episodes 1 week early and to all episodes ad free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, and ad free listening. Available in the Wondery App https://wondery.app.link/businesswars.

Please support us by supporting our sponsors!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Hey, prime members, you can listen to Business Wars ad-free on Amazon Music. Download the app today.
0:15.2	January 2011, Davos Switzerland.
0:19.8	Research in motion, CEO Jim Balsely is in this mountain town where the global elite
0:24.8	gather for the annual World Economic Forum. He's sitting in the back seat of a limo on the
0:30.4	way to a dinner to celebrate the launch of a new think tank with billionaire George Soros.
0:36.1	So far, Balsely has been enjoying the trip. It's a much-needed distraction from stressing out about
0:42.2	Blackberries declining U.S. sales. But this moment of calm won't last long.
0:48.0	He feels his Blackberry buzzing. It's Rims Legal Council, Karima Bawa.
0:56.0	Jim, we've got some news from Egypt.
0:58.8	Balsely takes a deep breath. He knows protesters have been marching through the streets to
1:03.6	demand President Husney Mubarak step down. Talk to me what's happening.
1:08.4	Apparently, tons of protesters have been using BBM to organize.
1:12.1	Balsely nods. BBM is Blackberry's internal messaging system that lets users send free messages.
1:19.8	Normally, messaging in the Middle East can be costly and easily accessed by state agents.
1:25.3	But BBM messages are encrypted. Blackberry has been losing traction in the U.S.
1:31.4	But this secretive messaging system has allowed it to thrive abroad. Go on.
1:36.4	Well, I just got a call from Egypt's head telecom regulator. They're pulling the plug on Blackberry
1:43.2	service until we hand over the encryption keys for emails and messages.
1:47.8	Balsely exhales sharply. His chest tightens. Egypt is one of our fastest growing international
1:55.6	markets. We can't risk getting it shut down if we do our stock price will tumble. But what happens
2:03.7	if we hand over the encryption keys? Bawa pauses. Well, if we give up the encryption keys,
2:10.3	we're putting these protesters at risk of imprisonment. Or worse.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Wondery, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Wondery and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.