Canada would not stop RIM sale to outsiders
updated 07:30 pm EDT, Fri March 30, 2012
Government would let RIM change hands
The Canadian government wouldn't try to block a foreign acquisition of RIM, federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said Friday. While he would prefer that RIM thrive as a Canadian company, he wouldn't interject to make it that way. Those at RIM were "masters of their own destiny," he said.
The statements came after a dire fourth quarter result for RIM that saw it leave many options open, including licensing out BlackBerry OS and app content as well as higher level strategic decisions. He didn't confirm any rumors, although it's suspected that RIM at one point talked to Samsung about a partial or complete selloff.
RIM until recently was considered a highlight of the Canadian economy and proof that it could compete at the highest levels of technology worldwide. The Waterloo-based firm's slowness to accept the threats posed by the iPhone and Android, however, have seen much of its influence evaporate. It's currently in limbo as it waits to ship its first truly ground-up modern OS, BlackBerry 10, late in 2012. [via The Globe and Mail]
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Translation
"Anyone out there listening? Hello? Yeah, we'd like someone to buy RIM before it implodes. Any offers? Seriously, we'd rather that you shut down some of their operation in a merger than let them go under completely. I don't see any takers. Is my microphone even on?"