You can watch the whole thing here but Mike Lazaridis is cracking up. Basically, in an interview with a BBC reporter, the co-CEO shuts down the the meeting after being asked about security concerns in India and the Middle East, saying that it’s an issue of “national security.”
As the CEO of what was once the premier smartphone manufacturer it must be hard to see mind – if not market – share shrinking in the business world and he just can’t seem to accept honest criticism in any environment, least of all a taped interview.
What does this mean for RIM? Well, not much right now. Blackberries will still rule the IT roost when it comes to end-to-end secure email. However, it must be hard for Lazaridis to watch his C-level friends carry iPhones and Android devices and leave their Blackberries in the hands of their assistants.
According to comScore, RIM dropped 5.4% in the smartphone race, landing it one step behind Android and above iOS. Last October RIM was #1. Now it’s #2.
Lazaridis has been giving all sorts of exciting interviews lately, playing the victim card in multiple occasions. For example:
“Why is it that people don’t appreciate our profits? Why is it that people don’t appreciate our growth? Why is it that people don’t appreciate the fact that we spent the last four years going global? Why is it that people don’t appreciate that we have 500 carriers in 170 countries with products in almost 30 languages?,” said Lazaridis.
Why, indeed. Maybe it’s because everyone has profits, growth, and globalization. RIM is just another phone company fighting a long and pitched battle. To hear Lazaridis, however, he’s ready to rest on his laurels.
John Dalrymple points out that all of this is coming a week before the launch of RIM’s Playbook, a make or break moment for RIM in the tablet arena. In short, he should shut up.
A great man once said that the path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. However, when you make it your mission to quash the naysayers at every turn, you look less like a victim and more like a victimizer.