Cruise Ships and Smartphones

Finally. RIM's management has stepped aside. After 20 years running Research in Motion, Ltd., from startup to superstar to falling star, Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie have stepped aside as co-CEOs and handed the reins to Thorsten Heins, formerly RIM's co-COO. Of course, Balsillie and Lazaridis will remain active Directors, so one wonders how much maneouvring room Heins will actually have, but it may not matter that much. Heins is set to stay the course, and believes in RIM's strategy. Heins may not have much of a choice, as the (c0)COO from the current management team, he is likely to be personally (and emotionally) vested in the current strategy.

I am not wholly convinced that the company can be saved. It has lost the war for the platform, and the battle for the hearts of its users.

A colleague recently asked me for my opinion on RIM's management shuffle. My response?

"The Costa Concordia has already hit the shoals and is taking on water, with or without a new captain. Work to constantly delight your customers *before* the rocks, not after the ship is going down."

Rumour has it that RIM will be asking the Nasdaq to change their ticker symbol from RIMM to RIP...