BlackBerry’s lengthy restructuring project is apparently at an end, and the company is all set to turn itself around, according to CEO John Chen. The news comes from an internal memo, subsequently viewed by Reuters, telling BlackBerry employees that better times were ahead.
Chen said the three-year restructure, which has included job losses, drastic changes to how the company operated, and real estate sales to raise cash, is now behind them. “More importantly,” he wrote, “barring any unexpected downturns in the market, we will be adding headcount in certain areas.”
He concluded by saying he believes BlackBerry is “well on its way” to recovery and is “confident the company will meet its goal of being cash flow positive,” a target he sets for the end of the fiscal year. Chen also made a point of thanking the long-time BlackBerry team members who stuck around through the difficult times.
The memo comes at a crucial time for BlackBerry, and Chen needs a motivated, positive team behind him, if the turnaround is going to stick. He’s not unrealistic about the amount of work it still has to do either, and told staff there was “no margin for error” in the coming months.
BlackBerry is all ready to fully unveil the Passport, its new smartphone designed to capture the attention of both wayward business users and established BlackBerry fans, plus it has recently announced a new version of the BlackBerry 10 operating system complete with a virtual personal assistant.
While Chen talks up BlackBerry’s recovery, it’s still not absolutely clear what his intention is in the long term. Well-known for building up, then selling off Sybase several years ago, Chen said in a recent interview he was focusing on creating value at BlackBerry at the moment. Analysts predict this could precede a sale of the company, or parts of it, in the future.
