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3,000 RIM Layoffs Coming Next Week

Today it was revealed that Research in Motion (RIM), the company behind the BlackBerry line of products, will be laying off 3,000 employees starting next week. Boy Genius Report (BGR) cites unnamed so...
3,000 RIM Layoffs Coming Next Week
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  • Today it was revealed that Research in Motion (RIM), the company behind the BlackBerry line of products, will be laying off 3,000 employees starting next week.

    Boy Genius Report (BGR) cites unnamed source in its report, which states the layoffs will take place over the coming weeks. BGR’s source stated that “people are terrified” and that some are even packing up their desks in anticipation of being let go. Workers have been told that any employees not working on BlackBerry 10 products are in danger of losing their jobs.

    RIM provided BGR with an official statement regarding the coming layoffs:

    RIM announced on June 28 that it will reduce its global workforce by approximately 5,000 over the course of the remaining fiscal year. These are difficult but necessary changes to help achieve operational cost savings of over $1 billion. RIM remains committed to ensuring that the reductions made do not impact key programs such as BlackBerry 10, customer support or BlackBerry service levels.

    The last round of layoffs at RIM took place back in June. Before that, over 2,000 employees were laid off just before the start of 2012.

    The layoffs at RIM are part of cost-cutting measures necessary due to a dismal financial outlook. The company has failed to compete successfully in the smartphone market with Apple, Google, and Samsung.

    Despite the continuous flow of bad financial news coming out of RIM for the past year, the company continues to remain adamant that it can survive. RIM is banking everything on its BlackBerry 10 products, and a product roadmap leaked in July shows the company has an ambitious product release schedule planned for 2013.

    RIM did receive some good news this week, though, when a judge presiding over a patent lawsuit involving RIM reversed a $150 million verdict against the company.

    (via BGR)

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