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CEO John Chen says BlackBerry isn’t giving up on consumers just yet

Published Feb 3rd, 2014 9:05AM EST
BlackBerry Consumer Market

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On the one-year anniversary of the BlackBerry 10 operating system’s debut, BlackBerry’s market share in the United States reportedly hit just about 0%. Investors are still optimistic though, and BlackBerry shares are up nearly 22% in the past three months. Partially responsible for the recent optimism is BlackBerry CEO John Chen’s strategic shift that will see the company focus more on the enterprise and government markets where it still has some momentum, but in a recent interview with Fast Company, Chen also made sure to note that BlackBerry has no plans to completely abandon the remaining loyal customers it has in the consumer market.

“One critical challenge we have been addressing is the company’s broad approach on both enterprise and consumer markets,” Chen told the site. “[This] doesn’t mean we are turning our back on the consumer–far from it–but it’s important we narrow our focus on our core strengths. I believe in the values of this brand and I’ve assembled the right team and strategy with the strong confidence that we will rebuild BlackBerry for the benefit of all of our constituencies.”

So, if any hardcore BlackBerry fans out there have been sweating and wondering if the company they’ve remained loyal to through thick and thin might leave them in the dust, Chen’s recent comments should assuage any fears.

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.