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BlackBerry reportedly draws buyout interest from Cerberus and co-founder Lazaridis

Published Oct 2nd, 2013 2:05PM EDT
BlackBerry Bid

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With the Fairfax Holdings deal all but certain, BlackBerry is reportedly drawing interest from at least two other suitors, a potentially positive note that could lead to a more favorable buyout. The Wall Street Journal reports that private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management and at least one other investor are showing interest in the struggling handset vendor. Cerberus is reportedly in the process of gaining access to BlackBerry’s private financial information, and it will then determine whether or not to make a bid. As for the other interested party, it could be none other than BlackBerry co-founder and former co-CEO Mike Lazaridis. The former executive wouldn’t confirm the news but he has apparently held talks with a number of groups, including Fairfax, with the hope that he might get involved with a bid. BlackBerry shares jumped back into the green on Wednesday following the news but have since lost earlier gains.

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 15 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.