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BlackBerry announced it has laid off 200 workers at its head office in Ontario and at an office in Florida, the New York Times reported, citing a notice filed with the State of Florida.
At first, BlackBerry released a statement saying that a small number of employees have been impacted, but later on they confirmed that the total number was 200.
“As BlackBerry continues to execute its turnaround plan, we remain focused on driving efficiencies across our global work force. This means finding new ways to enable us to capitalize on growth opportunities, while driving toward sustainable profitability across all parts of our business. It also means that BlackBerry is actively recruiting in those areas of our business that will drive growth. As a result, approximately 200 employees have been impacted in Canada and Florida. For those employees that have recently left the company, we know that they have worked hard on behalf of our company and we are grateful for their commitment and contributions.”
BlackBerry 10 will get continued support, but it looks like the company will now focus on Android for all future products. This means that the BlackBerry 10 team doesn’t need to have a lot of employees, which is why some members have been let go. The company also shut down ‘The Built for BlackBerry’ program which certified BB10 apps.
BlackBerry chief executive John Chen has said he will make a decision on whether the company’s handset business is viable in the financial year beginning in late February.
Agencies/Canadajournal
