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BlackBerry CEO John Chen discusses plans, market conditions in a pair of new interviews
August 17, 2025
BlackBerry has been a mainstay in the Android news cycle for the past year due in no small part tothe leaks of a “Venice”which eventually evolved into the precious – yet pricey –Priv. In the wake of said make however, the Canadian company has been confronted with a less than comforting situation: its debut Android smartphonefailed to have the impactit arguably was intended to.
More recently, the company’s CEO, John Chen,offered some commentsabout the future of his company. Today, while attending the Milken Institute Global conference, he has appeared in two interviews to discuss matters further.
The full interview with Mr. Chen can be found onCNBC’s website here, however some of the key points are as follows:
With Bloomberg
Mr. Chen was also interviewed by Bloombergwhich can be seen here. Numerous topics were discussed:
The pair of interviews in and of themselves did not yield a great deal of new information, but rather served to double-down on the comments that Mr. Chen has been making for some months now, as well as perhaps give investors some degree of confidence that he seemingly has a solid grasp on the situation facing his company. Of particular interest, however, was that Mr. Chen views BlackBerry hardware as the cornerstone of the relationship between his customers and his company.
The point about software is indeed a valid one, as BlackBerry Messenger has been available for Android handsets for some time now. The hardware represents the complete package and thus the epitome of the company’s services, values, and features. The profit margin comment in particular, shows that the company might be willing to accept a much lower profitability ratio in order to retain customers which include governments and numerous business segments including legal and healthcare.
It would also appear that the company is considering longer term hardware development that could span into the next fiscal year. It is likely any such handsets will be of a more mid-range affordable nature given that the Priv’s high price point arguably was a major barrier to a more wide-scale adoption.
What do you think about CEO John Chen’s comments? Does he have a firm grasp on the reality of the situation facing his company, or is he unwilling to accept the writing on the wall? Do you feel more confident in listening to his plans? What doyouwant to see from BlackBerry in the future? Drop a line in the comments section down below!
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