If there"s one thing Research in Motion is not doing, it"s actually moving. The company have been in difficulties for quite some time now, and things might not get better too soon thanks to the Canadian government. The Canadian-based company was previously the king of the mobile industry, but the age-old adage that nothing lasts forever holds true. The Canadian government have now said they wouldn"t attempt to stop a buyout of the company once considered the leader of the mobile industry.
As Daily Tech reports, Canadian Federal Finace Minister, Jim Flaherty, said the government would not move to block a purchase from a foreign investor. This could be the final nail in the coffin RIM has prepared for itself. Flaherty"s choice of words were as follows:
"They will be the masters of their own destiny. We would like RIM obviously to be successful as a Canadian company, which it has been — a very innovative and successful company."
RIM"s current CEO, Thorsten Heins, currently has the unenviable task of running the company. Even top investors with RIM have expressed dissent with its continued solo initiative, wanting the company to slip under someone else"s wing. When your own stockholders feel that to be your best route, you"re going to have an uphill struggle to remain relevant as a company.
Heins insists that a sale is not the best option for the company, despite the naysayers who hold weight within it. One thing which might help strengthen Heins" argument is the phone manufacturer"s unique relationship with the United States Department of Defense, as BlackBerry handsets include encryption they are extremely popular there.
If RIM was to be bought out, it would likely be by an American giant. Some suggestions are Dell and Hewlett-Packard, but it would not be too surprising if Google also dropped their name into the hat. After all, Google are fighting tooth and nail to gain every patent they can in their various disputes with Apple. One could also see Amazon or Microsoft also getting involved, but neither company would be a first guess. The future of RIM is uncertain, but the company does need to prepare for anything and everything to save itself.