BlackBerry Restructuring Ends, Hiring Begins

Today, Reuters reports that BlackBerry CEO John Chen sent a memo out to his employees last week to let them know that the company’s dark period is, hopefully, coming to a close. After a three year process of restructuring, that included a 60 percent reduction in workforce, BlackBerry will begin hiring new employees, signifying hope for the future for the company that first popularized the smartphone.

Here’s a portion of what Chen wrote in his memo, which details the company’s plans going forward:

“We have completed the restructuring notification process, and the workforce reduction that began three years ago is now behind us. More importantly, barring any unexpected downturns in the market, we will be adding headcount in certain areas such as product development, sales and customer service, beginning in modest numbers.”

Chen also said that the company is expected to be back in the black by the end of the current fiscal year, says the report. Overall, it’s a positive sign to see BlackBerry looking to add to its workforce – especially given recent reports of job cuts at Microsoft’s recent Nokia acquisition, as well as at Beats, which was just acquired by Apple.

How much more work will it take to help BlackBerry overcome its position in the smartphone market? While it was the first to make smartphones popular among those who needed to keep working on the go, Apple’s iPhone, and Google’s subsequent release of Android, did a ton of damage to the company’s status, and it’s been fighting to stay relevant ever since. It’s good to know that they’re no longer in need of slashing staff and can start growing again. But what will it take to make them a viable handset maker again? Will they ever come close to reclaiming their former glory?

[Source: Reuters]