James Balsillie was a Canadian billionaire and the head of Blackberry Inc. before he sold it to Microsoft, now he is worth about $1.6 billion dollars.
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Introduction James
James Balsillie is a business tycoon and philanthropist. He helped develop the first smartphone and also became an investor in bitcoin.
Balsillie started the school to help Canadian business and people be more competitive. He also serves as the chair of the board of directors for the Rideau Institute, a think tank focused on Canadian foreign policy. He is also the founder and chair of SNC-Lavalin Enterprises.
James Balsillie’s net worth has been estimated to be near $800 million.
James Balsillie of the Blackberry Corporation is worth nearly $800 Million.
James Balsillie is a Canadian billionaire, and an investor, currently worth about $800 Million.
Early Life
James Laurence Balsillie is the son of Donald Balsillie and Nancy Balsillie.
In 1994, Balsillie founded the company, Quadra Logic, Inc.
He is a member of the elite fraternity Zeta Psi. In 2007, he received an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Career
By 2007, Apple was dominating the market for touch screen smartphones. BlackBerry was trying to fight against them. The former president Barack Obama, shown his love for his Blackberry on Twitter while he was running for president. After Steve Jobs’ death, he returned as CEO until he stepped down in 2011.
In May, Balsillie resigned his role as chairman, and he then resigned as CEO. RIM’s board of directors made him CEO of Research In Motion, Inc. The board also said that the company would not disclose his salary.
In 2012, the new CEO Thorsten Heins and the previous CEO Jim Balsillie had a huge fight over the future of the company. Balsillie finally left in 2012 when Heins took over as CEO, but the two never made up.
One publication blamed ‘managing’ problems at BlackBerry in the two decade period which contributed to the company’s fall from grace.
James Balsillie’s net worth has been estimated to be near $800 million.
James Balsillie of the Blackberry Corporation is worth nearly $800 Million.
James Balsillie is a Canadian billionaire, and an investor, currently worth about $800 Million.
How Does James Balsillie Spend His Money?
James Balsillie’s Donations
In 2007, his donation was 50 million dollars to the University of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier University, and the Centre for International Governance Innovation.
Highlights
James Balsillie is the founder and former CEO of Research In Motion. He also tried to sell the company and it was not successful.
Favorite Quotes from James Balsillie
The co-founder of Blackberry had been a little too harsh and optimistic with a statement related to the Blackberry Passport. It’s the world’s first BlackBerry smartphone with a full QWERTY keyboard and will be available in more than 100 countries in the coming months.
He was a very smart guy. He was a very successful guy. But he was very arrogant, I think. I feel sorry for him. I think he was not getting the respect that he deserved, and as a result, he was not very successful at making money. He was very successful at making people hate him.
“The U.S. Department of Justice is a good thing to have as a friend. In this case, the buyer of the patents had to share them. And if you are a company that needs to innovate, then that is how it is.” — RIM CEO Mike Lazaridis
The controversy around the BlackBerry 10 platform continues to rage.
3 Amazing Lessons from James Balsillie
James Balsillie knows a lot of people, he has made a lot of money, he has worked hard, and he has grown up in a business environment. There are a lot of lessons we can learn from him.
1. Pay Attention
People have to pay too much attention to what is permanent and what is real.
2. Technology Products
Balsillie doesn’t think people are attracted to technology companies because the company has the best people behind them.
3. Get Your Facts Right
Always be sure you have the right facts to support your argument and don’t exaggerate to get your point across.
Summary
He is one of the biggest supporters of BlackBerry and has spent over $1,000,000 on advertising campaigns promoting the service.
Balsillie is the former CEO of two Canadian technology and media companies. He was also the president and CEO of Research In Motion, the maker of the BlackBerry device.
James Balsillie’s net worth has been estimated to be near $800 million.
James Balsillie of the Blackberry Corporation is worth nearly $800 Million.
James Balsillie is a Canadian billionaire, and an investor, currently worth about $800 Million.