Losing the Signal: The Untold Story Behind the Extraordinary Rise and Spectacular Fall of BlackBerry

Jacquie McNish · Sean Silcoff

May 2015 · Sold by Flatiron Books

About this eBook

THE BASIS FOR IFC FILMS' BLACKBERRY
Named a Best Business Book by The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Financial Times, and more

The riveting, true story of the BlackBerry empire—and how it would eventually come crumbling down in the wake of the smartphone revolution

"One helluva story.” ―Toronto Star

Losing the Signal is a riveting story of a company that toppled global giants before succumbing to the ruthlessly competitive forces of Silicon Valley. This is not a conventional tale of modern business failure by fraud and greed. The rise and fall of BlackBerry reveals the dangerous speed at which innovators race along the information superhighway.

With unprecedented access to key players, senior executives, directors and competitors, Losing the Signal unveils the remarkable rise of a company that started above a bagel store in Ontario. At the heart of the story is an unlikely partnership between a visionary engineer, Mike Lazaridis, and an abrasive Harvard Business school grad, Jim Balsillie. Together, they engineered a pioneering pocket email device that became the tool of choice for presidents and CEOs. The partnership enjoyed only a brief moment on top of the world, however. At the very moment BlackBerry was ranked the world's fastest growing company internal feuds and chaotic growth crippled the company as it faced its gravest test: Apple and Google's entry in to mobile phones.

Expertly told by acclaimed journalists, Jacquie McNish and Sean Silcoff, this is an entertaining, whirlwind narrative that goes behind the scenes to reveal one of the most compelling business stories of the new century.

Ratings and reviews

The story telling, the small details which turned into big themes, and the humor make the boom easily one of the best biz books out there.

The rise and fall of RIM will be a cautionary tale told in business schools 100 years from now. Truly fascinating and enlightening.

I enjoyed the story greatly and now know what happened to a product that I once love so much.

About the author

Jacquie McNish is a senior writer with the Globe and Mail and before that the Wall Street Journal. She has won seven National Newspaper Awards and is the author of three bestselling books, two of which won the National Business Book award. She lives in Toronto with her husband and two sons.

Sean Silcoff is a business writer with the Globe and Mail and before that the National Post and Canadian Business magazine. He is a two-time National Newspaper Award winner. He lives near Ottawa with his wife and three children.