“This Kid Might Outlive RIM”
Over at Businessweek, there is a fascinating piece entitled The Rise and Fall of Blackberry: An Oral History, which details the rise and fall of the Canadian giant from different personal perspectives. Here’s one from Vincent Washington, senior business development manager at RIM from 2001-11:
One thing we missed out on was that Justin Bieber wanted to rep BlackBerry. He said, “Give me $200,000 and 20 devices, and I’m your brand ambassador,” basically. And we pitched that to marketing: Here’s a Canadian kid, he grew up here, all the teeny-boppers will love that. They basically threw us out of the room. They said, “This kid is a fad. He’s not going to last.” I said at the meeting: “This kid might outlive RIM.” Everyone laughed.
Seriously, you have to read the whole thing. A worthwhile distraction this morning as you enjoy your coffee.
