The Wall Street Journal says that BlackBerry’s original big brain, Mike Lazaridis, is going to try to take the beleaguered company private. The journal says Lazaridis is talking to firms including Blackstone Group LP and Carlyle Group LP about making a bid for Blackberry. The report came a day after BlackBerry said it would cut 4500 jobs, or 40 per cent of its workforce, in the face of hefty losses and weak sales of its new handsets. The company has said it is examining “strategic alternatives,” including a possible sale of the company. The website Wired put a best possible spin on things yesterday saying that a leaner BlackBerry could abandon the consumer market once and for all and get rigorous about becoming a niche company focused on a particular customer — one that needs security, control, and a few particular tasks done remarkably well, possibly even as a software rather than a hardware company.
