BlackBerry Staged a Comeback by Winning over Car Companies
18 hours ago
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- BlackBerry, once a leading smartphone brand known as 'Crackberry', peaked in 2009 with 43% US market share but declined due to iPhone and Android competition.
- After pivoting to cybersecurity and IoT software under CEO John Chen, BlackBerry now earns half its revenue from QNX, a real-time operating system acquired in 2010.
- QNX is critical in automotive, medical, and nuclear industries for its precision timing, security, and reliability, used in over 275 million cars and 90% of medical devices.
- The microkernel architecture of QNX minimizes system failures by isolating processes, ensuring safety in critical applications like airbags and pacemakers.
- BlackBerry's partnerships with companies like NVIDIA and WeRide support its role in Software Defined Vehicles (SDVs) and physical AI, positioning it for growth in EV and AI markets.
- Despite past struggles, BlackBerry has achieved five straight profitable quarters by 2026, demonstrating successful reinvention through focus on security and privacy strengths.