- The WSJ reports BlackBerry (BBRY -0.6%) is "preparing to make deep staff cuts by the end of the year via layoffs that could cost up to 40% of its employees their jobs." The paper adds the job cuts "will cut across all departments and will occur in waves, likely affecting several thousand employees."
- BlackBerry has already been trimming headcount as it evaluates M&A options and contends with weaker-than-expected BB10 hardware sales. However, there hadn't been any indications to this point of layoffs on the scale suggested by the WSJ.
- Director/former Sony Ericsson chief Bert Nordberg recently asserted BlackBerry can survive as a "niche company."
- BlackBerry had 12.7K employees as of March, and over 17K two years ago. FQ2 results arrive on Sep. 27.
- Separately, BlackBerry has announced a BBM Android app will launch on Saturday, and a BBM iPhone app on Sunday.
- Earlier: BlackBerry launches Z30 (formerly the A10)