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BlackBerry may cut up to 40 percent of its workforce, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The company will look to cut across different departments and the trimming may occur in different phases, the Journal reported, citing anonymous sources. BlackBerry had 12,700 employees as of March.
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The company declined to comment specifically on the report.
“We will not comment on rumors and speculation. As previously stated, we are in the second phase of our transformation plan,” said a representative. “Organizational moves will continue to occur to ensure we have the right people in the right roles to drive new opportunities in mobile computing.”
The move comes amid increasing questions about the future of BlackBerry. The company, which has essentially acknowledged that it is shopping itself around, is looking to cut costs even as it tries to compete against the likes of Apple and Samsung Electronics.
BlackBerry, however, has had a tough go of it. The company earlier on Wednesday introduced the BlackBerry Z30, a jumbo 5-inch smartphone that sits as its new flagship phone. But the unveiling got lost in the shuffle as most people’s attention focused on the release of Apple’s iOS 7.
BlackBerry is also reportedly releasing BlackBerry Messenger to iOS and Android on Friday and Saturday — around the same time as the iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S launch.
BlackBerry will get plenty of attention next week when it reports its fiscal second-quarter results. After a brutal first quarter, sentiment isn’t that much higher for a dramatic improvement.
