# Losing the Signal with Sean Silcoff

- Show: [Oxide and Friends](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends)
- Published: 2022-09-27
- Length: 1h 08m
- Episode: 28
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2022-09-27-losing-the-signal-with-sean-silcoff
- Listen: https://share.transistor.fm/s/e501a98c

## Summary

Sean Silcoff, co-author of 'Losing the Signal' with Jacquie McNish, joins Bryan Cantrill and Adam Leventhal to discuss the rise and fall of BlackBerry (RIM). They explore how RIM’s early success with wireless email and BBM was undermined by the rushed release of the Blackberry Storm, the disastrous NTP patent lawsuit, and the stock option backdating scandal. Silcoff explains how the co-CEO model between Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis broke down under pressure, leading to a failure to adapt to the iPhone and the shift in carrier power that allowed Apple and Google to dominate the smartphone market.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2022-09-27-losing-the-signal-with-sean-silcoff#t=0) Introduction and BBM Origins
- [3:56](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2022-09-27-losing-the-signal-with-sean-silcoff#t=236) RIM's Rise and Carrier Relations
- [15:10](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2022-09-27-losing-the-signal-with-sean-silcoff#t=910) Lost Opportunities and the Storm
- [34:13](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2022-09-27-losing-the-signal-with-sean-silcoff#t=2053) The NTP Patent Lawsuit
- [45:03](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2022-09-27-losing-the-signal-with-sean-silcoff#t=2703) Options Backdating and Leadership Breakdown
- [52:45](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2022-09-27-losing-the-signal-with-sean-silcoff#t=3165) Larry Conley and Carrier Dynamics
- [1:01:21](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2022-09-27-losing-the-signal-with-sean-silcoff#t=3681) Lessons on Disruption and the Film Adaptation

## Topics

- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Intellectual property](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/intellectual-property)
- [Growth, exits & acquisitions](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/growth-exits-and-acquisitions)
- [Policy, trade & tariffs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/policy-trade-and-tariffs)

## Most relevant to

large enterprises

## Mentioned

- BlackBerry (product)
- RIM (company)
- Blackberry Storm (product)
- BBM (product)
- NTP (company)
- Apple (company)
- iPhone (product)
- Google (company)
- Android (product)
- Jim Balsillie (other)
- Mike Lazaridis (other)
- Larry Conley (other)
- Jacquie McNish (other)
- Bryan Cantrill (other)
- Adam Leventhal (other)
- BellSouth (company)
- Nokia (company)
- Motorola (company)
- Droid (product)
- Slack (product)

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- [Live From The HIBT Summit: Stewart Butterfield](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-01-30-live-from-the-hibt-summit-stewart-butterfield) (How I Built This)
- [#008 - What to learn from Pebble’s story: two times most funded Kickstarter campaign ever to its eventual end, with your host, Balint Horvath, Switzerland](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-entrepreneur/2017-01-11-008-what-to-learn-from-pebbles-story-two-times-most-funded-kickstarter-campaign) (The Hardware Entrepreneur)
- [Fitbit: James Park](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-04-27-fitbit-james-park) (How I Built This)
- [Magical Fire Bags](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2016-12-09-magical-fire-bags) (The Amp Hour)
- [Square: Jim McKelvey. He Lost a $2,000 Sale, Then Built a $10 Billion Company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-02-23-square-jim-mckelvey-he-lost-a-2-000-sale-then-built-a-10-billion-company) (How I Built This)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2022-09-27-losing-the-signal-with-sean-silcoff. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Oxide and Friends.