Jacquie McNish Knihy

Shortlisted for the FT/McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award 2015. In 2009, BlackBerry controlled half of the US smartphone market. Today that number is less than one per cent. What went so wrong? Losing the Signal is the riveting story of a company that toppled global giants before succumbing to the ruthlessly competitive forces of Silicon Valley. This is not a conventional tale of modern business failure by fraud and greed; instead, the rise and fall of BlackBerry reveals the dangerous speed at which innovators race along the information superhighway. With unprecedented access to key players, senior executives, directors, and competitors, Losing the Signal unveils the remarkable rise of a company that started above a bagel store in a small Canadian city and went on to control half of the US smartphone market. However, at the very moment BlackBerry was ranked the worldâe(tm)s fastest-growing company, internal feuds and chaotic growth crippled the company as it faced its gravest test: the entry of Apple and Google into the mobile phone market. Expertly told by acclaimed journalists Jacquie McNish and Sean Silcoff, this is an entertaining, whirlwind narrative that goes behind the scenes to reveal one of the most compelling business stories of the new century.

In 2009, BlackBerry held half of the smartphone market, but today that figure is under one percent. What led to this dramatic decline? Losing the Signal chronicles the rise and fall of a company that once dominated the industry before being overtaken by the fierce competition of Silicon Valley. This narrative diverges from typical tales of corporate failure driven by fraud and greed, instead illustrating the rapid pace at which innovators navigate the information superhighway. With exclusive access to key figures, including executives and competitors, the book details BlackBerry's remarkable beginnings above a bagel shop in Ontario. Central to the story is the partnership between visionary engineer Mike Lazaridis and the assertive Harvard Business School graduate Jim Balsillie, who together created a groundbreaking pocket email device favored by leaders worldwide. However, their success was short-lived. Just as BlackBerry was recognized as the fastest-growing company globally, internal conflicts and chaotic expansion hindered its ability to compete against the mobile phone innovations from Apple and Google. Acclaimed journalists Jacquie McNish and Sean Silcoff expertly narrate this captivating behind-the-scenes account of one of the most intriguing business stories of the century.

From the windswept Labrador coast, where the massive nickel deposit was discovered, to the boardrooms of Singapore, Toronto, and Vancouver where the giant poker game for Diamond Fields was played out, the story behind Voisey's Bay has enormous economic significance for Canada and international financial markets. One of the most intriguing elements was the takeover battle for Diamond Fields that pitted the conservative management team at the world's largest nickel company, Inco Ltd., against free-wheeling stock promoter Robert Friedland. Also playing key roles in the race for Voisey's Bay were managers from the Bronfman-controlled Edper group, prominent Wall Street and Bay Street investment houses, and leading mutual funds.