BlackBerry makes car software now. QNX runs in millions of vehicles you already own. You had no idea. You will continue to have no idea.
CEO John Giamatteo wants you to know the company found its second life after the phone business died. That first life ended when everyone bought iPhones instead of physical keyboards. The second life involves embedded operating systems for automotive infotainment and safety-critical functions. Thrilling stuff. Really moves the needle on your retirement account.
Now Giamatteo sees robotics as the next big thing. BlackBerry will power the brains of machines that replace workers. Former phone company becomes software for robots. The irony writes itself. Thousands of people who lost jobs when BlackBerry collapsed will now watch BlackBerry software automate away other people's jobs. Progress.
QNX is actually decent technology. Real-time operating system. Safety certified. Been around since the 1980s. BlackBerry bought it in 2010 for $200 million. That purchase probably saved the company. Nobody writes articles about smart acquisitions. They write about phones with keyboards that lost to touchscreens.
Retail traders see this headline and think pivot play. They convince themselves BlackBerry is the next AI robotics darling. They buy calls. They post rocket emojis. They ignore that automotive software is a mature low-margin business and robotics is a crowded field with dozens of competitors who didn't spend the last decade as a punchline.
The company that couldn't figure out consumers would want apps now promises it understands what robots need. Former smartphone maker turned automotive middleware provider turned robotics hopeful. Each transformation more boring than the last. By 2030 BlackBerry will probably make firmware for smart refrigerators and call it a strategic vision.
Your QNX-powered car works fine. The robotics play will print press releases. Your shares will do nothing. At least the keyboard was cool.
Photo by Marília Castelli on Unsplash
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