Episode description

For nearly a decade, Research in Motion was the global leader in smartphones with its iconic QWERTY-keyboard-having Blackberry. Through a mix of guerilla marketing and an unexpected boost in sales after 9/11, the rather simplistic email device was transferring some of the world’s most closely guarded secrets, from government officials, business leaders, and celebrities through some servers in Waterloo, Ontario. 

What was the cause of its demise? The iPhone? Google? Hubris? 

Jesse chats with Cherise and Jonathan about his interview with Sean Silcoff, co-author of Losing the Signal: The Untold Story Behind the Extraordinary Rise and Spectacular Fall of BlackBerry, also written by Jacquie McNish. The book is also the source material for the new film by Matt Johnson, Blackberry, starring Glenn Howerton and Jay Baruchel, which releases on May 12, 2023.

Host: Jesse Brown

Credits: Tristan Capacchione (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Bruce Thorson (Senior Producer), Cherise Seucharan (Reporter), Jonathan Goldsbie (News Editor), Annette Ejiofor (Managing Editor)

Further information:

• Losing the Signal: The Untold Story Behind the Extraordinary Rise and Spectacular Fall of BlackBerry
• Blackberry Film Trailer

Additional music by Audio Network

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