Blackberry Laid Off 200 Workers; May Not Focus On Phones Anymore

Device maker Blackberry has reported a massive job cut that resulted to 200 employees being fired as the company seeks to streamline its operations and cut the cost of production. The smartphone and software company is now looking at a leaner but more focus-driven growth strategy in the long-term.

According to a Bloomberg report, the laid off workers mostly come from their headquarters in Ontario and another office in Florida.

Due to declining profits in the phone sector, the company is reportedly shifting its attention to more profitable businesses- offering services to corporate and government clients.

"As BlackBerry continues to execute its turnaround plan, we remain focused on driving efficiencies across our global workforce. This means finding new ways to enable us to capitalize on growth opportunities, while driving toward sustainable profitability across all parts of our business," the company's official statement reads as quoted in part by CNBC.

News of the layoffs and other impending job cuts across its global offices are not exactly a complete surprise. The company has been struggling to get a sizeable market share from its more robust rivals like Apple and Samsung. Even the employees working on BB10 software were reportedly sacked as Blackberry moves to adopt Android for its hardware devices.

The company did try to win back customers by releasing its first Android-based handheld device last November but, as expected, delivered an unimpressive sales performance.

Blackberry CEO John Chen is mulling whether to continue making phones amid a huge slump of its global market share dominated by other smartphone makers as mentioned in a report by the Reuters.