How BlackBerry moved from iconic cellphones to cybersecurity - CNBC

BlackBerry was erstwhile astatine the apical of the smartphone marketplace successful the U.S. In 2010, astir fractional of smartphone subscribers successful the U.S. utilized BlackBerrys, according to Comscore. 

The phones were well-known for having a tactile keyboard and for BlackBerry's precocious cybersecurity — often favored among businesses and governments.

But aft its phones fell retired of favour with users, BlackBerry altered its course, taking immoderate of the cornerstones of the concern with it.

"After a fewer years, we realized that we would ne'er get the measurement up — and it's a measurement game," said John Chen, CEO of BlackBerry. "And truthful we made that pivotal displacement to a software-only institution and absorption connected information and cyber and things of that sort."

While it stopped manufacturing phones, it didn't spell acold from the industry.

"Currently, BlackBerry has 2 main concern units, a cybersecurity concern portion and an IoT concern portion wrong the cybersecurity concern unit," said Charles Eagen, main exertion serviceman of BlackBerry.

Its cybersecurity portion focuses connected securing things specified arsenic smartphone applications and mobile banking websites. Its net of things portion focuses connected the connection of exertion wrong connected and autonomous cars.

"We present person the lion's stock of embedded bundle successful astir of the cars," Chen said.

BlackBerry's exertion is successful astir 215 cardinal cars and this broadside of BlackBerry is continuing to grow, according to the company.

"If we look astatine the manufacture accidental itself, it's our anticipation that the car bundle manufacture is going to astir triple successful size from 2020 done 2030," said Luke Junk, elder expert astatine Baird.

However, BlackBerry does look contention successful the cybersecurity industry, and successful 2021 its gross from cybersecurity was $500 million.

"I deliberation that the institution tin scope apt a little highest than we've seen successful the past but a much sustainable maturation trajectory and perchance much profitable aboriginal arsenic good connected a borderline percent basis," Junk said.

CNBC visited BlackBerry's Autonomous Vehicle Innovation Center and interviewed Chen to find retired what's adjacent for the company.

Watch the video to larn more.