RIM: Let’s Party Like Ric Flair!

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When you think RIM and ‘tag-team’, you think Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis, Co-CEOs of the fledgling company.  Now you are going to learn about another power duo team.  George Campbell and Paul Alexander.  Documents from CBC news chronicle their disastrous flight.  The Verge reports they had shown up to the Air Canada flight under the influence.  During the flight they continued to drink and had eventually passed out.  After waking up again, the tag-team assaulted a flight attendant for reasons unknown and threatened another with physical violence.

Now you might expect this from Ric Flair, Mr. Perfect and Scott Hall, but from a couple of Canadian business executives, this behavior is deplorable.  The flight was eventually diverted to a Vancouver airport.  During the last 80 minutes of the flight, attendants AND passengers were tasked with restraining the drunken-duo.

The cost?  A fine for each of CA$38,878.  The two plead guilty and were given probation for a year.  The flight that they had disrupted was 18 hours behind schedule and caused losses to the airline in excess of CA$200,000.

RIM fired Campbell and Alexander and made the following company line saying that it “does not condone behavior that conflicts with applicable laws and employees are expected to act, at all times, with integrity and respect.”

In a world where Rim can do nothing right.  In a world where the Blackberry is the least coolest thing you could possibly own.  In a world where the Playbook is irrelevant and over-priced, RIM can’t afford this sort of press.

 

Dean Howell

Dean Howell has over a decade of experience with Linux and nearly 2 decades of experience with computers in general. Currently, Dean is Editor-in-chief of The Powerbase and also works for one of the world's largest providers of Linux-based NVRs.

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