The Netflix movie "Black Berry", adapted from Jacquie McNish and Sean Silcoff’s book Losing the Signal, offers a gripping account of the rise and fall of a tech giant. It’s a history lesson that doubles as a life lesson, reminding us to stay curious, humble, and deeply attuned to our clients’ evolving needs.
Blackberry's Downfall
At the heart of BlackBerry’s story is a group of passionate engineers who, in good faith, created a product that disrupted the mobile phone market. Their unrivaled drive birthed a device that became a cultural icon—until it didn’t. As the narrative unfolds, we see leadership at Research In Motion (RIM) fall into the trap of becoming “Legends Within Their Own Lunch Box.” Ego filled the room, blinding them to the horizon where competitors like the iPhone were redefining what a personal device could be. Their failure to adapt alienated customers and led to their downfall.
This story hits close to home in my work supporting conversational voice AI, particularly in the drive-thru sector. I’ve watched five out of seven conversational voice AI companies become legacy brands, not because their tech wasn’t innovative, but because they stopped listening. They believed their solution was the best, trying to convince clients rather than addressing their changing needs around cost, performance, and operational excellence. Meanwhile, two companies are rising to the surface, capitalising on the failures of their predecessors by staying cost-competitive, client-focused, and relevant.
But here’s the question: will these two suffer the same fate? As they lock in contracts and gain market share, will their boardrooms turn into echo chambers of ego, losing sight of their purpose—driving client P&L performance and operational excellence? BlackBerry’s story is a stark reminder that success can be fleeting if you don’t stay a student of your clients’ business needs. It’s an opportunity to learn from market trends, ensuring your platform remains relevant and provides best-in-class solutions that grow both the top and bottom lines for your clients.
The Hard Lesson Learned
The lesson is clear: stay curious, keep humble, and always listen. Your clients aren’t just users—they’re partners in innovation. Ignore them, and you risk becoming a legend only in your own lunch box.
Let’s learn from BlackBerry’s fall to build solutions that rise, adapt, and endure.
- Stevo
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