What is James Balsillie’s net worth?
| Net Worth: | $800 Million |
|---|---|
| Age: | 63 |
| Born: | February 3, 1961 |
| Gender: | Male |
| Height: | 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in) |
| Country of Origin: | Canada |
| Source of Wealth: | Entrepreneur |
| Last Updated: | Mar 16, 2024 |
Table of Contents
Introduction James
James Balsillie is a businessman and philanthropist. Balsillie is the former co-CEO of the company Research In Motion.
Since he left Blackberry in 2012, he has taken up several roles in Canadian business and society.
He is the founder of the Balsillie School of International Affairs.
As of March 2024, James Balsillie’s net worth is estimated to be roughly $800 Million.
Early Life
James Laurence Balsillie was born on the 3rd of February, 1961, in Seaforth, Ontario.
Balsillie received a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Trinity College in 1984.
During his college years, he was a member of the elite Zeta Psi fraternity.
In 1989, he earned an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Career
After graduating from Harvard Business School, Jim Balsillie became the executive vice president and chief financial officer at Sutherland-Schultz, a design and construction company.
He remained in that position until 1992 when the company was sold to the Vollmer Group and Balsillie decided to leave.
The same year, he invested $125,000 in the company Research in Motion and joined Mike Lazaridis as the co-CEO.
Despite not being one of the richest people in the world, Balsillie had managed to secure a very profitable future for himself.
Research In Motion
At the time Jim Balsillie became co-CEO, Research in Motion only had ten employees, but with his guidance, it quickly became an international company.
Not only after Balsillie joined, Research in Motion was re-branded as BlackBerry Limited, and it boasted over 28,000 employees.
While Lazaridis handled the technological side of things, Balsillie oversaw all the sales, accounting, and business deals.
However, when competing with Steve Jobs’Apple iPhone and Larry Page’s Android devices, the dual-CEO structure began to hold the company back.
Soon after, Jim Balsillie stepped down from his role as chairman after the company reported over $250 million in stock option accounting errors from the past.
Of course, he didn’t leave the company entirely, and retained his roles as co-chief and director, allowing him to maintain his influence.
The Fall Of BlackBerry
In 2007, Apple debuted its first touchscreen smartphone, which pushed BlackBerry even further behind in the competition.
Two years later, Jim Balsillie was forced to resign as the director by the Ontario Securities Commission as part of their sanctions.
However, when the sanctions expired in 2010, Balsillie was almost immediately reappointed to his prior position, despite shareholder pushback.
That same year, BlackBerry fell even further behind thanks to Google’s technology and the fact that BlackBerry OS hadn’t been updated since 2002.
By 2011, Balsillie was the third-largest shareholder in BlackBerry but, after cutting 2,000 employees, the share value began to fall.
The following year, Balsillie and Lazaridis resigned from their positions and were replaced by Thorsten Heins, the Chief Operating Officer.
Balsillie then resigned from the board as the decline of BlackBerry continued, reducing it from Canada’s most valuable property to a tenth of its former value.
While he had dreams of being the next Bill Gates, with the fall of BlackBerry that goal was looking increasingly unlikely.
NHL Ownership Bids
After leaving BlackBerry, Jim Balsillie founded the Balsillie School of International Affairs and the Centre for International Governance and Innovation.
He has also tried his hand at becoming the owner of a National Hockey League team, though all such attempts have since failed.
Firstly, he made a bid to buy the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2006 for $185 million, but by the end of the year, had withdrawn the bid.
The following year, he made a tentative deal to buy the Nashville Predators, though the owner, Craig Leipold, later decided not to complete the deal.
Balsillie then offered $212 million for the Phoenix Coyotes on the condition that they relocate to Southern Ontario.
However, his bid ended up being rejected by Judge Redfield Baum, who ruled that Balsillie didn’t have the power to relocate the team.
He may not have been able to buy some of the richest hockey players in the world, but his net worth hasn’t suffered because of it.
Despite a tumultuous business career, Jim Balsillie remains one of the richest businessmen in Canada and his fortune continues to grow.
James Balsillie Net Worth
As of March 2024, James Balsillie’s net worth is estimated to be roughly $800 Million.
How Does James Balsillie Spend His Money?
James Balsillie’s Donations
In 2007, he donated$50 million to the University of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier University, and the Centre for International Governance Innovation.
Highlights
Here are some of the best highlights of James Balsillie’s career:
- Former Chair and co-CEO of Research In Motion (Blackberry)
Favorite Quotes from James Balsillie
“There may be 300,000 apps for the iPhone and iPad, but the only app you really need is the browser. You don’t need an app for the web … You don’t need to go through some kind of SDK and you can use your web tools … And you can publish your apps to the BlackBerry without writing any native code.” – Jim Balsillie
“No other technology company other than Apple has successfully transitioned their platform. It’s almost never done, and it’s way harder than you realise. This transition is where tech companies go to die.” – James Balsillie
“Innovation is a very specific thing: the commercialization of ideas across all industries and sectors. It’s a technical, specific, agreed-upon economic definition. And we’ve had so much punditry and posturing by people in this country that they’ve taken what is a very specific, technical and surgical concept and made it broad and general.” – James Balsillie
“Sure. In the United States, there are 1,100 standards for silicon. Now each standard embodies IP. If your IP is picked as a standard, you have a lottery ticket. Your competitors have to pay you. Well, Canada has not really participated in these forums, that I know of, in the past 10 years.” – James Balsillie
“Yes, and the people who say that are the keepers of the 19th- and 20th-century orthodoxies. When RIM was part of the Rockstar Consortium to buy Nortel’s patents, there were three o’clock in the morning phone calls to the U.S. Department of Justice, which was setting the rules for how the buyer had to avail those patents to the rest of the market.” – James Balsillie
3 Amazing Lessons from James Balsillie
Now that you know all about James Balsillie’s net worth and how he achieved success; let’s take a look at some of the best lessons we can learn from him:
1. Pay Attention
You have to pay a lot of attention to what’s important, what’s permanent, what’s real.
2. Technology Products
Balsillie doesn’t think people buy technology products because of the people’s personalities behind them.
3. Get Your Facts Right
Always be sure what you’re talking about. Have the right facts.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is James Balsillie worth?
James Balsillie’s net worth is estimated to be $800 Million.
How old is James Balsillie?
James Balsillie was born on February 3, 1961, and is currently 63 years old.
How tall is James Balsillie?
James Balsillie’s height is 1.71 m, which is equal to 5 ft 7 in.
Summary
James Balsillie is a Canadian businessman who has earned most of his net worth being the co-CEO of the Canadian Company Research In Motion.
He was born in Ontario and raised in Peterborough. Balsillie has impressed many with his work, and he is regarded as an athlete and passionate fitness advocate.
As of March 2024, James Balsillie’s net worth is estimated to be roughly $800 Million.
