Mike Lazaridis

Mike Lazaridis is a visionary Canadian entrepreneur, engineer, and philanthropist, best known as the co-founder of Research In Motion (RIM), the company that created the BlackBerry line of wireless handheld devices. Born in Istanbul, Turkey, and immigrating to Canada at age five, Lazaridis…

Key facts

Role: Co-founder, Co-CEO, visionary engineer, philanthropist
Nationality: Canadian
Born: 1961

Notable quotes

We pioneered the smartphone. We were inventing things five years ahead of their time, but we couldn't make money at it.

The BlackBerry was about getting people connected, staying in touch, and being productive on the go. It was a revolutionary concept.

My focus now is on creating the next BlackBerry, but for quantum computing.

We need to foster basic research. You cannot predict where the next great technological breakthrough will come from, so you have to invest broadly in curiosity-driven research.