News

BlackBerry's developer head Mike Kirkup resigns to seek next adventure

Cites changing mobile landscape

BlackBerry's developer head Mike Kirkup resigns to seek next adventure
Falling market share, 'insiders' going public about a lack of app support, and now RIM's head of developer relations Mike Kirkup is set to jump ship.

Kirkup, who a matter of hours before was detailing the roll out of the BlackBerry Tablet OS Native SDK, made the announcement on his blog Mobile Insights, suggesting he is looking for a new challenge, but also paying mention to the fast moving mobile landscape.

Game changers

"As the mobile space continues to change so quickly and this seems like a great time to step back and consider my next steps," said Kirkup.

"If you wonder what I mean about the changing mobile landscape, just look at what has happened in the last two weeks – Motorola was acquired by Google, HP shut down webOS and Steve Jobs resigned as CEO from Apple."

Kikrup has dealt with BlackBerry's developer relations since March 2008, moving up from manager, to director, and finally senior director in April.

Before that, he had spent two years working as a wireless security software developer and a further two years as team lead of RIM's technical partnerships division.

Thanks for the memories

Naturally, Kirkup has given no solid information on the reasons behind his departure, instead choosing to honour his time at the company.

"Over my 10 year career I have worked with so many amazing individuals both inside RIM and in our broader developer community," he added.

"This is a great company with leaders I respect and admire. It has been an honour to share in the success and growth of such an extraordinary company.

"The opportunity to work in developer relations has been one that I will never forget. To be exposed to so many great ideas and the people behind them has been inspiring."

There's been no word as of yet on his replacement, though RIM will be looking to secure the position as it looks to encourage developer support for PlayBook, and the new range of BlackBerry 7 handsets, due 2012.

[source: Mobile Insights]

With a fine eye for detail, Keith Andrew is fuelled by strong coffee, Kylie Minogue and the shapely curve of a san serif font.