Research In Motion CEO Loses It in Interview

RIM co-CEO Mike Lazaridis stormed off a BBC set, upset due to questions over security issues in the Middle East and India.

Mike Lazaridis, co-founder and CEO of BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion, walked out of a televised interview with the BBC after calling questions about his product's security “not fair.” The questions arose from a row between RIM and the governments of India, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and others in the the Middle East who said they would cancel BlackBerry service if the Waterloo, Ont.-based company didn't provide them with codes to access encrypted emails on the devices. Lazaridis said that those countries were “singling out” RIM because of the BlackBerry's success, and then, after telling producers to turn off the camera, walked out mid-interview.