James Balsillie Net Worth

How much is James Balsillie’s net worth?

net worth:	$800 million
age:	63
Birth:	3 February, 1961
gender:	Male
Height:	1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)
country of origin:	Canada
Sources of funds:	entrepreneur
Last Updated:	August 1, 2024

Introducing James

James Balsillie is a businessman and philanthropist. Balsillie is the former co-CEO of Research in Motion.

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Since leaving BlackBerry in 2012 he has served in a number of roles in Canadian business and society.

He is the founder of the Balsillie School of International Affairs.

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James Balsillie’s net worth is estimated to be around $800 million.

early life

James Lawrence Balsillie was born on February 3, 1961 in Seaforth, Ontario.

Balsillie received a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Trinity College in 1984.

During his college days, he was a member of the elite Zeta Psi fraternity.

In 1989, he earned an MBA degree from Harvard Business School.

Livelihood

After graduating from Harvard Business School, Jim Balsillie became 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 company.

That same year, he invested $125,000 in a company called Research In Motion and joined Mike Lazaridis as 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

When Jim Balsillie became co-CEO, Research in Motion had only ten employees, but under his guidance it quickly grew into an international company.

Soon after Balsillie joined, Research in Motion was rebranded as BlackBerry Limited and grew to have over 28,000 employees.

While Lazaridis handled the technical side, Balsillie oversaw all sales, accounting, and business dealings.

However, when competition arose from Steve Jobs’ Apple iPhone and Larry Page’s Android devices, the dual CEO structure began to hold the company back.

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Shortly thereafter, Jim Balsillie resigned as chairman after the company reported more than $250 million in stock option accounting errors in the past.

Of course, he did not leave the company entirely, but retained his roles as co-chief and director, which helped him maintain his influence.

The fall of Blackberry

In 2007, Apple introduced its first touchscreen smartphone, pushing BlackBerry even further behind the competition.

Two years later, Jim Balsillie was forced to resign as 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 former position, despite protests from shareholders.

That same year, BlackBerry fell further behind, due to technology from Google and the fact that the BlackBerry operating system had not been updated since 2002.

By 2011, Balsillie was the third-largest shareholder in BlackBerry, but after cutting 2,000 employees, the stock began to decline in value.

The following year, Balsillie and Lazaridis resigned from their positions and were replaced by chief operating officer Thorsten Heins.

Balsillie subsequently resigned from the board as BlackBerry’s decline continued, dropping it from Canada’s most valuable asset to one-tenth of its former value.

Although his dream was to become the next Bill Gates, this goal was becoming impossible with the collapse of BlackBerry.

NHL ownership bids

After leaving BlackBerry, Jim Balsillie founded the Balsillie School of International Affairs and the Center for International Governance and Innovation.

He has also tried to own a National Hockey League team, though all of his attempts so far have failed.

First, he made a bid to purchase the Pittsburgh Penguins for $185 million in 2006, but withdrew the bid by the end of the year.

The following year, he made a tentative deal to purchase the Nashville Predators, though owner Craig Leipold later decided not to complete the deal.

Balsillie then made a $212 million offer for the Phoenix Coyotes on the condition that they relocate to Southern Ontario.

However, his bid was denied by Judge Redfield Baum, who ruled that Balsillie did not have the authority to move the team.

Even though he might not be able to afford some of the richest hockey players in the world, that hasn’t affected his net worth.

Despite a tumultuous business career, Jim Balsillie remains one of Canada’s wealthiest businessmen and his wealth continues to grow.

james balsillie net worth

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James Balsillie’s net worth is estimated to be around $800 million.

How does James Balsillie spend his money?

James Balsillie’s donation

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 President and Co-CEO of Research in Motion (BlackBerry)

Favourite quotes from James Balsillie

“There may be 300,000 apps for the iPhone and iPad, but all 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 app to BlackBerry without writing any native code.” – Jim Balsillie

“No other technology company other than Apple has successfully transformed its platform. It’s almost never done, and it’s a lot harder than you think. This transformation is where tech companies die.” – James Balsillie

“Innovation is a very specific thing: the commercialisation of ideas across all industries and sectors. It has a technical, specific, agreed-upon economic definition. And there has been so much pedantry and pretension by people in our country that they have taken a very specific, technical and surgical concept and made it broad and general.” – James Balsillie

“Sure. There are 1,100 standards for silicon in the United States. Every standard now embodies IP. If your IP is chosen as a standard, you have a lottery ticket. Your competitors have to pay you. Well, Canada hasn’t really participated in these forums, as far as I know, in the last 10 years.” – James Balsillie

“Yes, and the people who say that are the keepers of 19th and 20th century orthodoxy. When RIM was part of the Rockstar consortium to buy Nortel’s patents, there were three-a-morning phone calls to the US Justice Department, which was setting rules for how the buyer could leverage those patents on 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 us take a look at some of the best things we can learn from him:

1. Pay attention

You have to pay very close attention to what is important, what is lasting, what is real.

2. Technology Products

Balsillie believes that people don’t buy technology products because of the personalities of the people behind them.

3. Get your facts right

Always be sure of what you are talking about. Have the right facts.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is James Balsillie’s net worth?

James Balsillie’s net worth is estimated at $800 million.

How old is James Balsillie?

James Balsillie was born on 3 February 1961 and currently, he is 63 years old.

How tall is James Balsillie?

James Balsillie has a height of 1.71 m, which is equivalent to 5 feet 7 inches.

Summary

James Balsillie is a Canadian businessman who earned most of his net worth as the co-CEO of the Canadian company Research In Motion.

Born in Ontario and raised in Peterborough, Balsillie has influenced many people with his work and is known as an athlete and passionate fitness advocate.

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James Balsillie’s net worth is estimated to be around $800 million.

What do you think about James Balsillie’s net worth? Comment below.

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Category: Net worth