LAZARIDIS: I've Been Planning To Step Down From RIM For Years (RIMM)

Former RIM co-CEO Mike Lazaridis gave a lengthy exit interview to The Record yesterday where he explains his next move after stepping down last week.As far as we can tell, this is the only interview either he or RIM's other co-CEO Jim Balsillie have given since they stepped down a week ago.(Correct us if we're wrong though.)The profile mostly reads as a history of RIM, which Lazaridis co-founded in 1984, but there are some interesting nuggets about his thoughts on the company's transition to a new CEO:Lazaridis said he had been planning to step down for years, and has been grooming new CEO Thorsten Heins since Heins joined RIM about four years ago. (This is despite the fact investors have been clamoring for a leadership change for some time now.)Lazaridis will buy another $50 million worth of RIM shares as a sign he still believes in the company.Heins was chosen to take over this year because RIM plans to introduce its new BlackBerry platform, BlackBerry 10. Lazaridis and his co-CEO Jim Balsillie decided to step down and let Heins manage the big launch.You can read the rest of The Record's interview here >  Please follow SAI on Twitter and Facebook.Join the conversation about this story »See Also:RIM's New CEO Is In Complete Denial: 'I Don't Think There Is Some Drastic Change Needed'RIM'S CEOS ARE OUT!Even With A New CEO, RIM Has 'No Intent' To Sell The Company

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