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BlackBerry Confirms 200 Job Cuts in Florida and Canada

Could this be the end of the homegrown BB10 operating system?

Asa Mathat

Phone maker BlackBerry confirmed to Re/code on Friday that it has recently cut 200 jobs in both Sunrise, Fla., and at facilities in Canada.

However, the company characterized them as a “small number” in stark contrast to a Mobile Syrup report that suggested massive cuts, especially at the main office.

In a statement, BlackBerry said the cuts come as it continues its turnaround effort.

“This means finding new ways to enable us to capitalize on growth opportunities, while driving toward sustainable profitability across all parts of our business,” the company said. “As a result, a small number of employees have been impacted in Waterloo and Sunrise, Fla.”

The company later said that it made around 200 job cuts. It also confirmed that BBM founder and longtime employee Gary Klassen has left the company.

The Mobile Syrup report suggests that the BlackBerry 10 development effort has been hit particularly hard. BlackBerry recently introduced the Priv, its first Android phone, and executives suggested that if customers agree, that could represent its hardware future rather than its homegrown BlackBerry 10.

Update, 12:01 p.m.: Updated to include number of job cuts and other details.

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

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