Not Long Ago, RIM Had 20,000 Employees. Within a Year, It Could Have Just 10,000

Over the weekend, we reported that Waterloo's Research In Motion was undergoing a major global structuring that would trigger the laying off of roughly 2,000 employees. Turns out, it could be much worse than that.

At the BlackBerry maker's peak, it had a whopping 20,000 employees. Last year, it laid off thousands, shrinking that number to 16,500. And according to inside sources, RIM has been quietly picking off hundreds more employees over the past several months. Now, sources close to the Canadian tech company are saying the layoffs are much broader than first reported: up to 6,000 people may get the axe this year.

This would bring RIM's headcount down to just over 10,000—just half of what it was only a couple of years ago. Then again, 50% is a small percentage to fall compared to the company's stock, which was plunged well over 90% since 2008 and now threatens to sink into the single digits.