BlackBerry’s aggressive response to Detwiler Fenton claims of high z10 return rates is shocking and refreshing. CEO Thorsten Heins statements that return rates are “right in line with the industry” while calling the report a “gross misreading of the data or a willful manipulation” are unambiguous. This isn’t the typical non-denial denial designed to do PR damage control.
Whenever there is any analyst report, rumor, or leak about a public company, my first question always is: “Who benefits?” That’s absolutely the measure here. Who benefits from Detwiler Fenton’s report. That’s a question a formal SEC or OSC investigation, which Blackberry asks for, could answer. How BlackBerry benefits from the aggressive response is obvious.
The larger problem is how bloggers, journalists, and other writers enable stock manipulation by not asking and answering the “Who benefits?” question and, worse, spreading rumors based on weak, or no, sourcing.
Photo Credit: Library of Congress