Blackberry’s $600 Million Lesson For CIOs | 50 Companies Innovating With Blockchain | How Synchrony Financial Aces Agile | And More

Plus: When It Comes To Tech, China Is Just As Wary Of The U.S. As The U.S. Is Of China

Hi there, and welcome to the latest edition of the Forbes CIO newsletter. 

I very much doubt you have a Blackberry mobile device. I consigned my last one to the recycling pile quite some time ago and haven’t thought much about the company since then. But news that Blackberry recently pocketed $600 million by selling a patent portfolio briefly made me feel nostalgic about that keyboard with its raised buttons and tiny screen, even though Blackberry stopped supporting its hardware for good last month.

It also got me thinking about the power of patents and how CIOs need to be proactive about obtaining and using them. One of the biggest trends in corporate technology right now is the huge growth in in-house developer teams, as businesses look to create more proprietary software to give themselves a competitive edge over business rivals.

The return on the investment made in code is typically measured by value created in terms of things such as increased sales, deeper customer engagement and improvements in operational efficiency. But might the software have a value in its own right that could—and probably should—be protected by a patent or patents?

It’s not a consideration that’s typically top of mind for CIOs because they often don’t want to sell software to other companies or to investors such as Catapult IP, the special purpose vehicle set up to buy the Blackberry patents for $450 million in cash and a $150 million promissory note. But it still might make sense to call in the IP lawyers because times change and sometimes monetizing in-house innovation more widely can make sense. 

There’s a great example of this in my industry, where the Jeff Bezos-backed Washington Post developed a new publishing platform for itself and then began offering a version for sale to other media groups. As CIO Network Contributor Anthony Trippe points out here, patents have also been very helpful to companies such as Jawbone that have needed to raise significant money to execute strategic pivots.

Blackberry, of course, has been through such a pivot itself and is now focused on developing cybersecurity software—plus, no doubt, a big new portfolio of software patents.

Thanks for reading, and do let me know if you have any suggestions for themes to cover in future issues. You can contact me on Twitter here and LinkedIn here.

An important P.S.: We are seeking nominations for the 2022 Forbes CIO Next List, which will be published this spring and highlight game-changing CIOs reshaping the role in new and exciting ways. If you’re interested in nominating yourself, another CIO or a top tech executive with an equivalent title, you can do so here. And here’s a link to last year’s inaugural list.

Technology & Innovation

The world’s top corporate blockchain innovators: The 2022 Forbes Blockchain 50 List has just been published so be sure to check out notable entries including the NBA’s embrace of non-fungible tokens to transform its memorabilia business, De Beers’ use of blockchain to verify diamonds’ origin and Providence health system’s blockchain-based approach to verifying insurance coverage for surgeries and medications.

How to deploy code faster using cloud-native tech: Getting great software into production fast is crucial to business success. Here are some insightful tips about using a combination of DevOps and GitOps to remove blockages that can slow down cloud-native deployments.

Leadership & Strategy

When data analytics unravels supply chain plans: A cautionary tale from Forbes CIO Network Contributor Noah Barsky, who looks at how issues with Nordstrom’s use of data analytics led to shortages in some product lines at its Nordstrom Rack business, which has dented the retailer’s share price.

Building corporate culture when the office is no longer center stage: As we reach the second anniversary of the start of the pandemic, companies are wrestling with how to build culture in remote or hybrid workforces. Here are some insights into how Genentech, General Mills and PayPal are approaching the challenge.

Talent & Careers

Dealing with workplace bullying: Eric Lander, head of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, has resigned in light of reports he bullied and demeaned coworkers. The episode has focused attention on how to deal with workplace bullying, so here’s a helpful summary of actions CIOs and other leaders can take if they encounter such appalling behavior.

Tips for being a better mentor: Employees who get effective mentoring tend to outperform and out-earn those who don’t. Mentoring can also be a powerful tool for keeping staff loyal at a time when many people are thinking about whether to stay in their roles. To become an even better mentor, you might want to check out the advice from a group of experts.

"Once or twice a day, the team gets together to communicate information. You’re talking about what you need, you’re making decisions and you’re talking about blockers…Everyone is clear about the actions that need to be taken, who is accountable and what’s going to get done by the next agile standup meeting."

Carol Juel

Chief Technology & Operating Officer, Synchrony Financial

Across Forbes

• Forget Meta’s Sleek Virtual Reality. Maybe The Metaverse Is Fun, Friendly, 8-bit—And Already Here


• Less Deodorant, Fewer Showers, No Makeup: The Nine Extra Minutes Some Americans Sneak By Working Remote


• America’s Top Givers 2022: The 25 Most Philanthropic Billionaires