John Chen has a message for anyone who still thinks of BlackBerry as a relic of the smartphone era: look at your car. The company that once defined mobile communication for Wall Street traders and Washington power brokers has spent the better part of a decade executing one of the most dramatic corporate pivots in technology history. Today, BlackBerry’s QNX software platform runs inside more than 255 million vehicles worldwide, and Chen, the company’s CEO, believes that number is only going to grow.
“We’re probably powering your car,” Chen told audiences recently, a line that doubles as both a marketing pitch and a statement of fact. As reported by MSN, BlackBerry’s QNX operating system is now embedded in vehicles from virtually every major automaker, including BMW, Toyota, Honda, Volkswagen, and General Motors. The software manages everything from digital instrument clusters and infotainment systems to advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving modules.
From QWERTY Keyboards to Cockpit Software: The Long Road to Reinvention
BlackBerry’s transformation didn’t happen overnight. When Chen took the helm in late 2013, the company was hemorrhaging cash and market share in the smartphone business. Rather than trying to compete head-on with Apple and Google — a battle BlackBerry had already lost — Chen made the strategic decision to exit hardware entirely and refocus the company on software and cybersecurity. The acquisition of QNX Software Systems, which BlackBerry had purchased back in 2010 for $200 million, turned out to be the crown jewel that would define the company’s second act.
QNX is a real-time operating system originally developed in the early 1980s for embedded systems. Its architecture is built around a microkernel design, which isolates individual software components so that a failure in one module doesn’t crash the entire system. That kind of reliability is non-negotiable in automotive applications, where a software glitch in a braking system or steering controller could be fatal. This safety-critical pedigree is what has made QNX the preferred platform for automakers who need to meet stringent functional safety standards such as ISO 26262.
Why Automakers Keep Choosing QNX Over the Competition
The automotive software market is fiercely competitive. Google’s Android Automotive OS has made significant inroads, particularly in infotainment, with manufacturers like Volvo, Ford, and Polestar adopting it for their in-cabin experiences. Meanwhile, companies like Tesla have built their own proprietary software stacks from the ground up. Yet BlackBerry’s QNX continues to dominate in the safety-critical domain — the layer of software that controls the functions drivers depend on most.
According to BlackBerry, QNX is currently designed into more than 255 million vehicles across over 45 OEM brands. The company has said that its software is found in vehicles produced by 24 of the top 25 electric vehicle manufacturers globally. Chen has emphasized that the growth of electric vehicles and software-defined vehicles is a tailwind for QNX, because these platforms require more sophisticated software architecture than traditional internal combustion vehicles. Each new EV that rolls off the assembly line tends to carry more lines of code and more software-controlled subsystems, which means more potential revenue for BlackBerry.
The Financial Picture: Steady Growth, but Wall Street Wants More
BlackBerry’s financial performance has reflected its transition, though not always at the pace investors have hoped for. The company’s IoT division, which houses QNX, has been a consistent bright spot. In its most recent fiscal year, BlackBerry reported IoT revenue of approximately $272 million, representing year-over-year growth. The cybersecurity division, anchored by its Cylance endpoint protection platform, has been more of a mixed bag, with revenue declining as the company works to stabilize that business and integrate AI-driven threat detection capabilities.
Chen has repeatedly stated that BlackBerry is on a path to profitability, and the company has taken steps to reduce costs, including workforce reductions and operational restructuring. BlackBerry’s stock, which trades on both the New York Stock Exchange and the Toronto Stock Exchange, has been volatile — at times swept up in meme-stock frenzies that have little to do with its underlying business fundamentals. For long-term investors, the thesis rests on whether QNX can continue expanding its footprint as the automotive industry undergoes a generational shift toward electrification and autonomy.
Software-Defined Vehicles: The Trillion-Dollar Opportunity
The concept of the software-defined vehicle (SDV) has become one of the most talked-about trends in the automotive industry. McKinsey has estimated that automotive software and electronics could represent a $400 billion market by 2030. The idea is straightforward: rather than building cars as primarily mechanical machines with some electronics bolted on, the next generation of vehicles will be designed as rolling computers where software determines the user experience, enables over-the-air updates, and controls an expanding array of vehicle functions.
BlackBerry has positioned QNX as a foundational layer for this transition. The company’s QNX Hypervisor allows multiple operating systems to run simultaneously on a single hardware platform — meaning an automaker can run QNX for safety-critical functions alongside Android Automotive for infotainment, all on the same chip. This approach gives car manufacturers flexibility without forcing them to compromise on safety certification. It also means BlackBerry doesn’t necessarily lose when Android Automotive wins an infotainment contract; the two can coexist within the same vehicle.
Cybersecurity in the Car: A Growing Imperative
As vehicles become more connected, the attack surface for cyber threats expands dramatically. Modern cars can have over 100 million lines of code, multiple wireless connections, and interfaces with cloud services. The risk of remote hacking is no longer theoretical — researchers have demonstrated the ability to remotely compromise vehicle systems, and regulators around the world are beginning to mandate cybersecurity standards for connected vehicles. The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) WP.29 regulation, which took effect for new vehicle types in 2022, requires automakers to implement cybersecurity management systems throughout the vehicle lifecycle.
BlackBerry has attempted to tie its cybersecurity expertise to its automotive business, offering solutions that address both endpoint security and vehicle-level protection. The company’s Jarvis tool, a binary code scanning platform, allows automakers to identify vulnerabilities in their software supply chains. Chen has argued that BlackBerry is uniquely positioned because it can offer both the operating system and the security layer, reducing the complexity that comes with integrating products from multiple vendors.
Competition Intensifies as Tech Giants Circle the Auto Sector
BlackBerry is far from the only technology company eyeing the automotive software market. Beyond Google, companies like Qualcomm, Intel’s Mobileye, NVIDIA, and various Chinese tech firms are all investing heavily in automotive platforms. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Digital Chassis, for example, is gaining traction as a hardware-and-software platform for next-generation vehicles. NVIDIA’s DRIVE platform is a leading choice for autonomous driving compute. And in China, companies like Huawei and Baidu are building comprehensive automotive software stacks that could challenge QNX’s presence in the world’s largest car market.
Chen has acknowledged the competitive pressure but has pointed to QNX’s decades-long track record of safety certification and its deep relationships with automakers as durable advantages. Switching costs in automotive software are high — once an automaker has certified a platform for safety-critical use, replacing it requires extensive re-testing and re-certification, a process that can take years and cost millions of dollars. That stickiness gives BlackBerry a degree of protection that pure market share numbers don’t fully capture.
What Comes Next for BlackBerry and the Cars We Drive
Looking ahead, BlackBerry’s future is inextricably linked to the pace of automotive electrification and the industry’s appetite for software sophistication. Chen has signaled that the company is exploring opportunities in adjacent markets, including robotics, medical devices, and industrial automation — all areas where QNX’s real-time, safety-certified operating system could find a natural home. But for now, automotive remains the primary growth engine.
The irony of BlackBerry’s story is hard to miss. A company that lost the consumer technology battle to Apple and Google has found a way to remain deeply embedded in one of the most consequential technology shifts of the 21st century — not by building products consumers see, but by building the invisible software infrastructure they depend on every time they turn the key. For an industry insider watching the automotive software wars unfold, BlackBerry’s QNX is the quiet player that refuses to be counted out.