Blackberry’s Demise Reminds Us Of The Dangers Of Export Controls

BusinessPolicyBlackberry’s Demise Reminds Us Of The Dangers Of Export ControlsByJohn Tamny,Contributor.Follow AuthorApr 22, 2026, 10:30am EDTWASHINGTON - JANUARY 29: U.S. President Barack Obama puts away his Blackberry on his belt as he returns to the Oval Office at the White House January 29, 2009 in Washington, DC. Obama attended a class presentation at his daughters Sasha's school, Sidwell Friends School in Bethesda, Maryland. (Photo by Ron Sachs-Pool/Getty Images)Getty ImagesIt was a switch “most of us made years ago.” The newspaper quoted is USA Today. It was on July 3, 2016 that the U.S. Senate announced its intent to switch from BlackBerry smartphones to iPhone and Android versions. That the federal government was so late to changes in the marketplace requires serious thought now, and as a bipartisan collection of House and Senate members strives to limit Nvidia and AMD from selling advanced chips in China. What happened to Blackberry calls for Washington to adopt a humbler stance. That’s because buyers are more than buyers. In truth, buyers are our eyes and ears in the marketplace, not to mention that they teach us the value of our products and services based on how they use them. Looking back at Blackberry’s demise, it’s no reach to say that the federal government as a size customer factored in its eventual decline. At risk of stating the obvious, governments are long on money but short on market feel. No doubt it was challenging (if not impossible) for Blackberry to turn down government business, but it’s possible government as buyer warped Blackberry’s understanding of the marketplace in such a way that Steve Jobs and Apple were able to lead customers to all new needs they didn’t know they had. Which brings us back to Nvidia and AMD. Senators with last names like Warren, Ricketts, Cotton, Coons, and Graham are using national security as an excuse to try and limit their sales in China. Except that the limits aren’t even good for national security. MOR...