Mike Lazaridis
The visionary engineer who put a secure, email-capable computer in millions of pockets, making the BlackBerry an indispensable tool of the early mobile era.
Born 1961 (age 65)·Canadian businessman·Birthday: March 14·Baby Boomers
Biography
Mike Lazaridis didn't just foresee the mobile revolution; he built one of its first essential engines. Co-founding Research In Motion while still a university student, he channeled a passion for wireless technology into a singular device that married a phone, an email client, and a physical keyboard. The BlackBerry wasn't merely a gadget; it became a cultural and professional phenomenon, its signature click-clack and red notification light symbolizing a new era of constant connectivity. It commanded boardrooms, fueled news cycles, and earned the nickname 'CrackBerry' for its addictive hold on users. After stepping back from RIM, Lazaridis redirected his focus and fortune toward foundational science, making transformative investments in quantum computing and theoretical physics at institutions like the Perimeter Institute, pursuing the next great technological leap.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Mike was born in 1961, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Mike Was Born
The biggest hits of 1961
#1 Movie
101 Dalmatians
Best Picture
West Side Story
#1 TV Show
Wagon Train
Mike's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1961Born
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1966Started school
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1974Became a teenager
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1977Could drive
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1979Could vote
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1982Turned 21
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1991Turned 30
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 40
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 50
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2021Turned 60
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
2026Age 65 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Co-founded Research In Motion (RIM), the company that created and manufactured the BlackBerry wireless device.
- Oversaw the development of the BlackBerry, which pioneered secure, push-email functionality on a mobile device.
- Founded the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, Ontario, with a personal donation of over $100 million.
- Led the creation of the Quantum Valley investment fund to commercialize quantum computing technologies.
Did You Know?
He won a prize in elementary school for reading every science book in the library.
He dropped out of the University of Waterloo just months before graduating to accept a contract to develop a networked computer display.
He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2006.
He is a Fellow of the Royal Society, a rare honor for an engineer and business leader.
“I think we're on the cusp of something that's going to change the world in a very fundamental way.”
