BlackBerry’s co-founders, who built the smartphone maker into the category leader about a decade ago, said Thursday they are considering buying back their old business.
They’d better hurry.
Mike Lazaridis and Douglas Fregin will have to battle both an existing $4.9 billion bid from Fairfax Financial and the fact that the now money-losing company is fast crumbling.
One company they won’t have to fight is Google — which had been rumored to have some interest in BlackBerry but, The Post has learned, has shown minimal desire.
Lazaridis and Fregin have a combined 10 percent-plus stake in the company. They have retained Goldman Sachs and Centerview Partners to pursue the deal.
That may be good news for BlackBerry, which is exploring strategic alternatives and at this point has no solid offers on the table.
The Waterloo, Ontario, company is talking to a number of suitors — some interested in the whole company and some just in pieces of it, a source close to the situation said.
“They are figuring out how to put this together,” he said.
The process is still early, with suitors — including Microsoft — holding initial meetings, the source said.
Fairfax Financial, which made a nonbinding $9-a-share offer, is still figuring out its strategy, including whether to partner on the deal and how to finance the buyout.
Google in 2012 acquired Motorola Mobility partly for its patents.
As a result, the Department of Justice will likely not let the Android developer buy any piece of BlackBerry, sources said.
“I can see how the DOJ may see BlackBerry as a step too far,” a source said.
jkosman@nypost.com