The head of BlackBerry subsidiary QNX is retiring from the company he helped found by the end of this year.
Dan Dodge created the first version of the QNX operating system with classmate Gordon Bell when the two were students at the University of Waterloo in 1980.
Their company, QNX Software Systems, was purchased by BlackBerry in 2010.
QNX software now powers many systems including the entertainment console in Ford vehicles and forms the backbone of BlackBerry’s own mobile operating system, BlackBerry 10.
A BlackBerry spokeswoman said Dodge will be replaced as CEO of QNX by John Wall, currently the company’s chief operating officer.
“We are grateful for Dan Dodge’s contributions to QNX and BlackBerry and his work building a start-up to an undisputed leader in embedded software. With Dan’s retirement, John Wall, who has been instrumental to the success of QNX as Chief Operating Officer, will transition into the role of Senior Vice President and Head of QNX. We’re appreciative of Dan’s 35 years of dedication to QNX and wish him all the best in his retirement.”
Dodge stated:
“My decision to leave was my own,” he said. “I threw my own party, invited everybody from QNX that I’ve known over the last 35 years and we had a grand time”.
