Evidently some folks really did believe BlackBerry co-founder Mike Lazaridis was going to swoop in like a deus ex machina and return the dilapidated smartphone pioneer to its former glory. Shares in the sadly diminished company closed down nearly nine percent at $7.05 on the revelation that Lazaridis has abandoned his, let’s face it, largely fantastical bid for the company, and reduced his combined stake with co-founder Doug Fregin to below five percent from eight percent.

via AllThingsD » Mobile http://allthingsd.com/20131226/blackberry-shares-sink-on-lazaridis-letdown/