BlackBerry developer relations boss Mike Kirkup resigns

Parting advice for RIM colleagues is to 'always put themselves in the shoes of the external developer'.

Research In Motion's senior director of global developer relations, Mike Kirkup, is leaving the company.

"As the mobile space continues to change so quickly and this seemes like a great time to step back and consider my next steps," he writes on his personal blog, citing recent events including Google's planned acquisition of Motorola, HP's canning of webOS devices and Steve Jobs' resignation.

In an interview with CrackBerry, Kirkup gives more background on his decision, confirming that he is not leaving for a specific job elsewhere, and that he may "be sitting back down in front of a computer and pumping out some code".

Perhaps more interesting is Kirkup's parting advice for his colleagues at RIM, which directly addresses a perceived weakness for the BlackBerry platform in recent times.

"RIM is undergoing a change as they focus more on the importance of app developers and align the company around creating and supporting their incredibly robust platform," says Kirkup. "I would strongly encourage each RIM employee and certainly the executive staff to always put themselves in the shoes of the external developer. I believe that maintaining that viewpoint will be critical to the platform's success in the future."