TAT co-founder leaves RIM before BlackBerry 10 launch [update]

Hampus Jakobsson, the co-founder of Astonishing Tribe (TAT), announced on Twitter that he is leaving Research In Motion (RIM). The BlackBerry maker had acquired TAT in 2010 to develop the user interface for future devices running on QNX platform, which RIM had bought earlier. TAT, a Sweden-based user interface design company, had designed the UI for the PlayBook and the team is working on the UI elements of the upcoming BlackBerry 10 operating system on which RIM’s future depends. The cause or the effect of Jakobsson’s departure are unknown at the moment and was first reported by Slashgear. RIM showed off some cool UI elements of BlackBerry 10 earlier this year without revealing much of the core interface, which it is still developing and is expected to unveil them closer to the launch, which has now been pushed to the first quarter of 2013. The company is betting on BlackBerry 10 to revive its fortunes and will first launch an all-touch smartphone followed by one with a touchscreen combined with a physical QWERTY keyboard.
UPDATE: RIM has reached out to BGR India with a statement on Jakobsson’s departure.
“RIM can confirm that Hampus Jakobsson has left his role as Director, Strategic Alliances at RIM. We wish him the best. The BlackBerry 10 UI team, which includes many members of The Astonishing Tribe, as well as others around the world, remains on track to deliver BlackBerry 10 in the first quarter of 2013.”
You can check out some of the UI elements of Blackberry 10 in the video below.