Troubled smartphone and software maker Blackberry is laying off workers including a long-time employee who created Blackberry Messenger software. The company is laying off about 200 employees this month at its Sunrise. Fla. location and at the company's Waterloo, Ontario, Canada headquarters. Among those leaving the headquarters are Gary Klassen, one of the company's principal architects and creator of Blackberry Messenger (BBM) and Blackberry Spark. Last year, BlackBerry said that more than 190 million people use BBM, the company's cross-platform instant messaging application. Canadian tech news site Mobile Syrup had reported that layoffs in Ontario could approach 1,000 and amount to 35% of the company's workforce there. But Blackberry officials said that was not correct. The company forwarded this statement via email: "As BlackBerry continues to execute its turnaround plan, we remain focused on driving efficiencies across our global workforce.