Kazuo Hirai for the top job? I think so.

Is Kaz the man for the top job at Sony? You betcha.

Top bloke

It's been about six years since Sir Howard Stringer took the honour of CEO and Chairman of Sony Corp from the tornado of destruction who was Noboyuki Idei. Some people won't agree with my views on Idei, he did do some good things in his tenure, but doesn't everyone? Being nominated as one of the worst managers of 2005 by BusinessWeek magazine pretty much sums up Noboyuki Idei's heretical 6 year reign at Sony.

No doubt though Stringer has done great things heading Sony since 2005, streamlining operations and building a more organised product line-up. Definitely one of Stringer's most instrumental contributions to the company has been breaking down the 'silo walls' within the company and creating a more unified and focused corporation, building a company that feels like one, instead of acting separately in several different subsidiaries and groups. Stringer and I (and I'm sure many others) share this philosophy, that unity in everything, within the product line-up, within separate areas of the company and software and hardware most importantly, will pave the road to success.

But of course, to spoil the party, nothing lasts forever. So of course, Stringer's time as CEO and chairman of Sony will come to an end, and he is already considering who will succeed him. My bet? KAZ HIRAI

Hirai is best known for his showing at E3 2006 and has developed an almost celebrity prominence across gaming enthusiasts on the net after his infamous 'Riiiiidge Racer!' line, whilst desperately trying to entice enthusiasm out of the crowd at E3. More importantly, Kaz turned the Playstation business from the money loser when he was appointed, to the cash cow that it is now.
Nevertheless, clearly Kaz is in the lead for the role, which was made even more clear with Thursday's announcement that Kaz will be promoted to a new position that will have him head all of Sony's consumer electronics products, personal computers and of course, gaming - which will be effective from April 1. Breathing down Kaz's neck for the position is Hiroshi Yoshioka who will run the remainder of Sony's, dare I say less creative side of the business, consisting of boring things like semiconductors and batteries. There are several reasons why I believe Kaz is the right man for the top job, which I will list in number form charitably for your reading pleasure.

1. PASSION: If there is one character at Sony that displays passion, it is Kaz Hirai. Love is what drives the hardest workers, love is the reason for the most momentous decisions in life, it would only be fitting that the next leader has to love the brand. Sony needs a person who loves consumer electronics more than their life, who would work 40 hour days, and realise at 24 hours that a day doesn't even last that long. Nothing tells the future better than history, and history has told us that the most successful business were run by leaders who loved what they were doing, not because it got them money, but because of the passion for their creations and achievements. A modern day example, is Apple. Steve Jobs is the epitome of a passionate leader, despite his health condition he quoted at his surprise appearance at the iPad 2 launch - "We've been working on this product for a while, and I didn't want to miss today" - iPad over health? I think so. With Kaz's desperate and dignity destroying 'Riiiiiiidge Racer' moment at E3 2006, I think it's appropriate to infer that Kaz really does love Sony.

2. MEDIA PRESENCE: Currently, Sony doesn't occupy nearly enough time in the media to garner the appropriate amount of hype and fanfare for their product releases. I know that I always mention Apple, but the simple fact is Apple is almost flawless in every aspect of their business that everything that Sony must dream of just leads them straight back to Apple. Steve Jobs is what we would call a celebrity CEO and his every move immediately attracts media attention, which essentially provides Apple with free publicity, thus put simply, free advertising. Kaz being the most well-known of Sony's exec would be the most appropriate in this respect, though not quite up to the level of Jobs, Kaz would definitely attract more attention from the press than the other possible candidate, Hiroshi Yoshioka.

3. EXPERIENCE: In an industry like consumer electronics, experience matters, it takes a long time to learn the trends and minds of consumers, to learn how to appropriately market a product. In consumer electronics corporate culture and brand image matter as much as the products that the company rolls out. Both Hirai and Yoshioka are yardsticks of experience, Yoshioka entered Sony Corp. in 1979 and Hirai, 5 years later in 1984. Yoshioka though, doesn't run a business as instrumental as Hirai. The Playstation business will for a very long time, if not always, be an essential part of Sony's product line-up, providing the core of Sony's digital software distribution and also home/portable entertainment. Having run the Playstation business, Kaz Hirai has the knowledge and experience to take Sony further into this field, a field that has limitless potential and based on current trends is the way of the future. Yoshioka on the other hand, runs the professional side of Sony as opposed to the consumer side. The professional side, though not inferior, is the side of the company that people don't see, it's the side that doesn't touch consumers as such. Kaz's experience with the Playstation business and also NPSG (Networked Products and Services Group) equips Kaz with the appropriate weaponry to take Sony forward. 


Those are the basic three reasons why Kaz Hirai brings the mud to my chocolate cake, the third I believe being the most important. One who runs a core consumer business as opposed to professional devices and solutions is by nature a more appropriate man to run a primarily consumer focused company. No doubt there are also minor reasons which are undeserving of their own paragraphs, one being the fact that Kaz is just generally well respected and a better known face than Yoshioka. People know Kaz and knowing someone makes us feel like we can connect with them better, thus people will connect better with the Sony brand if Kaz becomes leader, which would naturally lead to a stronger awareness and loyalty to the Sony group. 


Don't expect Stringer to be taking the leap any time soon though, he quoted himself that he has 'unfinished business'. He has also mentioned in the past that he would leave the company only when it's turnaround was complete. Better to be prepared early though, than under-prepared later.