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Kotaku: Kaz Hirai is stepping down as Sony CEO
- Thread starter TimFL
- Start date
davepoobond
you can't put a price on sparks
i'd say he's done ok
gustave154
Member
Aww gonna miss him alot. He will always be the CEO and Saviour of Sony in our hearts
The previous CFO as CEO? Uhm... I hope this is not going to be bean counter extraordinaire to the extreme as a company like Sony needs vision and needs smart R&D investments to thrive not nickel and dining of its user base and cheapening out on the experiences it gives to customers. They need more blu sky research not less...
Barakov
Member
2006 was a good year.
Just speculation on my part but I wonder if there's some changes that are coming at Sony and he just doesn't want to deal with it anymore.
Koala Driving a Ferrari
Member
I'd say that you're probably right on the money. Sony will be making big changes this year to head into 2019 which will define the future of the Playstation brand beyond the PS4. Very sad to see him go. I would prefer it if the entire Playstation team stayed consistent going into the next generation.
...Or maybe Kaz is just transforming into his next Super Saiyan form to combat the Switch:
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TannerDemoz
Member
KNACK finally released on PS+ to the audience it deserves. His job is complete.
AnimalFather
Banned
why?
TimFL
Member
It‘s not really a surprise to me. He‘s been with Sony for a very long time and I‘d bet being CEO of Sony is very taxing. He surely made bank and will probably get an easier job now or potentially retire in the near future. That‘s what I‘d do.
Coulomb_Barrier
Member
The boy done good. Don't blame him he must have worked his socks off the last 3 years.
I imagine he's in the position where he could pretty much do whatever he wants to now.
It's not that unusual for people of his age to go into advisory non-executive director positions within a company where they may only work a day or two each week but still be paid enough to maintain their lifestyle. Some even move into advisory positions for more than one company.
It's not that unusual for people of his age to go into advisory non-executive director positions within a company where they may only work a day or two each week but still be paid enough to maintain their lifestyle. Some even move into advisory positions for more than one company.
AnimalFather
Banned
in CEO time he's already dead.
FIREKNIGHT2029
Member
So he's going to be the chairman?...
Without name
Neo Member
I miss him a lot, but i miss fake kaz too
FF:Enhanced_Reality
Member
I can understand Kaz's decision because quite honestly these past years must have been gruelling and not great for his health. As much as I love my Xperia handsets and have always had/loved Sony mobile phones, the Xperia handsets have lost a massive amount of market share. While it does seem very much like a Duopoly between the tech titans of Apple and Samsung, the Xperia brand used to be a close third and just faded into obscurity. I have no idea why, because I've never had an issue with my phones and they always seems like great value for money. I went into Three to upgrade to a new phone and they literally had ONE Xperia handset. They have a whole bunch of Huawei, Samsung, Apple and other brands, but only one Sony phone? I don't really need the power of the XZ Premium but never mind. Sony stopped producing laptops so that's been and gone. They seem to have stopped producing tablets, or at least advertising them. Their televisions have taken a big step back.
I've always been a happy customer of Sony, with very few incidents I can ever complain of and even then, they were sorted promptly. I hope this new guy really knows his stuff because PlayStation and the gaming division really is driving their growth and come back, if they have someone who doesn't wholly understand it, or wishes to push for a new direction, that could seriously hurt the good work that has been done. I know who Kenichiro Yoshida is and what he has done but this cookie can crumble very easily.
I'd like to see Sony return to the former giant it once was, mainly because I think they've offered customers some amazing products over the years and their engineers are incredibly talented, possibly under appreciated in the industry. I just hope Mr Hirai will be there to help steer the reigns should they ever move away from their target. Though Shawn Layden has done a superb job since Jack Tretton moved on. Still miss Jack.
I've always been a happy customer of Sony, with very few incidents I can ever complain of and even then, they were sorted promptly. I hope this new guy really knows his stuff because PlayStation and the gaming division really is driving their growth and come back, if they have someone who doesn't wholly understand it, or wishes to push for a new direction, that could seriously hurt the good work that has been done. I know who Kenichiro Yoshida is and what he has done but this cookie can crumble very easily.
I'd like to see Sony return to the former giant it once was, mainly because I think they've offered customers some amazing products over the years and their engineers are incredibly talented, possibly under appreciated in the industry. I just hope Mr Hirai will be there to help steer the reigns should they ever move away from their target. Though Shawn Layden has done a superb job since Jack Tretton moved on. Still miss Jack.
makaveli60
Member
Kaz stepping down + twitter account closes? Truly the end of a great era
kidfresh718
Member
According to Variety, Hirai's decision to step down was because he was "worn down from the travel schedule he's maintained during the past six years as CEO." The executive is reportedly planning to spend more time with his family in California, but he could take an active role in Sony's entertainment division as chairman.
Badlucktroll
Member
I wonder how Sony would look today if this deal hadn't fallen through.
https://www.theverge.com/2014/2/5/5380832/sony-vaio-apple-os-x-steve-jobs-meeting-report
I bet they would have been called "Apple + Vaio".
https://www.theverge.com/2014/2/5/5380832/sony-vaio-apple-os-x-steve-jobs-meeting-report
I bet they would have been called "Apple + Vaio".
TimFL
Member
The timing and accuracy of this account is absolute unreal.
Nitty_Grimes
Made a crappy phPBB forum once ... once.
I miss him a lot, but i miss fake kaz too
Fake Kaz is still going. For now.
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llien
Member
Actually, as of 2015, CEO's average age at hire was 50.
Nitty_Grimes
Made a crappy phPBB forum once ... once.
CEOs tend not to hang around for any lengths of time anyway.
Without name
Neo Member
I know but after e3 2018 he will shutdown his account
Lord Radik
Member
I believe the new CEO was hand picked by Kaz at the start of his tenure help with restructuring the company. He was promoted to CFO a few years back I believe. I'm not 100% sure where Sony is at financially right now but if I recall they had to shed quite a bit of bloat. VIO laptops, redundant models of TV's, Sony Chemical Company(I looked up Wikipedia for that one. Sony was in volatile chemicals. I bet they had a factory that made miniature factories also). They also sold off SoE and Evolution on the gaming side(probably didn't make a huge dent either way).
Bryank75
Banned
Yeah, Ken Yoshida was instrumental in the restructuring. He is also excellent as a cfo as he is very conservative and cautious in his projections ... this results in investors being less disappointed and sometimes pleasantly surprised.
With Kaz as chairman and Ken as CEO the company is well set for the future. Michael O'Leary was cfo in Ryan Air before he became CEO and made it into the success it is.....
Journey
Banned
No one outside of the gaming community would understand its greatness!
deriks
4-Time GIF/Meme God
Kazuo “Kaz” Hirai’s six-year reign as Sony CEO will come to an end this March, as CFO Kenichiro Yoshida is taking over at the start of the next financial year. Yoshida is credited with helping turn around Sony’s finances throughout much of Hirai’s tenure, which began with a much-vaunted “One Sony” streamlining initiative. Hirai will move into the role of chairman, while Yoshida’s CFO role will go to mobile head and chief strategy officer Hiroki Totoki.
Hirai hired Yoshida as Sony’s strategy chief early on, and the pair worked together to restructure the fractured corporation, steering it into the black after several years of losses. The company has cut back or sold off businesses like the VAIO PC division, focusing on areas of strength like PlayStation and components.
“Mr. Yoshida combines a deeply strategic mindset with a relentless determination to achieve defined targets, and the ability to take a global viewpoint,” Hirai says in a statement. “I believe he possesses the breadth of experience and perspective, as well as the unwavering leadership qualities required to manage Sony’s diverse array of businesses, and as such is the ideal person to drive the company forward into the future. As Chairman, I will of course offer my full support to Mr. Yoshida and the new management team, and do all I can to facilitate a smooth transition and ensure their future success.”
“Together with the outstanding talent we have across the Sony Group, I will aim to build on the business foundations established by Mr. Hirai, and execute further reform measures that enhance our competitiveness as a global enterprise, and enable us to realize long-term profit growth,” Yoshida says. “My first priority will be to finalize our next mid-range corporate plan starting in April, together with our immediate business plan for the fiscal year 2018, and then move ahead swiftly with implementation. This is a hugely exciting time at Sony as we look to our future, and together with my management team I intend to determine the best path for us to move forward, and devote my full effort to creating a better Sony that captures the imagination of our many stakeholders around the world.”
Sony may give further details on its future strategy when it reports its third-quarter earnings later today. The company is forecasting a record operating profit of 630 billion yen for the year ending March 31st, suggesting Hirai will be going out on a high.
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Also, the best fake account ever:
Hirai hired Yoshida as Sony’s strategy chief early on, and the pair worked together to restructure the fractured corporation, steering it into the black after several years of losses. The company has cut back or sold off businesses like the VAIO PC division, focusing on areas of strength like PlayStation and components.
“Mr. Yoshida combines a deeply strategic mindset with a relentless determination to achieve defined targets, and the ability to take a global viewpoint,” Hirai says in a statement. “I believe he possesses the breadth of experience and perspective, as well as the unwavering leadership qualities required to manage Sony’s diverse array of businesses, and as such is the ideal person to drive the company forward into the future. As Chairman, I will of course offer my full support to Mr. Yoshida and the new management team, and do all I can to facilitate a smooth transition and ensure their future success.”
“Together with the outstanding talent we have across the Sony Group, I will aim to build on the business foundations established by Mr. Hirai, and execute further reform measures that enhance our competitiveness as a global enterprise, and enable us to realize long-term profit growth,” Yoshida says. “My first priority will be to finalize our next mid-range corporate plan starting in April, together with our immediate business plan for the fiscal year 2018, and then move ahead swiftly with implementation. This is a hugely exciting time at Sony as we look to our future, and together with my management team I intend to determine the best path for us to move forward, and devote my full effort to creating a better Sony that captures the imagination of our many stakeholders around the world.”
Sony may give further details on its future strategy when it reports its third-quarter earnings later today. The company is forecasting a record operating profit of 630 billion yen for the year ending March 31st, suggesting Hirai will be going out on a high.
_____________________________________________________
Also, the best fake account ever:
BibiMaghoo
Member
CloudStrife_ca
Member
Thank you Kaz Hirai for fighting the good fight against Bill Gates for so many years.
thelastword
Banned
Best higher up SONY had for a minute.....The other legend at Sony to me was Ken Kutaragi. Bring back Ken to Co-develop PS5 with Cerny. Give us a 32TLOP console in 2020 with 64GB of GDDR6/HMB3. ITB NANO and Zen 2.......@$499.99
mckmas8808
Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
OH GAWD!!! You're right. It will be a bean counter. Geez as soon as Sony hit a stride, now this.
mckmas8808
Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
I'd buy that in 1.2 seconds
Iced Arcade
Member
god damn
rokkerkory
Member
he's going to join krazy ken in greener pastures
Bryank75
Banned
The board of directors is responsible mostly for high level policy, strategy, compliance, oversight and corp. social responsibility. It may have several sub committees such as one for remuneration.
The chairman can sometimes be the ceo of the company but it is better practice to separate these jobs. Chairman will be a senior member of the board, may hold special privileges when voting and will be present at almost all board meetings unlike outside directors. They may be involved in several sub committees due to their experience and seniority.
This may be a very broad answer but it is a broad type of job also.
Randomizer
Member
End of an era. Outside Sony Pictures (Bladeruner 2049 was too good for this world) he has done an amazing job revitalising the entire company. PS4 is his crowning achievement and helped put Sony back in the number one position.