Reinventing the Millennium.

Chapter 484 Sony's Friend (Two in One)

What happened to Sony?
Since this topic was brought up by a TV program, it immediately aroused heated discussions.

Sony's downturn and business losses directly shook the Nikkei Index, it is hard not to attract widespread attention.

Therefore, facing this topic, many experts talked about foreign market competition, the development of the Internet, and the length of time the Walkman came out, but few directly criticized Sony's internal rules and regulations.

This is not only because Sony is indeed affected by many factors, but also because of the relatively strict hierarchy here, and the direction of public opinion is different.

In addition, Sony is losing money in some businesses, but it also involves finance, film and television, insurance, etc., which are still profitable.

If you use one sentence to summarize the attributes of this company, it is not unreasonable to say that it is an insurance company that sells electronic products.

For the criticism of such giants, experts on TV programs often talk about factors that the audience likes to hear and see, and they will not take inexplicable pressure to talk about internal affairs.

Now, the foreign president likes to chant scriptures.

Suddenly, Fang Zhuo, nicknamed "Sony's Enemy", accused the company's system, and the recording scene, including the host, felt a subtle sense of excitement.

Yes, yes, please speak more quickly.

This is the taste of the next gram.

Fang Zhuo observed the recording site and felt that the atmosphere seemed a little different, but he couldn't tell what was different, so he continued: "There are problems in the internal operation of the enterprise, the rules and regulations hinder technological innovation, and the products sold by Sony are lost. In terms of competitiveness, I think..."

Before he finished speaking, a guest next to the host suddenly stood up angrily, and said a series of words in a crackling voice.

Immediately, the host Kimura Hiroshi also spoke very quickly.

Finally, the guest bowed and apologized and sat back.

Fang Zhuo was confused, and looked at Zhao Zhishan who was startled, what's going on?

Zhao Zhishan quickly whispered: "Mr. Fang, Mr. Fang, this guest is a middle-level supervisor of Sony. He just said that you should not slander Sony. He was very angry. Then the host comforted him and said it was an analysis. This supervisor I just apologize."

"Mr. Fang, I'm sorry, Itoike Fumi cares too much about Sony, and he is very sorry for his gaffe." Host Kimura Hiroshi said in Chinese.

"Well, everyone cares about Sony very much, but the way is different, understand, understand." Fang Zhuo looked at Ito Chiwen who sat down again as if nothing had happened, and felt that his eyes did not look too angry .

So, is it because of this occasion that you have to express your opinion when you hear your own words?
Fang Zhuo guessed, thought for a while, and changed the subject: "Sony's products are very good, and I have always been a loyal user of them."

"Just now when I appeared on the stage, I saw the nickname of 'Sony's Enemy' in the introduction of the program. In fact, I thought I was 'Sony's friend'. Our Yike cooperated with Sony Music, and Sony Music held Yike's shares."

"Even without Yike, can Sony's current walkman be able to resist Apple's Ipod?"

"Sony has no right to speak in concerts. This is not a competition between Sony and Yike, but a competition between Walkman and mp3."

"I have no animosity towards Sony and would not be sitting here if I had any."

"Mr. Ito, you said, right?"

Fang Zhuo named Ito Chiwen who was angry just now.

When this paragraph was translated, Ito Chiwen nodded and said: "Yes, our walkman is gradually falling behind in the market, and the products of Apple and Yike are very competitive."

After listening to the translation, Fang Zhuo nodded and said: "So, why is Sony's competitiveness declining? Is it because all the talents in the company have lost their talents? Is it because everyone is unaware that the Internet is developing vigorously? Or is Sony's system Has seriously hindered technological innovation?"

"Or, is it that Sony's leaders have lost their technical acumen?"

Ito Chiwen didn't dare to answer this, it was a matter of jobs.

The host, Hiroshi Kimura, was not under so much pressure, but organized his speech for a few seconds, and asked politely: "Mr. Fang, you have been talking about Sony, so how does your company carry out technological innovation? "

"All the opinions of the technical team can be placed directly in front of my desk, and every team leader can communicate with me directly." Fang Zhuo smiled, "Eco is not as big as Sony, with a variety of businesses, but This is exactly the case, because of this situation, Sony requires leaders to have stronger capabilities accordingly.”

Hiroshi Kimura suddenly had a hunch that he wanted to listen to the following words!
Fang Zhuo noticed that both the host and Sony's Ito Chifumi were looking at him with piercing eyes, he shrugged his shoulders, and gave a light guess: "Seeing the current Sony, I have one doubt, whether Mr. Idei Nobuyuki is losing Control over Sony?"

The place was silent.

A few seconds later, Ito Chiwen stood up angrily, apologized and sat down after being dissuaded by the host.

A friend of Sony pointed out a question, is the current chairman and president of Sony losing control of Sony?

Zhao Zhishan didn't quite understand the atmosphere at the scene, but she had a feeling that everyone seemed to like what the boss said.

But, this is very strange, everyone knows that Yike is a competitor of Sony's music player.

Fang Zhuo observed the situation, smiled, and said cryptically: "It is very important for business leaders to be sensitive to technological innovation and to attach importance to technical talents. This is my experience in Yike."

Zhao Zhishan translated the words and didn't think there was anything wrong with this statement, but there was a burst of discussion immediately from the audience.

She doesn't know the situation, but she may be the only one in the whole scene who doesn't know the meaning of this sentence-Nobuyuki Idei is the first non-entrepreneur and non-technical person of Sony's chairman in 50 years.

The audience talked a lot, and the guest from Sony, Fumi Ito, was also thoughtful. Sony did have some complaints about Nobuyuki Idei.

When Nobuyuki Idei took office, this question surrounded him. Everyone was generally worried. What can such a leader who breaks the rules bring to Sony?
Four years on, the problem seems to have become apparent.

Sony's glory is fading!
Ito Chifumi finally spoke out as a guest after being angry twice, denying: "Mr. Fang, you are making unreasonable speculation about Sony. President Idei attaches great importance to technical personnel and innovation. He used to be our Sony employee." The Minister of Product Innovation and Communication has already proven his ability and understanding in this regard."

Fang Zhuo blinked: "Really? Each position requires different abilities. Mr. Ito, have you ever been a CEO? Do you know what kind of attention this position requires?"

Itochi is speechless, of course he has never been a CEO.

Fang Zhuo said with a smile: "I have been, but this is not the reason for me to question President Idei. It is more based on facts. As far as I know, an mp3 player in Tokyo currently has very good feedback, and the seller of this product The president of Lexiang Electronics is a technical talent from Sony."

"He once proposed mp3 at Sony, but it was not adopted by President Idei."

Fang Zhuo said regretfully: "From the perspective of a competitor, maybe I shouldn't say these things, but out of respect for Sony, I regret this choice."

Ito Chiwen was at a loss for words again. He actually knew Mitsu Tanaka, who has now turned into the president of Lexiang Electronics.

Fang Zhuo's criticism of Sony's president only ended here, and did not continue.

From his point of view, if a giant of this size suffers major business losses, someone must be responsible for it. However, Nobuyuki Idei's employment background is suspicious.

It is said that the Idei president was "decided by the method of exclusion" by the previous chairman. The originally chosen successor broke the scandal, and the other successor was too impatient. In the end, Idei, who has a non-technical background, succeeded in reaching the top.

Now, Nobuyuki Idei has proven that elimination doesn't work very well.

In addition, the president of Sony America, Stringer, was appointed as the vice chairman. This is probably the signal that Nobuyuki Idei had to send out due to the company's internal opinions.

Fang Zhuo once met Nobuyuki Idei at the annual meeting of Chinese business leaders in China, and they had exchanges with each other. The other party briefly asked about his intention to sell Yike. At that time, he said that he would make a similar music player.

However, until now, Sony still has not come up with competitive products, but is more obsessed with the refinement of walkman.

This may indeed mean that Nobuyuki Idei has lost control.

Regardless of "Chairman" or "President", these are just job titles. When power and decision-making cannot be carried out, it will be more difficult for Nobuyuki Idei to make changes to the declining Sony.

Judging from the current situation, this person probably doesn't have much time left.

It's hard to dance with an elephant, let alone in chains.

Fang Zhuo has his own judgment, and is also very curious about who will replace Sony next.

He has thought about Stringer who was promoted this year, but he also feels that such a British person who holds a position in the United States should not be selected as a global leader by a Japanese company, which will only make the entire company more chaotic.

The atmosphere at the scene was hot, and the host Hiroshi Kimura had to remind everyone to pay attention to the recording order.

Fang Zhuo smiled and exchanged a few words with Zhao Zhishan.

When the host re-announced the start of the recording, Fang Zhuo said sincerely: "Mr. Kimura, Mr. Ito, I am a straight person, so I can say whatever I think of. If there is something offended today, I will be really terrified."

Zhao Zhishan felt that the boss was redefining the word "straight intestine".

The host, Kimura Blog, got angry and asked another way: "So, since Mr. Fang considers himself a friend of Sony, what changes do you think Sony will make next to stop the decline?"

"I think..." Fang Zhuo thought for a while and shook his head, "To be honest, I don't have the experience of leading a large-scale group, and I didn't think about it for a while, but with all due respect, Sony's problem It’s just a microcosm of the electronics industry here.”

Hiroshi Kimura was puzzled.

"The development of the Internet is vast, and its essence is inclusiveness and development, but the Japanese electronics industry, including Sony, has lost this characteristic and has become more and more closed. It is only a manifestation of the reluctance to combine hardware with the Internet. "

Fang Zhuo talked eloquently: "I'm not talking about Sony, but another example. During the two days I was in Japan, I found that your mobile phones are using PDC, while most countries and regions in the world are using GSM."

"I was taken aback by the closure."

"The United States, Europe, and China all use GSM as their communication standard. What's the use of Japan adopting a unique set of standards?"

"Such closedness, such a mentality, is thought-provoking."

Fang Zhuo said earnestly: "If this closedness and stubbornness continue, not only Sony, but the entire electronics industry may go downhill."

Hiroshi Kimura was moved by these words, he stood up and bowed deeply: "Mr. Fang is very reasonable."

Even the audience was driven by the host and gave applause.

The recording of "Tokyo Online" is nearing the end of the second half.

Hiroshi Kimura seized the time to ask questions, instead of talking about Sony, he asked about the experience of successful people: "Can Mr. Fang teach us how to be successful?"

When Fang Zhuo heard this question, he said sternly, "My secret to success is just four words. Follow the rules. This is very important. You must do things within the rules."

The host nodded and continued to ask: "What kind of business philosophy does Mr. Fang have in the enterprise?"

"Business philosophy." Fang Zhuo chewed on these four words, and replied, "A company has to do difficult but correct things. Difficult means that the company can exert its value, and correct means that the company can reach its goal as long as it survives."

Kimura Hiroshi asked: "Then how to judge whether it is correct or not?"

"This requires a grasp of the times and technology, and constant learning." Fang Zhuo said with a smile, "Whether Sony or Yike, seniors like President Idei or young people like me, all need to learn."

Without the attacks and criticisms against Sony, the live recording atmosphere became more enjoyable.

The recording of "Tokyo Online" didn't end until [-] o'clock in the afternoon. Sony のyou, who spoke amazingly, was sincere throughout the whole process, and shared a lot of views on the company, and he was not hesitant to describe the situation of his own company.

Although the speech was not smooth, the audience gave the foreigner the warmest applause at the end of the show.

When Fang Zhuo got up, there were female audience members running up to offer flowers.

This novel experience made the young president a little flattered.

The host Hiroshi Kimura finally exchanged greetings and thanked Fang Zhuo for participating in the recording, and the two exchanged numbers.

"Mr. Fang, Mr. Fang, you say that about Sony's problems, about the problems in the electronics industry here, if, if..." Zhao Zhishan couldn't help asking a question as soon as he left TV Tokyo with his boss.

Although the words were not finished, Fang Zhuo understood the unfinished meaning, isn't this kind of reminder an aid to the enemy?
He said with a smile: "It would be a big strange thing if such a big company and industry could make changes because of a few words from a foreigner like me."

When Zhao Zhishan thought about it, he was right.

She then got into the car and asked, "Mr. Fang, what about the business? Will Sony value mp3 because of your words?"

"Nobuyuki Idei is still the same Nobuyuki Idei, there are still Walkman defenders inside Sony, and the strict hierarchy is still strict." Fang Zhuo shook his head, "Sony two years ago is different from Sony now, regardless of whether it can Immediately abandon the walkman, even if it becomes an mp3 player, it will not easily become the mainstream."

Zhao Zhishan was full of doubts and wanted to get an answer: "Will Idei Shinyuki be responsible for Sony's losses?"

Fang Zhuo thought for a while and said, "If you take responsibility, you will take responsibility. I'm not sure what kind of time it will be."

"The previous public opinion did not point to Nobuyuki Idei. This does not mean that this person has no problems, nor does it mean that he has no opponents."

"The recording of this program may become a catalyst."

"Some people will think that what I say makes sense."

"Some people will think I'm bewitching them."

"Some people say that I have malicious intentions, and some people regard me as a critical friend."

"That's all right."

"As long as they discuss it, this is a good response. After all, Nobuyuki Idei's four years of Sony are really bad. With such a foundation, the more discussions are made, the more Sony will be shocked."

"I'm afraid that the program "Tokyo Online" won't be aired. I'm very interested in Sony's next changes."

Fang Zhuo smiled slightly and took out a cigarette: "Xiao Zhao, do you want to smoke?"

Zhao Zhishan subconsciously picked it up in a daze.

Fang Zhuo put the cigarette away, switched from his right hand to his left, and said with a smile: "Do you really smoke? This is not a good habit, let's quit."

Zhao Zhishan: "...I don't smoke."

Fang Zhuo ignited: "That's right, keep it up."

"Mr. Fang, what can we get from Sony? If Sony really replaces Nobuyuki Idei, will it recover?" Zhao Zhishan asked.

Fang Zhuo rolled down the car window, looked at the scenery of Tokyo outside, and stopped answering: "You have too many questions, and I don't know if Yike can get anything. Sony is a giant with a wide range of businesses. Let's make friends first. Look around."

The car drove away, and Sony の Friend ended the recording of TV TOKYO.

(End of this chapter)