Reinventing the Millennium.

Chapter 571 Temptation (Two in One)

The flight from Shanghai to Tokyo only takes three hours, and Fang Zhuo and his party arrived at Haneda International Airport at two o'clock in the afternoon.

When the flight landed, although Xu Keden and Xu Kedeng had to look at the development of the panel screen and see what was wrong with Sony's system, but after completing the important node of the ice core, they also had to meet the traveling family, Fang Zhuo The mood is still suddenly relaxed.

How comfortable it is to look at the screen, come up with ideas, and visit attractions.

At 03:30 in the afternoon, Fang Zhuo stayed at the hotel and met his parents, uncle, aunt, and sister. They just arrived in Tokyo yesterday.

Fang Zhuo only took a three-hour flight, and he was always full of energy. After taking off a Panda Di, he put on a new Panda Di, and happily walked around Tokyo with his family.

"Brother, why are your watches all the same?" My younger sister Zhao Suqi was very surprised when she saw this scene.

"Maybe everyone has the same intentions. However, although there are many watches, I can't give them to you. When we go shopping today, we will each have a different style." Fang Zhuo really rarely spends money like this.

His previous personal consumption was just buying sports cars and football teams.

"Then..." Zhao Suqi rolled her eyes, "Then Miss Yu said she looked back at you wearing a watch."

"It's a matter, but I've probably figured it out." Fang Zhuo shook his head slightly, and stopped discussing it, "Let's go, let's go shopping for watches and bags first, and I have a meeting tonight, so I have to have an early dinner."

While Fang Zhuo and his family were browsing the cityscape of Tokyo, Stringer, who had been in Tokyo for two days, met with some executives of the Sony Group one after another at the hotel, and was about to hold another discussion meeting at [-]:[-] p.m.

Although some tacit consensus has been reached with the leader Nobuyuki Idei before, the huge group empire is not so easy to grasp, especially, the matter involving who to partner with will determine the future power structure.

Stringer wanted to hear again from think tanks and from inside Sony.

This trip to Tokyo, he did not come alone, it can be said that he invited friends to form a think tank, and these people are also candidates for Sony Group's future external directors.

Sony needs Western-style scientific reform of the board of directors, which is a consensus reached by some of the current directors.

At eight o'clock in the evening, the hotel conference room.

The oval conference table is dominated by Stringer, with the think tank on his right and five executives from different departments of the Sony Group on his left.

The meeting time was set at [-] o'clock. At this moment, everyone was present on the left side, and the seat next to Stringer was still vacant on the right side. The other four international executives also sat down.

Yoshio Yoshino, vice president of Sony Electronics, looked at the seat that had been vacant for two days, and felt even more curious, but he still held it in his heart.

Different from the restraint of local executives, invited Western executives were asked.

"Stringer, haven't you started yet?" British Telecom CEO Pete said with a smile, "Is this one coming or not? Today is late."

He was sitting next to the empty seat, and he was also curious about who was in front of him.

Stringer glanced at the time, picked up his mobile phone and prepared to make a call to inquire about the situation.

Before he could dial the number, the door of the conference room was knocked first, then pushed open, and the last person arrived.

The visitor was a young oriental face.

The think tanks on the right were quite surprised, while the group executives on the left were very surprised. The reserved position was actually for him?

The chairman of Yike who once appeared in the Japanese media and was called "Sony's enemy" is actually Mr. Stringer's guest?
This……

Looking at Fang Zhuo who was getting closer and closer, Yoshino Yoshino felt emotional in his heart, never expecting to see this one here.

"Fang, let me introduce you." Stringer got up to welcome the invited assistant, and introduced with a smile, "This is Pete, the CEO of British Telecom, this is Roland, the CEO of Tremondo, this is Xie Zhengyan, McKinsey Our senior partner, this is Nagakawako, she is a famous entrepreneur in Japan."

Stringer is introduced in seating order.

Pete, CEO of British Telecom.

Roland, CEO of Tremondo.

Xie Zhengyan, Chinese, senior partner of McKinsey.

Nagakawako, a famous Japanese female entrepreneur.

Finally, Stringer introduced the four friends who just arrived in Tokyo today.

Fang Zhuo, the chairman of Yike, and the 158th Forbes richest person in the world just released this year.

The reason for leaving the first place on the right is not only because of the young president's familiarity with Sony, but also because of his respect for his wealth - the richest person in this conference room.

Of course, wealth is not the only criterion. Once Stringer takes over as the head of Sony, the resources he can mobilize are not limited to personal wealth, but especially wealth that can be ranked globally still has considerable influence. .

Fang Zhuo happily shook hands and exchanged business cards, knowing that these four were invited by Lao Si to give advice just like himself, and at the same time, there may be some competition relationship implied.

As for the competition...

If Sony’s board of directors is to be moved, there must be someone who can take the top. Which one or which two will be, I’m afraid it depends on the performance this time.

After Fang Zhuo finished exchanging greetings, he only saw Stringer waving at the five people on the opposite side after he sat down.

The five Japanese stood up one by one, introduced themselves, and heard that they were executives of different subsidiaries and businesses.

Needless to say, the treatment of the two sides is different. Sony's internal executives belong to Stringer's subordinates, and there is no introduction in the middle. Instead, it is more like a debriefing.

Fang Zhuo thought about it, and happily listened to the names of the five executives, remembering them in his heart.

Counting Stringer, there are only 11 people in the entire meeting room, and the matters discussed are quite high-end.

Fang Zhuo sipped his coffee without making a sound. He listened to the report of the five Sony executives to Stringer for a while, and had a vague impression of the group's affairs. According to the financial report estimates, the overall profit of Sony Group last year was 8 billions of dollars or so.

But this profit includes Sony's financial, life insurance, and entertainment business, and the sales of flat-panel TVs, digital cameras, LCD rear-projection TVs, Walkman products, and CRT TVs have all fallen sharply.

However, compared to the previous year, this modest profit figure has also increased by 85%.

Stringer inquired about the performance of several indicators in detail, and after pondering for a while, he turned the topic to the sensitive group power.

"Mr. Idei Nobuyuki will see me on the 28th. If there are no accidents, the shareholders' meeting at the beginning of the month will determine the positions of the new chairman, president, and CEO. Now it is very likely that Ryoji Nakabachi will replace the president. There may be an accident, and Mr. Idei will probably ask for my opinion."

"Do you think this year's shareholders meeting will propose more radical reforms?"

The five Sony executives all lowered their eyes and remained silent.

The five members of the think tank were also pondering.

British Telecom CEO Pete first confirmed one point: "Mr. Idei confirms that he will nominate you?"

This is a relatively basic premise.

However, Stringer hesitated and did not answer immediately. The previous repeated resignation was not a direct communication between him and Idei Nobuyuki, but a tactful expression through the current external directors of Sony Group.

Logically speaking, there should be no problem, but since I arrived in Japan, I have never seen Nobuyuki Idei himself.

In addition, Ken Kutaragi, who is also said to be a strong contender for the position of group president, publicly opposed the foreign chairman in charge of Sony.

Kutaragi Ken, known as the "Father of PS", is an important person in charge of Sony's few bright business.

If the Sony Group no longer chooses a foreign chairman, Ken Kutaragi may even hope to succeed Nobuyuki Idei.

You must know that the news of choosing a foreigner is called "unprecedented", and "unprecedented" is the practice that conforms to the perception of more people.

Stringer did not see Nobuyuki Idei, and without going through the procedures of the shareholders' meeting, it is really impossible to say that he is sure to take over as the head.

"Only Stringer can save Sony. In the current Sony Group, Mr. Idei can't, Ryoji Nakabachi can't, and Ken Kutaragi can't." Fang Zhuo said lightly, "Sony's TVs and DVDs are being taken away by Panasonic and Samsung. Market share, music players are also losing their mojo to Apple and Echo, and most importantly…”

"This is Sony's leadership position in the consumer electronics market being challenged. Different product lines are facing a global competition crisis. Sony's image in the past two years is no longer in the hearts of consumers."

"Sony now needs a leader who has a global vision and is familiar with Sony's affairs."

"The US market is one of Sony's most important markets, or none. Stringer has experience in managing such a market, which neither Ryoji Nakabachi nor Ken Kutaragi has. At the same time, he also has a global vision. , which is also rare.”

Fang Zhuo glanced at the five Japanese on the opposite side, and said affirmatively: "It's good that Mr. Idei didn't mention Stringer's name. Once it is mentioned, once it is considered, everyone will abandon the factor of 'foreignerness'. It is better to consider the development of this global enterprise."

"Idei previously raised the possibility of Stringer's succession for whatever reason, once he raised it, he couldn't help it."

Some analysis is well-founded and convincing.

Stringer reservedly did not nod, but the other four international executives felt that it was reasonable and taken for granted that Sony's Japanese management was outdated, and of course it had to rely on Western experience.

Fang Zhuo took a sip of his coffee and pondered, "As for Zhongba Ryoji..."

He didn't go on talking, thinking about this person's information, but at this moment, Yoshino Yoshino, the Japanese executive opposite him, raised his head and lowered his gaze again.

Fang Zhuo didn't know whether the atmosphere of Japanese companies was strict, but the other four Japanese executives all lowered their heads slightly obediently. Why did the vice president of Yoshino have a little reaction?thirsty?Want to see a new watch on your wrist?
He raised his hand and took another sip of coffee, and the words that came to his mouth were swallowed back together.

"This Ryoji Nakabachi is a local elite of Sony. He was first proposed to have a 'representative director', right? Now it has been agreed to remove it." Roland, CEO of Tremondo, mentioned the negotiation changes before and after Ryoji Nakabachi, " If he takes over the position of president, he will definitely get the support of more local elites, and I think this kind of support may not change because of whether he is a 'representative director' or not."

What he meant was that regardless of whether Nakabachi Ryoji's current board of directors was elected as a "representative director", it is likely that Stringer's power would be distributed on behalf of Sony Group's local interests.

Xie Zhengyan, a senior partner at McKinsey, agrees with this expression: "Perhaps, we should express our opinions with Mr. Idei more, first of all, to ensure that the status of this 'representative director' must be terminated, and second, since Kutaragi Ken strongly opposes it, and Nakaba Ryoji is quite satisfied with it." Support, simply don't use these two, and replace it with someone else."

He laughed and said, "It's not like Sony only has two such high-level executives, right? We can change to a less threatening president candidate, otherwise, I'm afraid there will be great resistance to the reform of Sony's board of directors and redundant businesses."

Once Stringer takes over, he will reform not only the board of directors, but also all aspects of Sony Group.

"Reform is never an easy task." Stringer expressed a clear understanding, "I think that for Sony's current bad situation, it is necessary to use the future to lure and encourage them to make changes."

"I need a president who can act with me."

"I met Ryoji Nakabachi yesterday. He gave me the feeling that he is very cautious and careful, which is a very typical Japanese management style."

"Will this be what I need?"

Stringer used rhetorical questions to express his thoughts. Is the Japanese management style compatible with Western-style scientific management?
After he finished speaking, he looked at Fang Zhuo who hadn't spoken for a while: "Fang, your judgment has always been accurate. The compromise of the 'representative director' really surprised me. What do you think now?"

The representative director is the small chairman.

It was also what Stringer said that everyone knew that the opinion of the young president played a role in the compromise of Ryoji Nakabachi's "representative director".

Everyone in the conference room looked at Fang Zhuo, and the five Japanese executives also looked at "Sony's Enemy" at the same time.

Fang Zhuo smiled and said, "I don't think Ryoji Nakabachi can't be elected as a 'representative director'."

Stringer was stunned, and the four international executives also frowned. It took a lot of effort to compromise at this level, why did they have to pay back at such a juncture?
Fang Zhuo raised the coffee cup with his right hand, turned his head slightly, and winked at Stringer who was looking at him.

"A foreign chairman needs the support of Sony's local elites, Ryoji Nakabachi." Thinking about his glorious resume, he commented, "Not bad."

Xie Zhengyan refuted aloud, disagreeing with Mr. Fang's diametrically opposed statement.

While listening, Fang Zhuo took out his mobile phone and sent a text message to Stringer next to him—"I said this today, maybe Ryoji Nakabachi will contact you and me tomorrow."

Stringer saw Mr. Fang pressing the phone and felt the vibration in his pocket, so he remained calm and did not take out the phone immediately, and continued to listen to the opinions of the senior partners of McKinsey for a while.

After a while, when Roland analyzed the Sony Group's job authority, he took out his mobile phone, took a quick look and placed it on the table, his expression unchanged.

Stringer knew.

This is a temptation.

This is Mr. Fang suspecting that one of the five Sony executives is Ryoji Nakabachi.

The "representative director" should have already compromised with Ryoji Nakabachi. If he suddenly offered benefits in exchange for this shelved condition tomorrow or in the next two days, it must be that today's meeting leaked the news.

"The representative director of Ryoji Nakabachi, I'll think about it again." Stringer said calmly, "Maybe, he can agree with my reform plan, and he is a person who can cooperate."

The four international executives frowned.

Fang Zhuo nodded slightly to express his attitude, and raised his hand to drink the cold coffee.

(End of this chapter)