How you rate Kazuo Hirai first x-mas with PS3 and whats for the future?

[bugmenot]

"Well the truth about the ps3 we'l find out once Stringers gone. Stringer was appointed chairman of Sony precisely because he was foreign. And could make cuts that a Japanese chairman couldnt. Other than that his tenure is decidedly poor. Zero new hit products in his 2 and a half years in charge. As things stand he'l be known as an ultra conservative/safe chairman scared of taking risks. But I suppose that's what Sony wanted someone to steady the ship. And the next guy in charge will be expected to transform Sony. I'v got an inkling even though he says he wants to stay he'l be pushed at the end of this fiscal."

It was my understanding that prior to Stringer as CEO, Sony's electronics division were losing money and share and all the other parts of the business were innefficient, somewhat nebulous and needless, and that as a whole, Playstation was financially buoying the whole business up. Now the company has totally inversed, with painful but fairly responsible cutbacks (damn him for killing Qrio) in all the excesses and sales of assets, producing profitability in almost all areas, and increasing growth, share and overall profits. Except Playstation, where Stringer's let Kaz and others get away with pretty much whatever they want. He's forced them to sell their chip plant now that it's clear they can't fill their 20+ million per year PS3 orders, but other than that he's stumped up all the cash they ever asked for.

When I say inversed I mean PS used to keep the rest of Sony alive but since Stringer, the rest of Sony keeps PS alive. He totally did steady the ship in the nick of time. Apart from Playstation, he's essentially reversed and cured a dying company. And while you're right that he hasn't exactly produced the next walkman, Bravia has been an astonishing success in some territories, even knocking Samsung off the top. Considering his predecessors had little to do with PS1 and PS2's success (hence the non-naming of Kutaragi as CEO after everything he did for the company) and let things like Ipod happen under their rule (and I'm almost certain the DRM scandal at least must have been brewing during that dark Atrac3 powered time), Stringer's done absolutely amazing things in 2 1/2 years and their steadily improving share value over that time has reflected their internal improvement.