Innovator who shook the world: Akio Morita and his best invention Sony

Sony’s founder, Akio Morita, is renowned as the “world’s salesman” for his role in expanding the Sony brand globally. However, he achieved numerous other accomplishments and faced various challenges on the path to establishing the Sony brand. Therefore, in this article, we’ll delve into famous quotes, achievements, and background information about Akio Morita, the founder of Sony, to understand his personality. Morita was a genius in terms of business acumen, recognized worldwide. Learning about Morita can offer valuable insights into approaches to work, so please consider it as a reference for your career and life

• Table
• Akio Morita’s achievements | Sales of Walkman, establishment of Sony brand
  • Sales of transistor radios and walkmans
  • Expanding business performance from a small factory to a large global company
  • Best wingman of genius Mr. Ibuka
• Akio Morita’s early life | Establishment of the Sony brand
  • Born as the eldest son of a historic sake brewery.
  • Let’s do what no one else has done! Japan’s first transistor radio
  • Supporting our core business by taking on challenges in multiple industries

Akio Morita’s achievements | Sales of Walkman and establishment of the Sony brand

I will mainly explain the following three points about Akio Morita’s achievements.

1. Sales of transistor radios and Walkman

2. Expansion of performance from a small factory to a large global company

3. Best wingman of genius Mr. Ibuka

Sales of transistor radios and walkman

Following Japan’s first tape recorder, Sony announced a transistor radio, which received a massive order of 100,000 units from a major corporation. For Sony, still an unknown name at the time, this was a great opportunity. However, Mr. Morita and his colleagues turned down the order of 100,000 units. The reason was that the condition for the order was to conceal the name of Sony.

Mr. Morita was focused on expanding the recognition of the Sony brand. By introducing innovative products under the Sony name, he spread the Sony brand globally. Moreover, with product names that succinctly described their unique features, such as the “Walkman” designed for listening while walking, Sony products became the talk of the town.

Expanding business performance from a small factory to a large global company

Sony started as a small factory with about 20 people. Mr. Morita founded the company together with Mr. Ibuka, whom he met during the Pacific War, with Mr. Ibuka in charge of technology and Mr. Morita in charge of sales and management. Mr. Morita’s experience of overcoming a business crisis by expanding the market led him to reduce risk by opening the market widely. One of the reasons why Sony has grown into a major global company is because it aggressively entered the American market.

Best wingman of genius Mr. Ibuka

Morita’s accomplishments as wingman of Mr. Ibuka, a genius, cannot be overlooked. Mr. Ibuka specialized in technical aspects, and Mr. Morita supported Mr. Ibuka with his sales sense, which has earned him the reputation of being a world-class salesman. Mr. Morita became the first Japanese company to issue American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) in 1961 and list his company on the New York Stock Exchange. It is said that Mr. Ibuka had the utmost trust in him, and that he consulted Mr. Morita first when it came to personal matters.

Akio Morita’s early life | Establishment of the Sony brand

Here, we will introduce Mr. Morita’s background as follows.

1. Born as the eldest son of a historic sake brewer.

2. Let’s do what no one else is doing! Japan’s first transistor radio

3. Supporting the main business by taking on challenges in multiple industries Born as the eldest son of a historic sake brewer.

Born as the eldest son of a historic sake brewery.

Mr. Morita was born in Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture on January 26, 1921, as the eldest son of a historic sake brewer. Although Mr. Morita has a sociable and friendly personality, he can sometimes be seen to be strict as the head of a historic sake brewery. After graduating from the Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Osaka Imperial University (currently Osaka University Graduate School), Morita met Dai Ibuka, co-founder of Sony, at a conference on developing new weapons for the Pacific War

Let’s do what no one else has done! Japan’s first transistor radio

In 1946, Mr. Ibuka and Mr. Morita established Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo, the predecessor of Sony. “Let’s do something that no one else has done” and created Japan’s first tape recorder. Mr. Ibuka also became interested in transistors when he went on a field trip to the United States.

At the time, American technology could only be used in hearing aids, but Morita and his colleagues aimed to create a radio for the masses. It was an extremely difficult challenge, but the more difficult the challenge, the more excited the engineers were.

With the passion of these engineers and Mr. Morita’s business sense, we continued to release unique and innovative products under the Sony name, establishing a brand image.

Supporting our core business by taking on challenges in multiple industries

Mr. Morita not only worked as an electronics manufacturer, but also ventured into multiple industries such as music and finance. At first, there was criticism that the company was neglecting its main business, but by leveraging the management know-how it had accumulated, it grew into a pillar that supports its main business.

Mr. Morita expanded his influence around the world, and was chosen by Time magazine as the only Japanese on the list of “Twenty People of the 20th Century,” along with Walt Disney. He was recognized for his achievements in cultivating markets as a global salesman. Mr. Morita himself also contributed to Sony’s innovative image.

As a result, Sony’s brand image became immovable.

Source: Wikipedia

https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%9B%9B%E7%94%B0%E6%98%AD%E5%A4%AB

Source: Sony Official Web Site

https://www.sony.com/ja/SonyInfo/CorporateInfo/History/