Ken Kutaragi, seemed to be in line for the top spot at Sony. The troubled company is looking for new leadership, so you would figure a guy that had enough going on upstairs to dream up the PlayStation would surely be headed for higher ground. But surprisingly, he wasn't, in fact he just took a demotion.
Not only was Kutaragi passed over for the Welshman who had overseen Sony's music and movie businesses. He also lost his seat on Sony's board, though he still runs Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc., the company's game subsidiary. It appears the 54-year-old Kutaragi's outspoken nature, in a corporate culture that's oiled by consensus, may be to blame. Independent and shockingly frank by Japanese standards, Kutaragi hasn't held back from criticizing company decisions. In January, he told the Foreign Correspondents' Club in Tokyo that fellow executives had been overly restrictive in controlling Sony content in a world where consumers of digital movies and music want hassle-free access. Asked what he would do if he were running Sony, Kutaragi said the company must revive its original innovative spirit, when it boasted engineering finesse with the transistor radio, Walkman and Trinitron TV. |
Well this just goes to prove that to move up in big corporations and even in smaller organizations, it ain't just what what you know that is important. But, it still seems odd to demote someone in a time of transition, it will be important to work closely together now more than ever. Let's hope Ken can take a licking and keep on ticking. You can read the whole story over at CNews.
Source: CNews
