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In 1946, Masaru Ibuka founded Sony Corporation in a bomb-damaged department store in Tokyo, working with seven employees to repair radios in a single room.
As president from 1950 to 1971, he turned Sony from a small radio repair shop into Japan's leading electronics manufacturer, growing the company to 35,000 employees.
In 1955, Sony launched the TR-55, Japan's first transistor radio.
By 1957, they introduced the TR-63, which sold 100,000 units in the United States at $39.95 each.
In 1968, Ibuka unveiled the Trinitron television that captured 40% of the global color TV market within five years.
Ibuka allocated 9% of Sony's annual revenue to research and development.
His investment yielded 16,000 patents by 1976, including breakthroughs in magnetic recording tape, transistor miniaturization, and LCD screen technology.
In his 1976 memoir "Thoughts on Management," Ibuka wrote: "Technology must serve human happiness."
As CEO, Akio Morita personally drove Sony's expansion into international markets, opening the company's first U.S. factory in 1972 and establishing Sony Corporation of America in 1960.
In 1960, they developed the world's first portable transistor TV (the TV8-301), which fit in a briefcase and sold for $250.
In 1979, he launched the TPS-L2 Walkman, priced at $150, which sold 50,000 units in the first two months.
Though Betamax lost the format war to VHS, its 1975 release established Sony as a pioneer in home video recording.
Rather than following traditional Japanese business practices, Morita instituted merit-based promotion, hired mid-career professionals, and gave young engineers authority over new projects.
He required Sony's senior executives to learn English and live abroad, ensuring the company could compete globally.
By 1989, Sony had expanded beyond electronics into music (Columbia Records), film (Columbia Pictures), and video games (PlayStation development began under his tenure).
Norio Ohga was Sony's leader from 1982 to 2003.
He acquired Columbia Pictures and CBS Records for $5 billion in 1989, then launched the PlayStation in 1994.
These moves merged Sony's hardware expertise with entertainment content, creating a company that both made devices and filled them with music, movies, and games.
As Sony's CEO (1999-2005), Nobuyuki Idei drove the company's internet strategy and global expansion.
He cut the board size from 38 to 10 members and established regional management hubs in key markets.
His push into digital services transformed Sony from a hardware manufacturer into a multimedia company.
Howard Stringer led Sony from 2005 to 2012 as its first non-Japanese CEO.
While he secured profitable deals like Sony's Spotify investment and expanded the Spider-Man film franchise, Sony's electronics division lost ground to competitors.
The company's stock dropped 60% during his tenure, partly due to the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and unfavorable exchange rates.
As Sony CEO from 2012-2018, Hirai transformed the struggling company by focusing on two profitable divisions: PlayStation and image sensors.
He sold the VAIO computer line, spun off the television business, and cut 5,000 jobs.
These changes reversed Sony's $4.5 billion annual loss into a $4.4 billion profit by 2018.
Since becoming Sony's CEO in 2018, Kenichiro Yoshida has strengthened the company's core businesses.
He expanded PlayStation gaming revenue by 40%, acquired three major music labels, and invested $2 billion in cloud gaming infrastructure. T
These moves built upon the restructuring started by former CEO Kazuo Hirai while sharpening Sony's focus on digital entertainment.
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