Sony's seer

Japan, Inc., May, 2004

SONY had a tough time in the media last year. The so-called "Sony Shock" gave investors a scare, and although the shares have recovered entirely from their torment, it's still hard to shake the feeling that something else could go wrong. But when we dropped in on Nobuyuki Idei, the chairman and group CEO, those fears very quickly dissolved.

Idei may have come in for some personal criticism for his handling of the world's top consumer electronics brand, but he seemed relaxed, thoughtful and optimistic, and his comments were vintage Sony stuff: Idei spoke eloquently of wireless futurescapes, converged mobile devices, video games beyond our wildest dreams, nanotech computers ... and he hardly drew breath. He dismissed the current generation of mobile phones as a shadow of what the devices would one day become--and even predicted the advent of artificial intelligence. An aging man's fantasy? Perhaps. But that is what Sony has always done best--come up with bold ideas that are more adventurous than reality. By raising the bar of technological optimism, Idei seems to be giving Sony the best legacy possible.