Sony Group Corp’s SONY co-founder Akio Morita as soon as in an interview delivered a scathing critique of company leaders who prioritize quarterly earnings over the long-term well being of their corporations.
What Occurred: He spoke in regards to the frequent apply of treating companies as commodities somewhat than communities of individuals.
“An organization is rather like a household, like a house. We’re working collectively, and this group of individuals working in the identical path shouldn’t be handled identical to a commodity,” he acknowledged.
The legendary co-founder expressed concern over how executives typically make drastic cuts throughout financial downturns, corresponding to mass layoffs, to guard earnings.
“Recession was not brought on by these staff,” he stated, including, “But, these staff are fired, shedding enterprise, nonetheless administration stays to maintain its revenue. I’m questioning, the place are the human rights of those staff?”
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Morita additionally criticized the apply of latest administration writing off earlier losses to make themselves look good whereas avoiding investments within the firm’s long-term future.
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Why It Issues: Morita’s passing in 1999 marked the tip of an period for Sony Corp. and the Japanese enterprise group.
A Harris ballot performed a yr earlier than his passing, revealed that Sony ranked as the highest model amongst American shoppers, surpassing iconic U.S. corporations corresponding to Normal Electrical and Coca-Cola.
Underneath Morita’s management, Sony made historical past as the primary Japanese firm to checklist its inventory within the U.S. in 1961 and have become a trailblazer once more in 1972 by establishing one of many first Japanese-owned factories on American soil.
Sony at the moment has a market cap of $126.28 billion, making it the world’s 127th most respected firm. The corporate’s inventory skilled a 13.1% enhance in 2024, in line with knowledge from Benzinga Professional.
Japanese company tradition values lifetime employment. Corporations prioritize job safety and worker loyalty to make sure stability. This contrasts with the U.S., the place flexibility and frequent job modifications are frequent.
Japanese companies additionally keep away from mergers and acquisitions. As an alternative, they give attention to natural progress and long-term relationships over fast earnings.
Here’s a desk summarizing a few of the largest tech layoffs over the previous 5 years, together with notable corporations and the variety of staff affected:
| Firm | 12 months | Variety of Layoffs | Notes |
| Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN | 2022 | 10,000 | A number of rounds of layoffs in late 2022. |
| Meta Platforms, Inc. META | 2022 | 11,000 | First main spherical introduced in November 2022. |
| Twitter (now known as X) | 2022 | 6,000+ | Roughly 80% discount below Elon Musk’s possession. |
| Intel Company INTC | 2024 | 15,000 | Deliberate discount of 15% of workforce. |
| Microsoft Company MSFT | 2024 | 1,900 | Cuts primarily within the gaming division. |
| Alphabet Inc. GOOG GOOGL | 2023 | 12,000 | Introduced vital layoffs in January. |
Final yr, Sony Interactive Leisure additionally introduced plans to scale back its PlayStation workforce by roughly 900 staff, representing 8% of its international workers.
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