There appears to be some concern at Sony about whether or not its new CEO, Kenichiro Yoshida, can find new ways for the company to continue being profitable. That’s according to new reports which cite market analysts and several unnamed sources from within the company. The primary concern seems to center around the fact that Yoshida previously held the position as Sony’s chief finance officer. That’s a role he excelled at, bringing the company into profitability after it reported $6 billion in losses between 2009 and 2014. However, analysts have said that it is unusual for a person ordinarily situated to crunch numbers and make financial decisions to be pushed forward to the helm of a business. Some individuals at the company have gone further to said that they are concerned Yoshida doesn’t share their passion for the technology the company has made in the past. They also cite Yoshida’s apparent failed management of a smaller Sony subsidiary called So-Net.
All of that could equate to a less than desirable situation for the $61 billion electronics and entertainment giant going forward. Yoshida will need to continue driving profits in Sony’s mobile and PlayStation divisions but will also need to keep the engineers and researchers at the company innovating. Sony’s imaging division is another area where care will be needed, with major competitors such as Samsung looking to take a piece of the market for themselves. Yoshida’s had previously only overseeing just one aspect of the massive technology company but he will need to inspire and direct across the board from his new position at the helm.
Having said that, the pessimism may be premature. Other companies have historically managed to attain success under similar circumstances and have even grown. In fact, whether Yoshida harbors disdain for Sony’s previous offerings, as has been suggested, may actually be irrelevant. The company has had many innovations over its life but it could be argued that moving forward all but necessitates a need to look well beyond past achievements. It may even require that those past efforts are completely looked over so that the future can be seen more clearly. Whether or not Yoshida can envision what that future holds, success will depend much more heavily on how well he can take the reigns and communicate his vision.