Word: idei
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...invitation said casual, although the occasion was anything but: dinner at the media moguls' summit, an annual gathering at which financier Herb Allen played host at his Sun Valley digs. Nobuyuki Idei was late and tired, and since he was still wearing a suit, he looked like the carbon-copy Japanese manager that Hollywood had taken to the cleaners in recent years. So the Sony Corp. president doffed his jacket and donned a Men in Black T shirt for his big entrance. "Just a little marketing gimmick," jokes Idei. "But the guests congratulated us." Idei got hoots of approval...
...Idei, 59, is the first Japanese to crack this exclusive club, a symbolism not lost on Howard Stringer, president of Sony's U.S. subsidiary. "He is a player," exults Stringer, the former CBS network boss brought in by Sony to clean up the mess at its U.S. operation. "He is young, dynamic, and he is taken seriously by this crowd. It's in the ether...
...Idei's stature in America's "New Establishment" mirrors Sony's performance these days. Men in Black is just one of a string of hits this year that has enabled Sony Pictures (Columbia, TriStar) to fly past $1 billion in U.S. box-office sales in record time. In music, Sony's record division continues to churn out profits, even though the industry is downbeat. Sony's PlayStation game player has blown away Nintendo. And Sony still sells $23.28 billion worth of audio-video equipment. Its second quarter was a monster, with sales rising 20.6% to $13.6 billion and income rising...
...Idei, 59, is turning Sony back into a titan. In recent months, the company has unveiled such digital products as video and still cameras, mobile phones and a video Walkman. In March it will sell its own dvd player, to be followed by a multimedia home computer. Despite its studio setbacks, Sony will put more weight on entertainment. "Our movie business will be very important for the future of Sony," Idei says. "We will integrate electronics and entertainment into one and create a company like Warner Bros. or Disney...
...Idei appears to be inspired by Morita, who years ago foresaw the integration of entertainment electronics hardware and software. Like Morita, Idei is cosmopolitan, speaking fluent English and French and favoring stylish suits. As a youth he dreamed of becoming a violinist but gave that up to major in economics at Tokyo's Waseda University. Idei is now Sony's guru, instructing engineers--his Digital Dream Kids--in the art of merging home electronics with information technology. "We're going to make the home much more exciting," Idei predicts...