Kaz Hirai was seen jamming during the 2020 Grammys
Why Sony needs more of that and Mike Fasulo
If any PlayStation or Sony fan watched the Grammys last night, they might have noticed something that nearly no one else did — a quick shot of a slightly older Japanese man rocking out during Run DMC and Aerosmith as they performed ‘Walk This Way.’ That shot, of course, was no accident, and the man at the center of it all, rocking out was none other than the much-beloved, former head of PlayStation and previous CEO of Sony, Kaz Hirai. With Sony Music now the world’s largest music publisher, it’s easy to see why Kaz would have received an invite to the Grammys, even if he’s no longer involved with Sony.
The reason Kaz jamming away at the Grammys has resonated with gamers and Sony fans on the socials is because Kaz himself resonated with the community. For a long time, PlayStation, a brand about pushing the boundaries that’s modern and hip, was led by men in suits, something that still ‘plagues’ Sony today. Look across Silicon Valley — from Tim Cook to Elon Musk, you’ll hardly catch these powerful CEOs wearing a suit and tie, and that’s important.
More than ever, consumers and employees have their pick of products to buy and companies to work for. With so many options at their disposal, consumers, especially younger ones, often look towards brands that resonate with them, and that starts with the CEO. Now it’s not as if ‘kids’ are saying, “hey, that Tim Cook guy sure looks cool with his kicks” and therefore now wants to buy an iPhone. But Tom Cook’s relaxed nature then extends down to other execs in the company and the entire culture, which allows for more fun and personable messaging from the company, which is then felt through their social platforms and wide-scale marketing, as well as retail stores. Basically, the CEO and his posturing becomes a reflection of the company, and vise versa.
The same goes for would-be employees — do you want to work at a company that has a relatable, if not personable CEO who is willing to talk about social issues that matter, and therefore are expressed through the company? Or do you want to work under a suit and tie exec who is only thinking about crunching the numbers? Even if that’s not the truth about them, the suit and tie represent that.
At Sony, Kaz was that — someone who could straddle the line between the heavy Japanese core of the company and its western divisions. For Sony, this is extremely important as its entertainment divisions (PlayStation, Sony Pictures, and Sony Music) have become a larger part of the company’s focus and bottom line — all who are Western-oriented.
After Kaz stepped down as CEO in 2018, Sony once again found itself in a position of lacking a leader with character. In the case of Kenichiro Yoshida, the current CEO, no matter how good he is at his job and how well he manages the company’s continued turnaround, he doesn’t have that ‘extra’ factor, or at least not yet. Without that in today’s culture, it’s harder to attract consumers and prospective employees towards the company. But there are signs of that changing, and maybe unsurprisingly, that change is happening here in North America under Mike Fasulo.
Over the past few years, Sony Electronics President and COO of North America (yeah, it’s confusing) Mike Fasulo has been more public than years before, more relaxed, and more outspoken, like when he celebrated MLK day,
or LGBTQ equality,
and of course, women leaders,
Mike’s presence at shows like CES absolutely matters. After all, his company is there to pitch their latest and greatest products and services. But perhaps just as significant is his and other Sony executives’ presence outside of mega shows — what they tweet, who they engage with, what social matters they publically discuss, and hell, what podcasts they appear on. It’s in those arenas that their future customers, as well as engineers, designers, and dreamers who could be on the cusp of starting the “next big thing” lurk, and it’s in those arenas that their hearts and minds will be won.
And that’s what Kaz Hirai, jamming at the Grammys, represented. An executive who was brilliant at what he did, but also one who is relatable and likable.
“I sure would love to have a beer with that guy and maybe work there one day.”
And if not that, for many who are growing up today and represent the future clientele of Sony, knowing the stance of a company CEO on climate change, equality, and a host of other topics can be a far more powerful motivator than a typical commercial. Here’s hoping for a 2020 that’s filled with more tweets and appearances from Mike Fasulo and other Sony execs across all their different divisions.
Do you think having a relatable CEO with an extroverted personality is an asset?
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