Sony: A Private Life

I'm at communication student. I had a project on Sony and how the company is a part of the Web 2.0. This book helped me with research for a paper that I had to complete for my summer 2021 semester. Very interesting and valuable information.

This is an excellent exploration of the history and evolution of the Sony corporation. It is well-researched and documented, and we get a keen sense of the characters: Morita, Ibuka, etc.

Mr. Nathan opens the doors into a world foreign to most people, the apex of the corporate world and all its workings. Not only are we privy to the Japanese business world and culture, but we also glimpse the doings of US companies. It is amazing to me, that Mr. Morita and Mr. Ibuta were able to penetrate the US marketplace given the obstacles they faced. Crossing cultural lines, attitudes, and language must have been difficult; but to succeed so magnificently, especially after our shared history in World War II is mind-boggling. I offer no hesitation in recommending this book.

Great book with profound insights!

Although this book was written a decade ago, and in spite of the major events that have impacted the Sony corporation since that time (business, economic, political, and geological) I can easily recommend this work as one of the most interesting I've read in a long time. Certainly any person who has had more than a passing interest in Sony should find a wealth of information not easily pulled together into a single narrative that describes the birth and transformation into a worldwide super company. Its rare to meet a person who has not owned Sony equipment, and, for many of us, LOTS of Sony equipment, lots great, some not so good, but a seeming continuous presence in our offices, homes, automobiles, and trips. The Sony logo is so instantly recognizable, so universally available, so attached to our feelings about quality and innovation, that the opportunity to learn a litte bit more about the company is a welcome and intriguing one, and this work fits that bill admirably.This book is not about Sony equipment. For that, see the truly amazing and unusual work  Digital Dreams: The Work of the Sony Design Center  (which you can now find used for a very low price and will be amazed when you see it just what a physically lovely book this is). Rather, this book focuses on the birth of the company in the era of World War II, its initial movements towards certain technologies, and its establishment as an international company. Of particular interest is how the early Sony leaders focused in on the Philips Corporation in The Netherlands, and went to the effort to establish relationships between the two companies so that Sony could learn what Philips could teach them about the electronics industry and international business. Its a fascinating story and one not often told. Other chapters focus on Morita, Ohga, Idea, and Ibuka, each wonderfully woven into a narrative that not only provides insights on each of these luminary Sony figures, but also tells us the story of Sony, its steps and missteps, its successes and failures, its goals and its aspirations. The book then should be of interest to anyone interested in the Sony company, but also to those who are interested in business biographies, and even to anyone interesting in reading about some of the most famous people of the 20th century that you've never heard of. Five stars.Also see: Digital Dreams: The Work of the Sony Design Center Sony vs Samsung: The Inside Story of the Electronics Giants' Battle For Global Supremacy Made in Japan: Akio Morita and Sony (Signet)

I was fascinated with Sony the day Walkman was brought into this world. Then, I was only a boy & Walkman was the in-thing in South East Asia. After that, it seemed Sony grew from strength to strength. I always wanted to know an in-depth story about Sony but never came across a material which is as good & as true as Sony: The Private Life written by John Nathan. Initially, I thought that the book was to be written in academic form but to my pleasant surprise, it was written like a good novel. We were told in detail of the founders, the proteges who were chosen to lead the company but subsequently, some fallen out with Sony & some went all the way. We were also given a feel of power struggle within the firm, culture clashes, xenophobia (particularly the acquition of Columbia Pictures), abuse of power & goodwill by film moguls towards Sony, personalities of various kinds. Several products were mentioned as they formed the basis of Sony today such as the world-famous Trinitron TV, Walkman, HandyCam. Overall, a very good book to read. I never expected it to make me laugh, tense, sad, pensive but it did exactly just that.

This book is well-received in the US as a business book. It is ostensibly so, but it goes deeper than that. It is a combination of a story on SONY as a Japanese company from the period when it was still in its crib and an intertwined story on human relationships. In other words, it sheds light on SONY as a Japanese company. The book shows how much Japanese SONY as a company is and that the founders were no saints.I have read several books on SONY in Japanese, but this book written by a non-Japanese author probes into what SONY is more interesting than the other books I have read in Japanese.

筆者がソニーに関わったいろんな人からインタビューをして書いたノンフィクション作品です。特にハリウッド企業の買収に関わる部分が詳しく書かれています。他の本にはないソニーの側面を見ることもでき、ソニーが以外にも日本的な企業であると感じました。アメリカ人の作者ならではの観点があり、日本の作家ではかけない部分にも踏み込めていると感じました。ただ、金に関わる記述が多く、少しうんざりするところも多かったです。

Muy buena historia de Sony. Excesivamente centrada en Sony America. El último tercio se hace tedioso y pesado. Escrito antes de la muerte de Morita San

Great book!!