AM2
Nagoya, Japan
Sony
Akio Morita
Son of a sake brewer who chose electronics. Built post-war Japan's first global consumer-electronics brand on miniaturization and design.
MiniaturizationBrand globalizationDesign taste
Struggles
Walkman was internally mocked — 'who wants a player without a recorder?' His US expansion bet was nearly fatal.
Family
Married to Yoshiko. Three children. Devoted classical-music collector.
The full story
From day one to today.
The journey
Milestones, not magic.
1946
Co-founded Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo — later Sony.
1955
Built Japan's first transistor radio.
1979
Launched the Walkman. Changed how the world heard music.
1989
Bought Columbia Pictures — hardware-meets-content bet.
Wins
- Built Sony into a defining brand from Nagoya, Japan.
Setbacks
- Walkman was internally mocked — 'who wants a player without a recorder?' His US expansion bet was nearly fatal.
News, interviews & references
Read, watch, dig deeper.
Live links — open the latest articles, interviews and profiles about Akio Morita across the web.
Next journey
Narayana Murthy — Infosys