Kaz Hirai Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Japanese corporation Sony Date of Birth: 22.12.1960 Country: Japan

1. Early Life and Education
2. Sony Career: Early Years
3. Sony Computer Entertainment America
4. Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated
5. Sony Corporation's Executive Leadership
6. Personal Life and Legacy

Early Life and Education

Kazuo Hirai was born into a family of bankers and spent much of his childhood traveling abroad with his father on business trips. As a young boy living in New York City, he began earning his first paychecks at a local hair salon, delivering newspapers, soda, and snacks to customers while they got their hair styled. He also developed a passion for automobiles, demonstrating a keen ability to identify makes and models simply by the shape of the bumper or fender.

Hirai attended the American School in Japan (ASIJ) and later graduated from the International Christian University (ICU) in Tokyo with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1979.

Sony Career: Early Years

In 1984, Hirai joined CBS Sony Records, a company that employed several of his ASIJ classmates. Initially working in the international marketing department, he later headed Sony's international coordination department. Hirai was then transferred to the company's New York office to promote Japanese artists in the United States.

Sony Computer Entertainment America

In 1995, Hirai was appointed as an operating officer at Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA), Sony's American division responsible for distributing and supporting the company's gaming consoles. He was promoted to Chief Operating Officer and President in 1999 and became the CEO of SCEA in August 2003.

Hirai gained notoriety for a 2002 speech in which he declared that the "console war is over" and that PlayStation 2 had emerged as the dominant platform over its rivals, Microsoft and Nintendo. Under his leadership, SCEA successfully popularized online gaming in the United States, building the world's largest online gaming community of 2 million players at the time. Hirai was also instrumental in the launch of the PlayStation 3 in the United States in 2006.

Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated

In July 2006, Hirai became a Vice President of Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (SCEI). On December 1, 2006, just two weeks after the PlayStation 3's release, he assumed the position of SCEI President, succeeding PlayStation creator Ken Kutaragi, who remained Chairman and CEO of SCEI. When Kutaragi stepped down from those roles in April 2007, Hirai became both the CEO and President of SCEI, while also retaining his position on SCEA's board of directors.

As CEO of SCEI, Hirai focused on maintaining the PlayStation 3's position in the global market by reducing its price and increasing demand. In 2009, following a restructuring within Sony that created two new business groups, Hirai became the head of the Networked Products & Services Group, responsible for producing and supporting games, PCs, mobile phones, and network services. He also became an Executive Vice President of Sony Corporation.

Sony Corporation's Executive Leadership

Hirai's rise within Sony continued in 2011 when he was promoted to Representative Executive Deputy President and Representative Corporate Executive Officer. He took charge of Sony's largest division, the Consumer Products & Services Group, which included home video, audio, digital imaging equipment, PCs, games, and mobile phones. Speculation circulated that Hirai would be the successor to Sony's CEO, Howard Stringer, who was expected to step down in 2013.

On February 2, 2018, Sony announced that Hirai would step down as President and CEO on April 1, 2018, and be succeeded by Chief Financial Officer Kenichiro Yoshida. Hirai would assume the role of Chairman upon his departure.

Personal Life and Legacy

Entertainment Weekly has named Hirai one of the world's most influential CEOs. Under his leadership, Sony's revenue from consoles and game sales nearly matched that of movie studios and music publishers. Hirai is also remembered for his humorous press conference at E3 2006, where he uttered memorable phrases such as "Riiidge Raaaceeeer." His joke about the racing game Ridge Racer was even repeated by his successor at SCEA, Jack Tretton, during an official press conference at E3 2007.

Hirai is married to Riko and has two children, Miki and Kenji. He enjoys automobiles, cycling, astronomy, and photography. Known for his casual style, he often dresses in jeans and sneakers. In his own words, Hirai spends 4-5 hours per week playing games.