Ken Kutaragi – Sony Intrapreneur Story

 

Look familiar? This is Mr Ken Kutaragi. He invented the Playstation when working at Sony! Ken has become an international Intrapreneurial Success story has now become one of the most celebrated in business history.

In 1975, Ken was an engineer at the sound labs at Sony Corporation when he bought his young daughter a Nintendo game console. He was not satisfied with the products sound quality and used his experience and knowledge to build a new digital chip which would improve the product quality for Nintendo outside of work.

At the time Sony was not interested in getting into the gaming sector so dismissed his idea harshly initially until the CEO and Management agreed to let him keep working on the idea. Through hard work and determination, Ken created Sony’s electronic gaming business unit.

The financial success of the Sony PlayStation was so impressive that by 1998, the PlayStation was providing 40 percent of Sony Corporation’s operating profits. The strong profits from the Sony PlayStation line still accounts for about one quarter of the overall Sony Corporation’s profits. The learning here is to “keep your challenge till realised”.  Don’t be afraid to take part, your challenge is truly valuable!