Reinventing the Millennium

Sony Group's US corporate headquarters is located at 550 Madison Avenue in Manhattan, New York City, with a total of 37 floors.

In addition to the exhibition hall on the first floor, Sony's office departments are upstairs.

However, although it is called the Sony Building, it was actually opened less than 2 years ago. Sony bought it the year before last and changed the name of the original AT\u0026T Building.

If Fang Zhuo's impression was correct, this building would have been sold off after Sony suffered losses for several years to improve the company's financial results.

Third-rate companies sell products, second-rate companies sell services, first-rate companies sell standards, and super companies sell buildings.

Global megacorporations like Sony sell more than one building.

Fang Zhuo suddenly thought of Zhang Chaoyang again... hmm...

If you are doing well in your main business, it is better to buy a building early. Yike can also build a building in Shanghai. Well, Sina can build a building in Beijing. Bingxin can also build a building in Luzhou. As for Yike in New York Well, you can wait until the price of the Sony building in front of you drops.

Stringer noticed Fang Zhuo's scrutinizing gaze and smiled: "Fang, this is your second time here."

Fang Zhuo nodded and smiled back: "Yes, but some people seem to know me. I saw them looking at me."

Stringer did not ignore Ms. Yu, who had left a good impression on him during the afternoon tea. He responded to Mr. Fang with the words he said to her: "Yu, this is your first time here. You may not understand that quite a few of our Sony employees admire Fang very much." .”

“His judgment of players a few years ago also wowed me.”

"Many people at Sony Electronics have made suggestions to me about strangling Yike. Such suggestions come out of respect from the bottom of my heart."

Yu Hong was shocked. Stringer's tone was very light, but the content was quite cold.

The expression on her face remained unchanged and she corrected: "Mr. Howard, I have actually been to the Sony Building more times than Mr. Fang. It is I who will promote and implement the specific cooperation between Yike and Sony Music."

Yu Hong paused, thinking that the topic had reached this point, so it would not be rude to ask him: "Then why did you decide on the cooperation between Sony Music and Yike?"

Stringer looked at the calm Fang Zhuo and said with a smile: "Fang, why do you think so?"

"This sounds scary, but it's hard to say whether Sony can concentrate its efforts." Fang Zhuo smiled slightly, "Even if Yike falls, there will still be Apple eyeing it. According to my observation, Sony Electronics, a subsidiary of Sony America, Most of them are still implementing local strategies.”

Stringer looked appreciative.

Fang Zhuo continued: "Sony's corporate strategy is obviously divided into two parts: hardware and content. The United States is responsible for the latter function. This is what Stringer is particularly good at."

"Like the merger of Sony Music and Stassman, it's music content."

"I heard that Sony Pictures is also going to acquire MGM Films. Can it be finalized this year? This is film and television content."

"Music, film and television, and Sony Entertainment content strategies are very dazzling under the current decline of the Sony Group as a whole."

Stringer was not only appreciative, he did not expect that the young president would manage Sony so clearly. Regarding the cooperation between Sony Music and Yike, although there was previous opposition from Sony (USA) Electronics, it was precisely because he only did The things I'm good at are decided by the flow.

Although Sony (USA) Electronics is under the control of Sony (USA), it implements more ideas from the Sony Group and has always been proud of its hardware.

Stringer still stayed out of the affairs of Sony (USA) Electronics, but he also ignored their suggestions and gave Sony Music a backhand push.

He has quite legitimate reasons. As Fang Zhuo said, the market is not only owned by Yike, but also by Apple. Simply rejecting Yike cannot solve Sony Electronics' plight. The problem now lies with Sony's local side.

The elevator went up and slowly stopped.

Stringer invited two executives from his partner company into the chairman's office.

In just a few steps, Yu Hongpin's words had different meanings, but Fang always had an underlying meaning - Stringer's involvement in Sony Electronics would not be successful even if it was effective, but he would definitely take credit for continuing his content strategy. .

Stringer asked his secretary to pour three cups of coffee. After the secretary gently closed the door and left, he sat in his seat and said calmly: "I respect and thank Mr. Dahe very much. He made the decision to acquire CBS. About Sony Group To this day, I still agree with its positioning.”

CBS is Columbia Pictures. At that time, Sony spent a lot of money to acquire Columbia. It was through this that Stringer entered Sony and gradually became the chairman of Sony (USA) today.

It can be said that it was through the transformation and promotion of Sony in both music and film that it truly became a globally renowned multinational giant.

It was Norio Ohga, the head of Sony, who made such a strategic plan at that time. He also appointed Stringer, an American from the UK, as a director of the division. This was very groundbreaking for Sony.

"I like Mr. Dahe's style of running the company very much." Fang Zhuo answered after taking a sip of coffee.

Stringer paused as he put down his coffee cup, looked at the young president in astonishment, and couldn't help laughing.

While smiling, he looked at Yu Hong and asked, "Is Fang's style what you like?"

Yu Hong really didn't understand the meaning of the boss's brief sentence and didn't understand why Stringer was laughing. She didn't have time to think about it and answered vaguely: "President Fang is the founder of Yike. He has led us to where we are now. Yike and Squares are always inseparable.”

Stringer was noncommittal and said to Fang Zhuo: "Fang, you know Sony very well. I thought that a young and successful person like you would not be interested in the old past."

"There is a saying in China: learn from the past to learn about the present." Fang Zhuo translated the meaning slightly and knew that the topic had progressed to a good level. "The management process of a giant like Sony is something that Yike needs to learn and be vigilant about. In particular, changes in companies in the Internet era will be even more rapid."

Stringer nodded: "Fang, what do you think is Sony's current problem?"

Yu Hong speculated in her mind what the boss's answer would be, although she was not asked this question.

However, Fang Zhuo's words were unexpected again.

"Sony lacks a group chairman like you who can firmly hold power." Fang Zhuo opened his mouth and spilled the beans about the successor of Sony Group.

Yu Hong didn't think that the boss and Stringer were really familiar with each other, but Stringer looked interested.

Fang Zhuo continued: "Mr. Idei bears an unshirkable responsibility for the current situation of the Sony Group. I know that Mr. Ohga wants to turn Sony into a company driven by both hardware and content. However, the wrong decisions in recent years have made Sony It’s out of balance.”

"The Internet era not only requires dual drives, but also requires the integration of the two. This requires a powerful chairman who can combine the two."

"Stringer, what do you think?"

Fang Zhuo stared at Stringer.

Stringer did not avoid Fang Zhuo's eyes. He was silent for a few seconds and suddenly smiled: "I think we at Sony really need to improve our management level, and we need a foreign director with a keen eye like you."

Generally speaking, the management reforms that Japanese companies are trying now are to bring in the leaders of several other well-known companies to serve as foreign directors. For example, Sony's current foreign directors include Akishige Okada, chairman of Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, and Akishige Okada, chairman of Fujifilm Corporation. Chairman Yotaro Kobayashi and others.

Sony has carried out corporate management reforms, reducing the number of directors and increasing the share of foreign directors. However, its foreign directors are all heads of Japanese companies and are the inner circle of the Japanese business community.

With such a board of directors structure, Stringer is undoubtedly weak. Even if he controls Sony (USA), he cannot shake the strategic direction decided by the Sony Group's board of directors.

Fortunately, the group also knows that the entertainment strategy must focus on the United States, and is very supportive of Stringer's actions.

But, in other words, Stringer's moves in other directions are also very unsupported.

This situation is changing with the group's decline and U.S. performance.

However, Stringer didn't expect that Fang Zhuo seemed to have a clear understanding of Sony's internal context in a few words.

Therefore, he made a clearer statement, saying that Sony, not Sony Music, needs foreign directors.

Once Stringer takes power, Sony's board of directors will inevitably be moved, and it is impossible to continue to circulate the selection of foreign directors within the Japanese business community. His plan is to select well-known business leaders in the United States.

Speaking of business leaders -

A young business leader who is transforming the traditional track with the help of the Internet, a listed company president who is famous in Japan for warning Sony a few years ago, a partner who has benefited from Sony Music...

This seems like a good fit.

Despite the difficulties of competing for Sony's chairmanship, Stringer does consider possible scenarios down the road.

"I think there is a lot of room for cooperation between Yike and Sony." Fang Zhuo did not rejoice because of Stringer's words. He first pointed out his identity as Yike's subject, and then continued, "But if I can do it for you I would also be very happy if Sony provided suggestions, and I have always been grateful to Sony Music for working with Yike to fight against the Apple camp."

Now, I don't care about Sony's foreign director. I really want to go because Stringer needs advice when he takes power. It is based on our friendship, not Sony.

I, Fang Zhuo, am a person who repays kindness in return. When Sony Music stood up for you, and now if Stringer speaks out, I will definitely help you with this favor.

Stringer understood what Fang Zhuo meant and smiled: "I will talk to Bertelsmann about Sony Music's cooperation with them. Yi Ke is willing to join in, which will definitely inject new vitality."

"Well, I also have this confidence." Fang Zhuo agreed, "Just like Sony Music had the same confidence in Yike."

There is no insistence on details in communication between CEOs.

Stringer called his secretary in to change the coffee, and casually asked about the young president's interest in sports. Fang Zhuo attributed this to the Eastern giant Yao Ming's landing in the NBA.

The two took advantage of the situation to chat about the business operations of sports.

At 5:30 pm, Fang Zhuo and Yu Hong ended their visit to Sony Building.

The two took the elevator down to the exhibition hall on the first floor. Fang Zhuo did not leave immediately, but still browsed the various Sony products displayed here with great interest.

Yu Hong could only keep her doubts to herself, and watched movies, game posters, and classic Walkman prototypes from past generations with her.

After finally leaving the building, she immediately went straight to the sentence that stuck in her mind the most.

"Mr. Fang, what is Dahe's style?"

Fang Zhuo pretended to be surprised: "Are you still thinking about this? Oh Norio, he is an art student and has many names, such as 'Designer of Sony', 'Father of CD' and 'Unusual Enterprise'" Home' and so on."

He continued: "But there are still people who regard him as the cold north wind."

It’s a light rainy day in New York today, which is perfect weather for afternoon tea.

But now it was getting late, and there was a cold, wet wind blowing by.

Yu Hong almost immediately sensed Norio Ohga's corporate management style from her boss's words.

"Let's go and drive." She breathed out, going to drive and chat in the car.

Fang Zhuo stretched out his hand to feel the drizzle in New York and insisted: "It's good to just walk and talk like this."

Yu Hong hesitated and said, "What about the car?"

"Stop there and find someone to drive back when the sun comes out tomorrow." Fang Zhuo finalized the cooperation intention with Stringer today. He was in a good mood and was not bothered by the cold drizzle in New York in the evening.

"Okay." Yu Hong stopped insisting and asked, "He is strict in management? What does this have to do with Stringer? It can't be because you complimented him."

"The Sony controlled by Da He is the Sony he acts dictatorially." Fang Zhuo explained the core point.

Yu Hong suddenly realized.

Fang Zhuo smiled and said: "It can be said that only those who like Dahe can become directors."

He glanced at Xiao Yu who was thinking, saw raindrops on her hair, took off her coat and handed it over, making a metaphor: "For example, I like you, I let you join the board of directors, that's it."

Yu Hong took the coat and put it on politely: "Is this a metaphor? If your director can't even understand what you say, how can he implement the strategy?"

"Well, Stringer is the first American to join Sony's board of directors. This is because Dahe likes him." Fang Zhuo smiled, "Well, Dahe, he controlled Sony for too long and actually destroyed Sony. The previous operating system.”

"Sony's Dai Ibuka is in charge of planning, and Akio Morita is in charge of execution. This was a tacit understanding earlier, and it is a dual core."

"Dahe put an end to this situation. He has been the general manager for more than ten years and is too powerful."

"In Japanese companies, the general manager actually had more power than the chairman in the past, but here in the United States, the CEO is responsible for operations. Even though Sony has carried out operational reforms, its power distribution is still, well, a bit strange."

"I want to remind Stringer to pay attention to this distribution method. I don't know if he can figure it out. Today is not a good time to go into details. Once the Sony Music matter is settled, there will be opportunities to communicate in the future."

Fang Zhuo didn't make it too clear and didn't want to go into a long discussion on this aspect.

"Can Stringer succeed? Can he control Sony as you suggested?" Yu Hong asked with a frown.

"Sony's current situation cannot be completely blamed. It is because of Dahe's large-scale mergers and acquisitions that Sony has taken on a lot of debt. It has to rely on strict performance and financial assessment to cover up profits and increase its stock price." Fang Zhuo shook his head. , "Stringer must fight if he wants to stay in power."

"Even if he wins the struggle, his Western-style management will probably have to continue to make short-term comments on financial reports. This is forced by power. Does Stringer, an American, still want to inherit the Sony spirit?"

"Stringer will win, but Sony won't."

Fang Zhuo made a judgment.

Yu Hong pursed her lips, looked sideways at Fang Zhuo, who was meditating in the rain, and asked, "Have you studied a lot about Sony?"

"It's not bad. If you want to eat something, you have to know where to eat it." Fang Zhuo smiled, "What's for dinner? It's your treat, you decide."

"Why do I always treat guests?" Yu Hong was puzzled.

"If you want to arrest this person, first arrest his stomach." Fang Zhuo said seriously, "Don't you want to invite me?"

"Return your coat to you. Take a taxi. The weather is freezing." Yu Hong stretched out her hand to stop the taxi. "Take a taxi and drive my car back. I don't worry about leaving it alone."

Fang Zhuo was stunned. He has come this far and is he going back? Do you still want to eat tonight? You won't drive and leave me alone, right?

How could this woman's thoughts be more complicated than Sony's during the changing situation?