Reinventing the Millennium

Stringer is replacing Ryoji Nakahachi.

This did not surprise Fang Zhuo.

The "representative director" pursued by Nakaba Ryoji is one of the reforms that Stringer wants to make to the board of directors. What the British want is to introduce more outside directors who belong to their own camp to strengthen the control of central power.

However, Nakabachi Ryoji's Japanese-style respectful actions were discovered, and a big question mark was placed on whether he was sincere in being a good partner.

In addition, although the current vice president of Sony has become a popular candidate to be elected president due to the high regard of current head Nobuyuki Dei, Ryoharu Nakahachi's resume within the group is not very popular. He basically works between different factories. Conversion is responsible for floppy disks, tapes, etc.

In comparison, the Sony PS, headed by another Ken Kutaragi, is too dazzling.

Fang Zhuo's heart did not waver, and he carefully pointed out the deeper meaning of Stringer's words: "Then we must consider Nobuyuki Dei's thoughts."

Stringer frowned. Yes, he didn't think Ryoji Nakabachi who came out of the factory was anything. The main problem was Nobuyuki Dei, the head of Sony.

He stretched his brows, raised his hand to drink tea, and said with a smile: "Young people are quick to react. Fang, you saw the key point right away."

Fang Zhuo smiled slightly: "Young people just think fast. When it comes to this kind of struggle in the board of directors, I have no experience. I can only use an outsider's perspective to check and fill in the gaps."

Stringer praised sincerely: "Fang, many of your words have given me a lot of inspiration."

"Some words can only be said to people who understand." Fang Zhuo said, "After all, it is you who have done a good job in Sony's U.S. business, and you are recommended by Sony's foreign directors today. To put it objectively, Sony wants to achieve their goals The entertainment dream is definitely impossible for local people alone.”

Stringer was in charge of entertainment, and he believed that.

He continued what he had just said and asked: "How do you think we should persuade Nobuyuki Idei?"

Fang Zhuo pondered for a moment: "The former Sony executive I mentioned before is down below. Let's first listen to his opinion on Idei. After all, the Japanese know the Japanese better."

Stringer agreed.

Soon, former Sony executive and current Lexiang Electronics president Tanaka Mito came to the room.

Tanaka met the two of them with a unique Japanese respect, and then recounted in English what he had already said to Mr. Fang once.

In Tokyo, Nobuno Dei's mysterious actions once made Fang Zhuo, a Chinese, and Stringer, an Englishman, find it difficult to fathom.

Now, when Stringer heard Tanaka Mi's statement, he immediately felt ridiculous.

A majestic parent?

Who is responsible for Sony getting to where it is today?

How can a British knight be a Japanese retainer!

Stringer's face turned dark.

What Mr. Fang said just now came to his mind: Only by doing a good job in Sony's US business can we be where we are today! Otherwise, how could the Sony Group send a Japanese to do a good job in Sony Entertainment?

If Sony's entertainment business, which he leads, had not rebounded, Sony's situation today would only be uglier!

Compared to what he said to Mr. Fang, Tanaka Ming spoke more cheerfully this time. Mr. Fang is at best a foreign director of Sony Music. The man in front of him is the vice chairman of Sony Group and is very likely to take over the position of chairman!

Seeing that Stringer was deep in thought, Fang Zhuo signaled to Tanaka that he could leave first.

When there were only two people left in the room again, he said his judgment: "Nobuzuki Idei's so-called parental authority, we have a Chinese saying that 'the punishment is unpredictable, the authority is unpredictable', he seems to be a bit imitating this, and it really makes I can’t figure out what he’s thinking.”

Fang Zhuo pointed out a more critical point: "Now that Tanaka Mi said this, no matter how strange we think this psychology is, it may still have a basis in reality."

"But with Sony's current situation, is Idei's majestic foundation still solid?"

"It seems unfathomable, and it seems that he has a lot of decision-making power over job nominations, but his parental dignity may be partly due to the inertia of Japanese customs."

Fang Zhuo is not talking nonsense.

Although Sony's board of directors has undergone reforms compared to most companies in Japan at this time, and has been streamlined from more than 40 people to more than ten people now, the board of directors is still subordinate to the top management and often only serves as a rubber stamp. .

It is the top management that controls the board of directors, rather than the board of directors who are legally authorized by the shareholders' meeting to appoint the management.

In fact, this time the foreign directors proposed to let Stringer take further power, which was a rare breakthrough for Sony's board of directors, and it also caught Nobuyuki Idei off guard.

Stringer understood what Mr. Fang meant. He was suggesting that he should be tough, rather than trying to persuade Nobuyuki Izui from the perspective of his successor.

But, is it possible to be tough?

He took a sip of tea and asked, "Fang, are you sure of your judgment?"

If Nobuyuki Idei's majesty is just a continuation of custom and this foundation is no longer solid, then...

Fang Zhuo did not answer immediately, thinking about his friend, and pondered: "I think Idei's foundation is no longer solid, but can Idei realize this? Can the foreign directors realize this? Like Norio Ohga , Can Kutaragi Ken realize this?"

"Perhaps, someone needs to take the initiative to break this perception."

Stringer leaned his upper body and read Mr. Fang's intention: "You mean Kutaragi Ken?"

"That's right." Fang Zhuo said with a smile, "If he doesn't stand up, the position of president will definitely go to Ryoharu Nakabachi. After all, it is now believed that you, Idei and Nakabachi have reached a consensus, but you are still not the 'representative director'. A bit of an objection."

Stringer thought carefully and thought this was very reasonable: "I plan to meet Kutaragi Ken in secret tomorrow afternoon. If he is willing to support me, we can talk about future cooperation. Otherwise, the matter of replacing Nakahachi Ryoji will be a big deal." It will have to wait until after the shareholders’ meeting.”

He planned to change to Nakabachi Ryoji, but he would have to change now, and he would have to change later.

Fang Zhuo nodded: "Your chairman is the first priority, and everyone else can take care of it."

Stringer took two breaths. So, now it depends on the communication with Kutaragi Ken tomorrow, as well as the foreign directors on the board of directors. However, I don’t know how much influence Norio Ohga behind Kutaragi Ken has on the current Sony board of directors. force.

Can the merger of the two parties defeat Nobuyuki Dei's majestic decision?

Stringer wasn't sure, but he had a vague feeling that there was hope.

In the final analysis, the Sony Group's business performance is really bad, and a considerable part of the responsibility for this must be borne by Nobuyuki.

Fang Zhuo observed his words and guessed that Stringer had already made up his mind, so it was time to talk about himself.

He poured hot tea again and casually chatted about Sony's electronics business.

Although the young president only made small talk to heat up the atmosphere, this was precisely Stringer's field of expertise, so he listened very carefully.

Stringer has always been mainly responsible for the entertainment business. If he can successfully take over, Sony's electronic products will also be a challenge for him. This is why Sony Group needs a local president.

Fang Zhuo saw that Stringer was listening seriously, so he had no choice but to be a little more serious. As they chatted, they talked about Sony's mobile phone business.

In 2001, Sony and Ericsson each held 50% of the shares and established Sony Ericsson to merge the mobile phone businesses of both parties.

"We at Yike are also considering making a mobile phone, but we haven't decided yet." After Fang Zhuo finished talking about Sony Ericsson, he changed the subject and talked about his own company, sighing, "Nokia is so powerful now, and Sony Ericsson is also pretty good. , the competition is still huge.”

Stringer nodded, and it was true: "Yike is very successful in making music players. I believe that the form of music will change a lot based on the Internet in the future. If we can firmly grasp this aspect, Yike's prospects will still be very good."

"I think it's necessary for listed companies to expand their expansion directions." Fang Zhuo said with a smile, "The competition in mobile phones is too great. Several executives in Yikeli suggested that I do this, but I pushed back and said that I should consider it. I think they just think the company makes too much money and has nowhere to spend it.”

Stringer smiled naturally and said: "Yike is rich and can invest and cooperate with Sony. You are also a foreign director of Sony Music. This time I hope to make you a foreign director of the group and provide suggestions for Sony's revival. "

Fang Zhuo laughed loudly and waved his hands repeatedly: "I'll give you advice. Forget about investing. Sony's business is outdated. If you want me to invest, I'll have to invest in your Sony American movies."

He leaned forward and said with a smile: "What movies are Sony going to make recently? Is there any role suitable for me? I'll try it out too."

Stringer wondered what movie had more female actors.

Fang Zhuo added: "Let's wait until the group's affairs are over. I will go to Houston to watch my team play in the playoffs."

Stringer nodded, the most important thing now is indeed the group affairs.

However, Sony has the technology and Yike has the funds. Doesn’t this mean there is a huge basis for cooperation?

Yike is a partner of Sony America, and may become a partner of Sony Group in the future.

Stringer believes that Sony Group may have some hostility towards Yike, but that kind of thinking is also conservative and backward. Even without Yike, Sony's slowness and stiffness will lose to Apple.

I believe that as we cooperate with each other and perform well, the hostility of being conservative and backward will soon disappear.

"Nakabachi Ryouji also made an appointment to meet me tomorrow. He probably wants to persuade me to stick to the 'representative director' opinion." Fang Zhuo said, "Tomorrow you meet Kutaragi Ken and I will meet Nakabachi Ryoji. We can chat again at this time in the evening. , that’s it for today.”

Stringer nodded and stood up to see Mr. Fang off.

When Fang Zhuo arrived on the first floor, he saw another Chinese in Stringer's think tank, Xie Zhengyan, a senior partner at McKinsey.

He smiled at this guy, said hello, and left the hotel.

Stringer is consulting extensively with the opinions of friends in different fields, but believes he can make the decision that best suits his own situation.

…

Stringer called Kutaragi Ken the next morning and asked the "father of PS" to meet at four o'clock in the afternoon to discuss Sony's electronic product business.

The meeting between Fang Zhuo and Nakaba Ryoji was scheduled for ten o'clock in the morning.

Although it was only the first time for Fang Zhuo to meet the current vice president of Sony Group, his appearance was not unfamiliar at all.

A lot of information about Sony executives was collected in the villa room in Houston, USA. Among them, Nakahachi Ryoji and Kutaragi Ken were the ones that received the most attention.

Now, it can only be said that these two have indeed lived up to Fang Zhuo's expectations and have truly become popular candidates for Sony president.

From this point of view, Fang Zhuo felt that his vision was good, but as for the significance of today's trip, he felt that it was just to kill time.

Zhongbo Liangzhi's attitude was very sincere and he praised the cooperation between Yike Player and Sony Music. This is quite rare. In Fang Zhuo's view, it is a manifestation of "bearing humiliation and bearing heavy burdens, and having great ambitions".

In addition to this, Fang Zhuo felt a little strange about another Sony executive sitting next to him.

This man didn't talk much and didn't have any special behavior, but his eyes were a little strange.

Fang Zhuoxi received a call from China. During the call, he noticed the executive's suddenly serious expression. He couldn't help but feel a little funny and guessed something.

After the call ended, he turned sideways and said in Chinese to the assistant who was accompanying him as an interpreter: "These Japanese are quite polite. Nakabachi Ryoharu seems to be a good match for Stringer."

"Ryoji Nakaba's English is also very standard, and his views on Yike are also very positive."

"This trip to Japan feels good. It's not like the last time I came here. I met a Japanese Japs and had to find someone to throw him off the ship into the sea. I hated the Japanese Japs the most."

Fang Zhuo saw the executive's face turn pale out of the corner of his eye, satisfying his suspicions and bad taste.

He switched back to English and said with a smile: "Mr. Zhongbo, Yike and Sony have a common development prospect. I hope there will be more cooperation between the two parties."

Ryoji Nakahata vocally agreed with this.

The exchanges between the two sides tend to end.

But before the two parties could say goodbye, Nakaba Ryoji's phone vibrated first, and then Fang Zhuo also received a call from Stringer.

While Fang Zhuo listened to Stringer's voice, he saw Nakabachi Ryoji's expression quickly becoming serious.

Soon, he learned the sudden and precise news.

An hour later, Nobuyuki Idei will convene a temporary board meeting of Sony Group to discuss the succession list submitted by the board of directors to the shareholders' meeting on the 2nd next month.

Along with the notice from the head of Sony, Nobuyuki Idei also asked Stringer to meet him at the headquarters immediately.

In other words, the originally scheduled afternoon consultation with Kutaragi Ken could not be carried out.

Nobuyuki Dei's temporary board of directors disrupted the planned plan without warning.

"Do you need me to attend?" Fang Zhuo asked after pondering for two seconds.

"I'm not sure if you can participate," Stringer said. "You come first and serve as the nominee for this external director."

"Okay." Fang Zhuo agreed simply.

He ended the call and saw Nakabachi Ryoharu's unexpected and solemn look. He quickly thought about the charter of the temporary board of directors in his mind. After a few seconds, he asked calmly:

"Mr. Zhongbo, do you support Mr. Stringer's reform measures? This is the key to this board meeting."

Ryoharu Nakahachi expressed his position when he met Stringer yesterday. Now he met with Dongfang President and knew about the interim board of directors. He was not sure if this was a meeting jointly planned by Stringer and Nobuyuki Idei. He immediately said: "Of course I support it."

"Very good." Fang Zhuo reached out and shook hands with the vice president.

Very good, this is convenient for everyone to play.