Kaz Hirai Says He Led PlayStation His Own Way

Kaz Hirai has talked about how he handled his time running PlayStation and later Sony. He said that when Sony executives came in with ideas about the PlayStation brand, he often chose to follow his own judgment instead.

He recalled telling executives, “What headquarters says isn’t important. We’re PlayStation!” He said that approach came from knowing the games business well and sticking to what he thought was right for the brand.

Hirai later became Sony CEO in 2012 after Howard Stringer stepped down. He said the move came with a lot of pressure because Sony was dealing with its worst net loss and people inside the company were unsure about him.

To deal with that, Hirai focused on earning trust. He visited different departments without warning and spoke with staff directly. He said he learned that, as CEO, he could not let every department do whatever it wanted. Instead, he tried to give the whole company one clear goal. Hirai stepped down as CEO in 2019 and stayed on as an adviser until 2024.