Kazuo Hirai
Kazuo "Kaz" Hirai (平井 一夫, Hirai Kazuo, born December 22, 1960) is the Representative Corporate Executive Officer and Executive Deputy President of ... More »
Hedge Fund Manager Loeb Targets Sony for a Breakup
He hand-delivered a letter on Tuesday to the company’s chief executive, Kazuo Hirai, that praises a turnaround effort but asks for more. “So while Third Point supports your agenda for change, we also believe that to succeed, Sony must focus,” Mr. Loeb wrote in the letter, which was ... Read more »
Loeb's Bold Bet on Sony
Compared with his sometimes caustic attacks on U.S. corporations, Mr. Loeb’s May 14 letter to Sony’s chief executive, Kazuo Hirai, is studiously polite. He argues that Sony’s movie and music operations aren’t performing as well as some peers, and would do better if publicly listed. Mr. ... Read more »
Third Point targets Sony for spin-off
Loeb's Third Point hedge fund is now one of Sony's largest shareholders, and on Tuesday the firm delivered a letter to Sony CEO Kazuo Hirai. "While Third Point supports your agenda for change, we also believe that to succeed, Sony must focus," Loeb wrote. "In a spirit of partnership, we ... Read more »
Sony posts first full-year profit in 5 years
Forty of Sony's top executives, including Kazuo Hirai, the chief executive since last year, are to give up bonuses worth 30-50 per cent of their pay. (Financial Times) -- Sony reported its first full-year net profit in five years on Thursday and said it expected earnings to grow by a ... Read more »
Is Sony un-Japanese enough to entertain change?
Loeb wants CEO Kazuo Hirai to sell as much as a fifth of the group's money-making entertainment arm - movies, TV and music - to free up cash to revive an electronics business that has been battered by competition from Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics. He reckons the shake-up could ... Read more »
Hedge fund billionaire Loeb says Sony reminds him of Yahoo
" Loeb has said he would be happy to take a seat on Sony's board and - unlike his attack on Yahoo's leadership, which led to the dismissal of CEO Scott Thompson and the hiring of Google veteran Marissa Mayer - he praised Sony CEO Kazuo Hirai for the steps he has taken since taking the ... Read more »
Loeb’s Plan Spotlights Sony Missing Media Renaissance
As an independent company, the maker of “Spider-Man” movies would benefit from more disciplined management, investor attention and fatter profits, giving a $6.1 billion lift to Sony’s market value, he wrote in a letter to Chief Executive Officer Kazuo Hirai. The move from Sony’s largest ... Read more »
Analyis For investor Loeb, Sony a likely winner even if spinoff fails
In fact, Loeb, known for his often blunt manner, orchestrated a respectful overture at Sony that included flying to Tokyo for a direct meeting with the company's president and CEO, Kazuo Hirai, and, later, personally handing him a politely worded letter describing his proposed changes. ... Read more »
Sony gadgets struggle despite profit rise, smartphones key
Sony's boss, Kazuo Hirai, in 2012 identified mobile products, gaming and digital imaging as the core of a rebound in consumer electronics after more than a decade of decline for the pioneer of personal music players and compact discs. With compact cameras and its PSP and PS Vita handheld ... Read more »
Sony under fire: Goodbye, Mr Bond?
In his letter to Sony’s newish chief executive, Kazuo Hirai, Mr Loeb calls for the firm to join Japan’s resurgence under the policies of Shinzo Abe, the prime minister. “Abenomics”, Mr Abe’s package of easy money, fiscal stimulus and structural reform, has sent the stockmarket soaring. ... Read more »
Break Up Sony? Well, Duh
Since taking the helm in 2012, chief executive Kazuo Hirai has vowed to shake things up and do what’s necessary to transform the company. To his credit, Hirai’s done quite a bit of restructuring but nothing that I would consider transformative, to date. Enter activist investor and ... Read more »
Sony shares surge after US hedge fund calls for change
Loeb - known for his aggressive style in forcing change at targeted firms - said he supported chief executive Kazuo Hirai's bid to shake up one of Japan Inc.'s best-known names. "Since taking the helm as chief executive officer (last year), your stated commitment to reinvigorating the ... Read more »
US hedge fund calls for Sony Entertainment spin-off Technology Industry News
In a letter Loeb personally delivered to Kazuo Hirai chief executive at Sony’s headquarters, the fund manager said Third Point was willing to put up another 200 billion yen (€1.5 billion) to support an initial public offering of up to a fifth of the entertainment arm, which includes one ... Read more »
Sony Reportedly Mulling Spin-Off Proposal For Movies And Music Units
Company President and CEO Kazuo Hirai said that “Sony will change.” He also revealed that only two of its three main business units, entertainment and financial services, are the most stable and “poised for future growth.” Its third area, electronics, isn’t as fortunate: “the operating ... Read more »
Sony Entertainment Spinout ‘Inevitable,’ Despite Claims to Contrary: Source
In fact, Sony Entertainment insiders said in private conversations that despite CEO Kazuo Hirai’s protestations, they’re expecting some kind of entertainment spinout to happen within the next 12-18 months. Or, as one insider told me this morning, “They swore they weren’t selling the ... Read more »
Sony, Panasonic have robust plans for India
Global chief executive Kazuo Hirai is counting on the sale of game consoles, cameras and mobile phones to bring its ailing consumer electronics business back on track. India’s contribution to the two Japanese giants’ global revenues is three to five per cent, say experts. The plan, they ... Read more »
Hedge fund wants part of Sony entertainment sold
In a May 14 letter to Sony President Kazuo Hirai, first published in The New York Times, Daniel Loeb, chief executive of hedge fund Third Point, suggested Sony take 15 percent to 20 percent of the entertainment unit public. Photo: Junji Kurokawa FILE - In this Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013 ... Read more »
Dan Loeb Takes On Sony: Does A Split Make Sense?
The New York Times published a letter from Loeb to the CEO Kazuo Hirai in which he reveals a 6.3% stake valued at more than $1 billion and urges the company to unlock value by, among other things, floating a portion of Sony Entertainment in a public offering. Loeb stops well short of ... Read more »
Gordon Gekko Comes To Japan
After directing his Third Point hedge funds to grab a 6.5% stake in Sony, The New York Times reported that Loeb on Tuesday personally delivered his demands to Kazuo Hirai, Sony’s chief executive. The move is rich in symbolism both for Loeb and Japan. A money manager who originally made a ... Read more »
U.S. hedge fund calls for Sony Entertainment spin-off
The hedge fund, in a letter to Sony Chief Executive Kazuo Hirai, has recommended Sony sell a 15-20 percent stake by offering subscription rights to existing Sony shareholders. "Our plan shifts that paradigm and we believe, if managed properly, it could result in as much as 60 percent ... Read more »
