Kaz Hirai facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kaz Hirai
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Hirai at the Mobile World Congress 2013 in Barcelona
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| Born | December 22, 1960 Tokyo, Japan
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| Alma mater | International Christian University |
Kazuo "Kaz" Hirai (平井 一夫, Hirai Kazuo, born December 22, 1960) is a Japanese businessman. He is famous for being the former chairman of Sony Corporation. He was also the president and CEO of Sony from 2012 to 2018. Before that, he was a key leader at Sony Computer Entertainment, which makes PlayStation games. Many people saw him as one of the most powerful people in the entertainment world. He helped Sony grow a lot during the 2010s. He retired from Sony in 2019.
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Early life
Kazuo Hirai was born in Tokyo, Japan, on December 22, 1960. He went to the American School in Japan. For a few years, from 1973 to 1976, he also went to school in Toronto, Canada. His father was a rich banker, so Kaz often traveled with him. They visited places like California, New York, Canada, and many parts of Japan. Hirai later said that these travels helped him a lot in his global business career.
He became very interested in games, which led him into the entertainment business. After finishing college at International Christian University in 1984, he started working at CBS/Sony Inc. This company is now called Sony Music Entertainment Japan. His job was to help market international music in Japan. Later, he moved to New York to lead Sony Computer Entertainment Japan's international business.
Career
Starting at Sony Music
Kazuo Hirai began his career at Sony Music Entertainment Japan in 1984. He started in the marketing department of CBS/Sony Inc. After that, he became the head of Sony's international business. He then moved to Sony Music Japan's office in New York. There, he helped promote Japanese music artists in the United States.
Leading PlayStation
In August 1995, Hirai joined Sony's video game division, Sony Computer Entertainment America. He quickly moved up, becoming executive vice president and chief operations officer in 1996. By 1997, he was credited on his first completed video game.
When the PlayStation 2 came out in 2000, Kazuo continued to be very successful. He helped bring popular game series like Jak and Daxter, Ratchet & Clank, Sly Cooper, and SOCOM to PlayStation. Under his leadership, Sony's game division made a lot of money during the PlayStation 2 era.
In 2006, Hirai became a vice president of Sony Computer Entertainment. Later that year, after the PlayStation 3 launched, he took over from Ken Kutaragi as president of Sony Computer Entertainment. He also became the chief operating officer. In 2007, he was promoted to president and group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment.
On April 1, 2009, Sony combined its electronics and game businesses. Hirai was put in charge of a big new group called the Networked Products & Services Group (NPSG). This group included Sony's games (PlayStation), personal computers (VAIO), mobile devices (Walkman, Xperia), and online services. He oversaw all the work for these products. In 2011, he became chairman of Sony Computer Entertainment.
Leading Sony Corporation
On April 1, 2011, Hirai was promoted to a very senior role at Sony Corporation. He was put in charge of the Consumer Products & Services Group. Many people thought he would become the next leader of Sony.
On February 1, 2012, Sony announced that Kaz Hirai would become the new president and chief executive officer. He officially started this role on April 1, 2012. He also joined the company's board of directors.
On February 2, 2018, Sony announced that Hirai would step down as president and CEO. He was replaced by Kenichiro Yoshida. Hirai stayed on as the company's chairman to help with the change in leadership.
On March 28, 2019, Hirai announced he would fully retire from Sony in June 2019. He said he was sure that Yoshida could lead Sony well on his own. Even after retiring, he continued to be a senior advisor for the company for a while.
Nickname
Kazuo Hirai's real first name is "Kazuo," but most people know him as "Kaz." In Japan, he has a funny nickname: "Ridge Hirai." This nickname came from an event in 2006. During a presentation for the PSP (PlayStation Portable), he got very excited while showing the game Ridge Racer! He famously shouted "Riiiiidge Racer!" This moment became very popular. He knows about this nickname and even talks about it in his autobiography.
See also
In Spanish: Kazuo Hirai para niños
