SONY (75 years of electronics history in 3 hours)

ℹ️ EPISODE INFO

Released

March 7, 2022

Duration

3h 4m

Channel

Acquired

Watch on YouTube

▶ Open ↗

📝 EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Born in the unlikeliest of places — the terrible, wasteland-like aftermath of post WWII Japan — Sony rose to capture the imaginations (and wallets) of consumers and engineers around the world. The company produced hit after hit after hit: portable transistor radios, CDs, the Walkman, the PlayStation, DVDs, life insurance(!!)... and yet ultimately fell behind its greatest American admirer, Steve Jobs and Apple. This is the incredible story of Sony’s human and technological optimism in the face of overwhelming odds — a story that, given recent world events, remains as relevant today as ever. *Links:*

• Steve Jobs’ Tribute to Akio Morita: https://youtu.be/Drwkvf76Cls
• Planet Money on Sony and Spider-Man: https://www.npr.org/2022/01/28/1076531156/the-spider-man-problem
• Episode sources: https://www.acquired.fm/episodes/sony#sources

*Carve Outs:*

• How This All Happened by Morgan Housel: https://www.collaborativefund.com/blog/how-this-all-happened/
• The Model 3 is AWESOME: https://www.tesla.com/model3

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_Note: Acquired hosts and guests may hold assets discussed in this episode. This podcast is not investment advice, and is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. You should do your own research and make your own independent decisions when considering any financial transactions._

🎤 SPEAKERS

• David Rosenthal

  host

• Ben Gilbert

  host

🧾 EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Acquired, featuring David Rosenthal and Ben Gilbert, SONY (75 years of electronics history in 3 hours) explores Sony’s rise from postwar radio repairs to global entertainment conglomerate The episode traces Sony from its 1945 postwar origins—Masaru Ibuka’s engineer-led “haven” and Akio Morita’s business/marketing partnership—through breakthrough consumer innovations like transistor radios, Trinitron TVs, the Walkman, and the CD.

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