About
Sony began in 1946 in a bombed-out department store in postwar Tokyo, where engineer Masaru Ibuka and physicist Akio Morita founded a tiny radio repair shop called Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo (Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering). The company's first product — an electric rice cooker — failed, but a 1955 breakthrough changed everything: Japan's first transistor radio. From there, Sony built a reputation for products the market didn't know it wanted: the Trinitron color TV (1968), the Walkman (1979), the CD (1982), the PlayStation (1994), and the CMOS image sensors that now sit inside most of the world's smartphones. The company renamed itself Sony in 1958, combining the Latin "sonus" (sound) with the English "sonny". It listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 1958 and on the NYSE in 1970 (ticker SONY), becoming one of the first Japanese companies to list in the United States. Co-founder Akio Morita's memoir, "Made in Japan", became a global business bestseller and helped change "Made in Japan" from a cheap-goods label into a mark of quality. Today Sony Group Corporation is organized around "creative entertainment and technology". Its PlayStation platform is one of the largest gaming businesses on earth (over 100 million PS5 consoles sold), Sony Music and Sony Pictures manage some of the world's biggest artists and film franchises — Sony Pictures produces the Spider-Man films — and its semiconductor division is the dominant global supplier of camera image sensors, shipping the chips inside nearly every flagship smartphone. Consumer electronics (BRAVIA TVs, headphones, cameras) remain the public face of the brand, and the company is now developing its first electric vehicles (Afeela, with Honda). Headquartered in Minato City, Tokyo, with about 113,000 employees and annual revenue near ¥13 trillion (US$88 billion), Sony is led by CEO Kenichiro Yoshida, who took over in 2018. After struggling in the 2000s against Apple's iPod and Samsung's TVs, the company refocused on recurring-revenue entertainment businesses and its sensor technology moat, making it one of the few companies in the world that is simultaneously a chip supplier, a console maker, and a global entertainment conglomerate. For B2B buyers, Sony matters as a sensor and electronics OEM supplier — and for everyone else, as the maker of the PlayStation in your living room.
Also known as: Sony
Company Facts
- Founded
- 1946 (as Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo; renamed Sony in 1958)
- Founders
- Masaru Ibuka & Akio Morita
- Headquarters
- Minato City, Tokyo, Japan
- CEO
- Kenichiro Yoshida (since 2018)
- Employees
- Approx. 113,000
- Annual Revenue
- ≈ ¥13 trillion (US$88 billion)
- Stock Listing
- Tokyo Stock Exchange: 6758 · NYSE: SONY
- Industry
- Electronics, Gaming, Entertainment, Image Sensors
Frequently Asked Questions
Who owns Sony?+
Sony Group Corporation is a publicly traded company — no single person, family, or company owns it. Sony is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE: 6758) and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: SONY), and it is owned by its shareholders, which include large institutional investors and the general public.
Who founded Sony?+
Sony was founded in 1946 in Tokyo, Japan, by engineer Masaru Ibuka and physicist Akio Morita. The company was originally called Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo (Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation) and officially changed its name to Sony in 1958.
Where is Sony from?+
Sony is from Japan. It was founded in Tokyo in 1946 and is headquartered in Minato City, Tokyo, Japan to this day.
Is Sony a Japanese company?+
Yes. Sony Group Corporation is a Japanese multinational conglomerate headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, and one of the country's largest technology and entertainment companies.
Who made Sony?+
Sony was made by Masaru Ibuka and Akio Morita, who founded the company as Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo in Tokyo in 1946. The name "Sony" was adopted in 1958.
Is Sony from Japan?+
Yes, Sony is from Japan. The company was founded in Tokyo in 1946 and remains headquartered in Tokyo today.
Where is Sony made?+
Sony products are made in multiple countries. While the company is headquartered in Japan, its manufacturing and contract production span Japan, China, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Europe, depending on the product line.
