Photo : Masaru Kamikura ( Creative Commons Wiki

In April 2018, Kaz Hirai stepped down as Sony CEO, taking on the role of Director and Chairman. Today, it was announced that Hirai will retire from those roles in June.




Kenichiro Yoshida, Sony’s former CFO, took over the company after Hirai had brought it back from the brink. Previously, Hirai headed up Sony Computer Entertainment and oversaw the PS3's launch.

In an official statement, Hirai said, “Since passing the baton of CEO to Yoshida-san last April, as Chairman of Sony, I have had the opportunity to both ensure a smooth transition and provide support to Sony’s management. I am confident that everyone at Sony is fully aligned under Yoshida-san’s strong leadership, and are ready to build an even brighter future for Sony. As such, I have decided to depart from Sony, which has been a part of my life for the past 35 years. I would like to extend my warmest gratitude to all our employees and stakeholders who have supported me throughout this journey.”


Even though Hirai is officially leaving his post, he will still be available for input should Sony need it. Sony’s official announcement states that Hirai will continue to advise the company and act as Senior Advisor after he steps down on June 18. “While he will be retiring from both Chairman and our Board of Directors,” Yoshida said in an official statement, “we look forward to his continuing high-level support to Sony’s management that encompasses a breadth of diverse businesses.”