Steve Jobs and SONY: why 180 degrees opposite decisions?

Steve Jobs donates history to Stanford University in order to focus on the future

Steve Jobs and SONY – when Steve Jobs when returned to Apple in 1996, and now SONY are faced with the same question: what to do about corporate archives and the corporate history museum? Interestingly Steve Jobs, and SONY reach exactly 180 degrees opposite answers to the same question:

Steve Jobs donates Apple corporate archives and company museum to Stanford University

SONY sells headquarters building, and keeps SONY corporate archives and company museum

Why opposite answers to the same question? Could it be good advice for SONY, to learn from Steve Jobs, and donate SONY-Museum and SONY-Archives to a University, and focus much more on the future?

Apple donates history collection to Stanford University:

Steve Jobs returned to Apple with the Apple purchase of NeXT on December 10, 1996. One of the first things Steve Jobs did was to orient the Apple into the future by donating the Apple Computer Inc. Museum and historical collections to Stanford University, as documented in Stanford University’s news release dated November 18, 1997. Apple’s archives are now at Stanford University’s Silicon Valley Archives.

Steve Jobs gave away Apple’s history documents in order to focus on the future.

SONY sells headquarters buildings but keeps SONY Archives and SONY Corporate History Museum:

SONY’s actions are almost exactly 180 degrees opposite to Apple’s and Steve Jobs’: according to Wallstreet Journal, The Japan News by Yomiuri, and other news sources, SONY sells the former headquarters buildings, but reports say that SONY will keep the SONY Archives and the SONY Corporate History Museum (ソニー歴史資料館).

To understand SONY’s financial situation over the last 15 years, read our Report on Japan’s electronics industry.

Why does Steve Jobs reach the 180 degrees opposite conclusion to SONY management when faced with the same question?

Is this a manifestation of Japan’s “Galapagos syndrome”?

Could this mean that SONY isn’t as forward looking as Steve Jobs when he returned to Apple in 1996?

Could it be good advice for SONY, to donate SONY-Museum and SONY-Archives to a University, and instead focus on the future?

Japan’s electronics industry sector – research report, including SONY

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