The man who developed the compact disc and helped Sony expand into a media, entertainment and software leader, Norio Ohga, died Saturday, April 23, at the age of 81, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
When Sony purchased Columbia Pictures in 1989, Ohga was president of the company. Ohga had originally joined Sony in 1959 and eventually rose to CEO of the company.
"By redefining Sony as a company encompassing both hardware and software, Ohga-san succeeded where other Japanese companies failed," said Sony Chairman Howard Stringer. "It is no exaggeration to attribute Sony’s evolution beyond audio and video products into music, movies and games, and subsequent transformation into a global entertainment leader, to Ohga-san’s foresight and vision. I offer my deepest condolences on his passing and pray that he may rest in peace."
It may be apocryphal, but there’s a story about Mr. Ohga’s decisive leadership style: When Sony’s engineers asked “How long should a CD be?” he replied “Long enough for Beethoven’s 9th Symphony.”