Akio Morita

1921 – 1999

Akio Morita was a Japanese physicist and entrepreneur who co-founded Sony Corporation with Masaru Ibuka in 1946 and built it into one of the world's most influential consumer electronics companies. Under his leadership Sony introduced the Trinitron color television, the compact cassette recorder, the Walkman portable audio player, and the Betamax and CD formats, helping define late-20th-century consumer media. As Sony's chairman from 1976 to 1994, he was widely credited with reframing the global perception of Japanese manufacturing from imitative to innovative.

Last checked: May 10, 2026, 1:06 PM