Sony CEO, Sir Howard Stringer to Step Down by March 2012?

It’s easy to sit back and look at Sony’s recent Q2 loss of $350 million and $1 billion annual loss and blame the recent flooding in Thailand and devastating earthquakes that took place in Japan more than 6 months ago as a reason for Sony’s financial losses. However, when you were once the leader in mobile phones, gaming, LCD TVs and much more, and now, your company trails behind in every single one of those segments, it’s hard to not realize that Sony’s woes have long been in the making. In fact, this year will make the 8th year that Sony’s Bravia division will post a loss.

So, is the current CEO, Sir Howard Stringer, to blame for all this? It’s hard to tell and we hate to pin so much blame on one person. The truth, however, is that he is the one leading Sony and when a company is under so much financial pressure, the man on top tends to be the one to take the fall. That’s how Bloomberg sees it, stating that they believe that Sir Howard Stringer will step down as Sony CEO by March 2012, when he will continue to serve as chairman. Many believe that former PlayStation head and current Sony executive deputy president, Kaz Hirai, is the likely successor. Kaz currently oversees all of Sony’s different electronic buisnesses, including the PlayStation family, and the troubled Bravia division. It should be noted that the topic of Sir Howard Stringer replacement has come up before, almost exactly a year ago.

Phone calls to Shiro Kambe, a Sony spokesman, and Sue Tanaka, a company spokeswoman, after normal business hours weren’t answered. Tokyo offices were closed today for a local holiday.

Discuss:

Do you think Sir Howard Stringer is to blame for the financial woes at Sony, or is the problem greater than one man?

[Via Bloomberg]