Put together a list of Sony’s missteps, and one theme comes to the fore:
“control.” Indeed, the company that proved so adept at anticipating the
needs of consumers (and producing products to match), has stumbled the
worst when it tries to dictate, rather than listen. That was the case
with Sony’s infamous “NGO Strategy” controversy, in which an internal
memo detailing company efforts to spy on environmental activists was
leaked to the press. The document included the names of activist groups
pushing for regulations Sony executives considered harmful.
September, 2000: NGO Strategy Memo Leaked
Put together a list of Sony’s missteps, and one theme comes to the fore:
“control.” Indeed, the company that proved so adept at anticipating the
needs of consumers (and producing products to match), has stumbled the
worst when it tries to dictate, rather than listen. That was the case
with Sony’s infamous “NGO Strategy” controversy, in which an internal
memo detailing company efforts to spy on environmental activists was
leaked to the press. The document included the names of activist groups
pushing for regulations Sony executives considered harmful.
