How Sony Sold the First Pocketable Radio

Born in the unlikeliest of places — the terrible, wasteland-like aftermath of post WWII Japan — Sony rose to capture the imaginations (and wallets) of consumers and engineers around the world. The company produced hit after hit after hit: portable transistor radios, CDs, the Walkman, the PlayStation, DVDs, life insurance(!!)... and yet ultimately fell behind its greatest American admirer, Steve Jobs and Apple. This is the incredible story of Sony’s human and technological optimism in the face of overwhelming odds — a story that, given recent world events, remains as relevant today as ever.

This episode has video! You can watch it on YouTube.

Sponsors:

Rippling: https://bit.ly/acquiredrippling
Statsig: https://bit.ly/acquiredstatsig25
Odd Lots: https://bit.ly/acquiredoddlots
ServiceNow: https://bit.ly/acquiredsn

More Acquired!

• Get email updates with hints on next episode and follow-ups from recent episodes
• Join the Slack
• Subscribe to ACQ2
• Merch Store!

© Copyright 2015-2025 ACQ, LLC

Links:

• Steve Jobs’ Tribute to Akio Morita: https://youtu.be/Drwkvf76Cls
• Planet Money on Sony and Spider-Man: https://www.npr.org/2022/01/28/1076531156/the-spider-man-problem
• Episode sources:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LpnPSju5xSPcuaRVd1TYXnL1oGBr4Qs5bRS7owbxoEc/edit?usp=sharing

Carve Outs:

• How This All Happened by Morgan Housel: https://www.collaborativefund.com/blog/how-this-all-happened/
• The Model 3 is AWESOME: https://www.tesla.com/model3

‍Note: Acquired hosts and guests may hold assets discussed in this episode. This podcast is not investment advice, and is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. You should do your own research and make your own independent decisions when considering any financial transactions.