Sony

Sony Group Corporation (formerly Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo K.K. and Sony Corporation), commonly known as simply Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group comprises entities such as Sony Corporation, Sony Semiconductor Solutions, Sony Entertainment (including Sony Pictures and Sony Music Group), Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Financial Group, and others. Sony was established in 1946 as Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo by Masaru Ibuka and Akio Morita. This electronics company became known early on for creating products such as the transistor radio TR-55 and the home video tape recorder CV-2000, playing a noteworthy part in Japan's post-war recovery. Ibuka retired from Sony in the 1970s with Morita then serving as chairman until 1994. During this period, Sony was one of the most recognized brands in the industry worldwide; the company was credited for a number of innovations, notably the Trinitron color TV, the Walkman portable audio player, and co-inventing the compact disc. It embarked on more diverse business ventures, acquiring the American CBS Records in 1988 and then Columbia Pictures in 1989, and later entering the home video game console market with PlayStation, the first of the eponymous brand. In Japan, Sony expanded into the financial sector. In 2021, Sony transformed into a holding company, handing over the name Sony Corporation to its subsidiary as the electronics company. Sony, with its 55 percent market share in the image sensor market, is the largest manufacturer of image sensors, the second largest camera manufacturer, and is among the semiconductor sales leaders. It is the world's largest player in the premium TV market for a television of at least 55 inches (140 centimeters) with a price higher than $2,500 as well as second largest TV brand by market share and, as of 2020, the third largest television manufacturer in the world by annual sales figures. Although not being a part of any traditional keiretsu, Sony has a weak tie to the Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMFG), which traces its roots to the Mitsui zaibatsu. This connection dates back to the 1950s when it was the only bank the company dealt with. Sony is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (in which it is a constituent of the Nikkei 225 and TOPIX Core30 indeces) with an additional listing in the form of American depositary receipts listed in the New York Stock Exchange (traded since 1961, making it one of the oldest Japanese companies to be listed on an American exchange), and was ranked 88th on the 2021 Fortune Global 500 list. In 2023, the company was ranked 57th in the Forbes Global 2000.

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