Editing Sony (section)

==History==
{{Main|History of Sony}}

===Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo===
[[File:Sony-1945-rice-cooker-2.jpg|thumb|left|Sony's first product was an electric rice cooker in the late 1940s.<ref>{{cite news |title=It all began with a failed rice cooker – a glimpse at Sony's history |url=https://www.gsmarena.com/it_all_began_with_a_failed_rice_cooker__a_glimpse_at_sonys_history-blog-13661.php |website=GSMArena.com |date=December 21, 2023 |publisher=GSMArena.com |access-date=December 21, 2023 |archive-date=2023-12-21  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231221215707/https://www.gsmarena.com/it_all_began_with_a_failed_rice_cooker__a_glimpse_at_sonys_history-blog-13661.php |url-status=live }}</ref>]]
Sony began in the wake of World War II. In 1946, [[Masaru Ibuka]] started an electronics shop in Shirokiya,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sundberg |first=Stephen |date=18 September 2016 |title=Shirokiya Department Store, c. 1910–1940. &#124; Old Tokyo |url=http://www.oldtokyo.com/shirokiya-department-store/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120918035310/http://www.oldtokyo.com/shirokiya-dept-store.php |archive-date=18 September 2012 |access-date=5 November 2020 |website=Old Tokyo |language=en-us}}</ref> a department store building in the [[Nihonbashi]] area of [[Tokyo]]. The company started with a capital of ¥190,000<!--, or in USD $1,666.39{{clarification needed |date=July 2017}} // No true exchange rate before 1949. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_yen#Fixed_value_of_the_yen_to_the_U.S._dollar --><ref>{{Cite web |title=Sony Global – History |url=https://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/CorporateInfo/History/ |access-date=7 July 2017 |website=www.sony.net |language=en |archive-date=2021-02-09  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210209164449/https://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/CorporateInfo/History/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and a total of eight employees.<ref name="Nobuo">{{Cite news |last=Nobuo Abiko |date=26 March 1966 |title=Pioneering firm upsets Japan hiring: Pattern broken |page=14 |work=The Christian Science Monitor |via=ProQuest}}</ref> On 7 May 1946, Ibuka was joined by [[Akio Morita]] to establish a company called {{nihongo|Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo|東京通信工業|Tōkyō Tsūshin Kōgyō|Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation}}.<ref name="History">{{Cite web |title=Sony Global&nbsp;– Sony History |url=https://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/CorporateInfo/History/SonyHistory/1-01.html |access-date=16 February 2007 |archive-date=2021-01-22  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122131354/https://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/CorporateInfo/History/SonyHistory/1-01.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The company built Japan's first [[tape recorder]], called the Type-G.<ref name=History/><ref>{{Cite news |last=Neate |first=Rupert |date=1 December 2014 |title=A history of Sony's successes and failures |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/dec/13/sony-successes-failures-inventions-walkman-music |access-date=22 April 2019 |issn=0261-3077 |archive-date=2020-12-01  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201044041/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/dec/13/sony-successes-failures-inventions-walkman-music |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1958, the company changed its name to "Sony".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Chang |first=Sea-Jin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=blWb6tslZb8C&q=In+1958+sony&pg=PT19 |title=Sony vs Samsung: The Inside Story of the Electronics Giants' Battle For Global Supremacy |date=25 February 2011 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=9780470830444 |language=en |access-date=2020-10-20  |archive-date=2023-12-30  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231230025243/https://books.google.com/books?id=blWb6tslZb8C&q=In+1958+sony&pg=PT19#v=snippet&q=In%201958%20sony&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Name===
''Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo'' founders Morita and Ibuka realized that to achieve success and grow, their business had to expand to the global market, which required labeling their products with a short and easy [[brand]] name.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6ORVw3rodZAC&dq=%22Ibuka+and+Morita+decided+the+only+way%22&pg=PA41|title=Sony: The Company and Its Founders: The Company and Its Founders|first=Robert|last=Grayson|date=1 September 2012|publisher=ABDO Publishing Company|isbn=9781614801832|via=Google Books|access-date=2023-03-02 |archive-date=2023-04-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408100850/https://books.google.com/books?id=6ORVw3rodZAC&dq=%22Ibuka+and+Morita+decided+the+only+way%22&pg=PA41|url-status=live}}</ref> While looking for a romanized name, they at first strongly considered using their initials, TTK. The primary reason they did not is that the railway company [[Tokyu Corporation|Tokyo Kyuko]] was known as TTK.<ref name=History/> The company occasionally used the syllabic acronym "Totsuko" in Japan, but during his visit to the United States, Morita discovered that Americans had trouble pronouncing that name. Another early name that was tried out for a while was "Tokyo Teletech" until [[Akio Morita]] discovered that there was an American company already using Teletech as a brand name.<ref>''[[Made in Japan (biography)|Made in Japan]]'' – Akio Morita and Sony (pg. 76) by Akio Morita with [müzik indir] [http://www.indiristan.net/ müzik indir] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210117181638/http://www.indiristan.net/ |date=17 January 2021}} Edwin M. Rheingold and Mitsuko Shimomura, Signet Books, 1986</ref>

The name "Sony" was chosen for the brand as a mix of two words: one was the [[Latin]] word "''[[wikt:sonus|sonus]]''", which is the root of sonic and sound, and the other was "''[[wikt:sonny|sonny]]''", a common slang term used in 1950s America to call a young boy.<ref name="SonyHistory">[http://www.sony.co.jp/SonyInfo/CorporateInfo/History/ Sony Corporate History (Japanese)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090514124709/http://www.sony.co.jp/SonyInfo/CorporateInfo/History/ |date=2009-05-14  }}. Sony.co.jp. Retrieved 7 July 2011.</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Nathan |first1=John |title=Sony : the private life |date=1999 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |location=Boston, Mass. |isbn=0618126945 |page=52}}</ref> In 1950s Japan, "sonny boys" was a [[loan word]] in Japanese, which connoted smart and presentable young men, which [[Akio Morita]] and [[Masaru Ibuka]] considered themselves to be.<ref name="SonyHistory" />

The first Sony-branded product, the [[TR-55]] [[transistor radio]], appeared in 1955, but the company name did not change to Sony until January 1958.<ref>[http://www.sony.co.uk/article/id/1060176719725 Sony.co.uk. About Sony. ''The History of the Sony Corporation''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131128040732/http://www.sony.co.uk/article/id/1060176719725 |date=28 November 2013 }}. Sony.co.uk. Retrieved 7 July 2011.</ref>

At the time of the change, it was extremely unusual for a Japanese company to use [[Romanization of Japanese|Roman letters]] to spell its name instead of writing it in [[kanji]]. The move was not without opposition: TTK's principal bank at the time, [[Mitsui]], had strong feelings about the name. They pushed for a name such as Sony Electronic Industries, or Sony Teletech. Akio Morita was firm, however, as he did not want the company name tied to any particular industry. Eventually, both Ibuka and Mitsui Bank's chairman gave their approval.<ref name=History/>

===Globalization===
According to Schiffer, Sony's TR-63 radio "cracked open the U.S. market and launched the new industry of consumer microelectronics."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Focusing on the design of pocket transistor radios manufactured during the 1950s & 1960s! |url=https://www.jamesbutters.com/ |access-date=16 January 2020 |website=Focusing on the design of pocket transistor radios manufactured during the 1950s & 1960s! |archive-date=2021-01-25  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125110756/https://www.jamesbutters.com/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> By the mid-1950s, American teens had begun buying portable transistor radios in huge numbers, helping to propel the fledgling industry from an estimated 100,000 units in 1955 to 5&nbsp;million units by the end of 1968.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Strategy Study: How Sony Became The Ultimate Pivoting Success Story |url=https://www.cascade.app/studies/sony-strategy-study |access-date=2024-05-30 |website=www.cascade.app |language=en |archive-date=2024-05-30  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240530120504/https://www.cascade.app/studies/sony-strategy-study |url-status=live }}</ref>

Sony co-founder Akio Morita founded Sony Corporation of America in 1960.<ref name="Nobuo" /> In the process, he was struck by the mobility of employees between American companies, which was unheard of in Japan at that time.<ref name="Nobuo" /> When he returned to Japan, he encouraged experienced, middle-aged employees of other companies to reevaluate their careers and consider joining Sony.<ref name="Nobuo" /> The company filled many positions in this manner, and inspired other Japanese companies to do the same.<ref name="Nobuo" /> Moreover, Sony played a major role in the development of Japan as a powerful exporter during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s,<ref name="Christian">Christian, Caryl, and With Hideko Takayama and Kay Itoi in Tokyo, George Wehrfritz in Hong Kong, John Sparks and Michael Hastings in, New York. "Sony is Not Japan; the Appointment of a Foreign CEO is a Sign of how Far the Iconic Company has Fallen in the Japanese Corporate Elite." Newsweek 21 March 2005: 30-. ProQuest Research Library. Web. 26 May 2012.</ref> supplying the [[United States Armed Forces|U.S. Military]] with bomb parts used in the [[Vietnam War]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Immerwahr |first=Daniel |date=2019 |title=How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States |edition=First |location=New York |publisher=Straus, and Giroux Farrar |isbn=978-0-374-71512-0 |oclc=1086608761 |quote=Deming's beatification spoke to the centrality of the U.S. military in Japan's economic growth. The more that military fought, the more Japanese firms profited. The Korean War had been a godsend. The Vietnam War helped, too. The men who fought it drank Kirin beer, carried Nikon cameras, rode Honda motorbikes, and dropped bombs with Sony parts.}}</ref> It also helped to significantly improve American perceptions of "made in Japan" products.<ref name="Lohr">Lohr, Steve. "Hard-Hit Sony Girds for a Fight in the American Electronics Market." New York Times: A.8. New York Times. 14 August 1983. Web. 26 May 2012.</ref> Known for its production quality, Sony was able to charge above-market prices for its consumer electronics and resisted lowering prices.<ref name="Lohr" />

In 1971, Masaru Ibuka handed the position of president over to his co-founder Akio Morita. Sony began [[Sony Life|a life insurance company]] in 1979, one of its many peripheral businesses. Amid a global recession in the early 1980s, electronics sales dropped and the company was forced to cut prices.<ref name="Lohr" /> Sony's profits fell sharply. "It's over for Sony", one analyst concluded. "The company's best days are behind it."<ref name="Lohr" />

[[File:Advertising For Sony Transistor Radios (TR-6, TR-63 & TR-72) In The Vancouver Sun Newspaper, July 26, 1957 (46264879332).jpg|left|thumb|Advertising for Sony transistor radios (TR-6, TR-63 & TR-72), 1957]]

Around that time, [[Norio Ohga]] took up the role of president. He encouraged the development of the compact disc (CD) in the 1970s and 1980s, and of the [[PlayStation]] in the early 1990s. Ohga went on to purchase [[Columbia Records|CBS Records]] in 1988 and [[Columbia Pictures]] in 1989, greatly expanding Sony's media presence. Ohga would succeed Morita as chief executive officer in 1989.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Digication e-Portfolio :: Navaldeep Singh :: Investigate and Analyze the company's History and Growth |url=https://stonybrook.digication.com/navaldeep_singh/Investigate_and_Analyze_the_company_s_History_and_ |access-date=4 June 2017 |website=stonybrook.digication.com |language=en |archive-date=2020-10-25  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025232223/https://stonybrook.digication.com/navaldeep_singh/Investigate_and_Analyze_the_company_s_History_and_ |url-status=live }}</ref>{{citation needed |date=November 2014}}

Under the vision of co-founder Akio Morita<ref name="Fackler">Fackler, Martin. "Cutting Sony, a Corporate Octopus, Back to a Rational Size." New York Times: C.1. New York Times. 29 May 2006. Web. 27 May 2012.</ref> and his successors, the company had aggressively expanded into new businesses.<ref name="Christian" /> Part of its motivation for doing so was the pursuit of "convergence", linking film, music and digital electronics via the Internet.<ref name="Christian" /> This expansion proved unrewarding and unprofitable,<ref name="Christian" /> threatening Sony's ability to charge a premium on its products<ref name="Fackler" /> as well as its brand name.<ref name="Fackler" /> In 2005, [[Howard Stringer]] replaced [[Nobuyuki Idei]] as chief executive officer, marking the first time that a foreigner had run a major Japanese electronics firm. Stringer helped to reinvigorate the company's struggling media businesses, encouraging blockbusters such as ''[[Spider-Man (2002 film)|Spider-Man]]'' while cutting 9,000 jobs.<ref name="Christian" /> He hoped to sell off peripheral business and focus the company again on electronics.<ref name="Fackler" /> Furthermore, he aimed to increase cooperation between business units,<ref name="Fackler" /> which he described as "silos" operating in isolation from one another.<ref name="Nakamoto" /> In a bid to provide a unified brand for its global operations, Sony introduced a slogan known as "make.believe" in 2009.<ref name=":0" />{{citation needed |date=November 2014}}

[[File:Vintage Sony Model TR-730 Transistor Radio, Broadcast Band Only (MW), 7 Transistors, Made In Japan, Circa 1960 (15836828772).jpg|180px|thumb|A Sony TR-730 transistor radio made in Japan, {{Circa|1960}}]]

Despite some successes, the company faced continued struggles in the mid- to late-2000s.<ref name="Christian" /> In 2012, [[Kazuo Hirai]] was promoted to president and CEO, replacing Stringer. Shortly thereafter, Hirai outlined his company-wide initiative, named "One Sony" to revive Sony from years of financial losses and bureaucratic management structure, which proved difficult for former CEO Stringer to accomplish, partly due to differences in business culture and native languages between Stringer and some of Sony's Japanese divisions and subsidiaries. Hirai outlined three major areas of focus for Sony's electronics business, which include imaging technology, gaming and mobile technology, as well as a focus on reducing the major losses from the television business.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jeff Blagdon |date=27 March 2012 |title=Sony reorganizes into 'One Sony', prioritizes digital imaging, gaming and mobile |url=https://www.theverge.com/2012/3/27/2905412/sony-management-structure-change-announcement |access-date=10 July 2013 |website=The Verge |archive-date=2021-02-10  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210210042021/https://www.theverge.com/2012/3/27/2905412/sony-management-structure-change-announcement |url-status=live }}</ref>

In February 2014, Sony announced the sale of its [[Vaio]] PC division to a new corporation owned by investment fund [[Japan Industrial Partners]] and spinning its TV division into its own corporation as to make it more nimble to turn the unit around from past losses totaling $7.8&nbsp;billion over a decade.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Knight |first1=Sophie |first2=Reiji |last2=Murai |date=6 February 2014 |title=As losses mount, Sony's Hirai seeks cure for TV business in spinoff |work=Reuters |location=Tokyo |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-sony-results-idUSBREA150AK20140206 |access-date=11 February 2014 |archive-date=2021-08-14  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210814232934/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-sony-results-idUSBREA150AK20140206 |url-status=live }}</ref> Later that month, they announced that they would be closing 20 stores.<ref>{{Cite news |date=26 February 2014 |title=Sony to shutter two-thirds of its US stores |work=Engadget |url=https://www.engadget.com/2014/02/26/sony-stores-closing/ |first1=Ben |last1=Gilbert |access-date=27 February 2014 |archive-date=2019-02-14  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190214134335/https://www.engadget.com/2014/02/26/sony-stores-closing/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In April, the company announced that they would be selling 9.5&nbsp;million shares in [[Square Enix]] (roughly 8.2 percent of the game company's total shares) in a deal worth approximately $48&nbsp;million.<ref name="SQEXsale">{{Cite web |last=Makuch, Eddie |date=16 April 2014 |title=PS4 company Sony to sell its entire stake in Square Enix, valued at around $47 million |url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps4-company-sony-to-sell-its-entire-stake-in-square-enix-valued-at-around-47-million/1100-6419024/ |access-date=16 April 2014 |website=[[GameSpot]] |archive-date=2020-11-11  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111194239/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps4-company-sony-to-sell-its-entire-stake-in-square-enix-valued-at-around-47-million/1100-6419024/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In May 2014 the company announced it was forming two joint ventures with [[Shanghai Oriental Pearl Group]] to manufacture and market Sony's [[PlayStation]] game consoles and associated software in China.<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 May 2014 |title=Sony, Shanghai Oriental Pearl to set up China PlayStation JVs |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-sony-shanghaiorientalpearl-playstatio-idUSBREA4P01320140526 |website=Reuters |access-date=2021-07-05  |archive-date=2021-08-18  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210818205444/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-sony-shanghaiorientalpearl-playstatio-idUSBREA4P01320140526 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2015, Sony purchased Toshiba's image sensor business.<ref>{{Cite web |date=28 October 2015 |title=Toshiba sells sensor business to Sony, overhauls chip unit |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2015/10/28/toshiba-sells-sensor-business-to-sony-overhauls-chip-unit.html |website=CNBC |access-date=2021-01-25  |archive-date=2021-02-01  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201213946/https://www.cnbc.com/2015/10/28/toshiba-sells-sensor-business-to-sony-overhauls-chip-unit.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

{{multiple image
 | align     = left
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 | image1    = Sony Style.jpg
 | caption1  = Sony Style store in Bangkok, Thailand
 | image2    = MarkvilleSonyStore.JPG
 | caption2  = Sony Store (after rebranding from Sony Style<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sonyreconsidered.com/sony-rebrands-retail-stores-kills-off-sony-style-and-launches-a-new-store-initiative-509ae921ef09|title=Sony Rebrands Retail Stores, Kills off Sony Style and Launches a New Store Initiative|first=Sohrab|last=Osati|date=4 June 2017|website=Medium|access-date=2022-05-09 |archive-date=2023-12-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231230025210/https://sonyreconsidered.com/sony-rebrands-retail-stores-kills-off-sony-style-and-launches-a-new-store-initiative-509ae921ef09?gi=2e168a9374fe|url-status=live}}</ref>) in [[Markville Shopping Centre]], Canada
}}

It was reported in December 2016 by multiple news outlets that Sony was considering restructuring its U.S. operations by merging its TV & film business, Sony Pictures Entertainment, with its gaming business, Sony Interactive Entertainment. According to the reports, such a restructuring would have placed Sony Pictures under Sony Interactive's CEO, Andrew House, though House would not have taken over day-to-day operations of the film studio.<ref name="tvfilmgaming">{{Cite news |last=Aldrich |first=Rachel |date=12 December 2016 |title=Why would Sony merge its gaming and film units? |language=en |work=TheStreet |url=https://www.thestreet.com/story/13922321/1/why-would-sony-merge-its-gaming-and-film-units.html |access-date=2018-12-24  |archive-date=2019-11-18  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191118054436/https://www.thestreet.com/story/13922321/1/why-would-sony-merge-its-gaming-and-film-units.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Atkinson |first=Claire |date=12 December 2016 |title=Sony considers merging gaming and film divisions |language=en |work=New York Post |url=https://nypost.com/2016/12/11/sony-considers-merging-gaming-and-film-divisions/ |access-date=2018-12-24  |archive-date=2020-11-08  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108091437/http://nypost.com/2016/12/11/sony-considers-merging-gaming-and-film-divisions/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Cooke |first=Chris |title=Revamp of Sony's entertainment business could more closely align Sony Music with Sony/ATV {{!}} Complete Music Update |url=http://www.completemusicupdate.com/article/revamp-of-sonys-entertainment-business-could-more-closely-align-sony-music-with-sonyatv/ |access-date=2018-12-24  |archive-date=2020-10-13  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201013174949/https://completemusicupdate.com/article/revamp-of-sonys-entertainment-business-could-more-closely-align-sony-music-with-sonyatv/ |url-status=live }}</ref> According to one report, Sony was set to make a final decision on the possibility of the merger of the TV, film, & gaming businesses by the end of its fiscal year in March of the following year (2017).<ref name="tvfilmgaming" />

In 2017, Sony sold its [[lithium-ion battery]] business to [[Murata Manufacturing]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Murata to pour $450m into Sony battery ops after purchase |url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Murata-to-pour-450m-into-Sony-battery-ops-after-purchase |website=Nikkei Asian Review |access-date=2020-04-07  |archive-date=2021-02-10  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210210122618/https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Murata-to-pour-450m-into-Sony-battery-ops-after-purchase |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Murata Manufacturing and Sony Sign Definitive Agreement for the Transfer of Battery Business &#124; Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. |url=https://corporate.murata.com/en-us/about/newsroom/news/company/general/2016/1031 |website=corporate.murata.com |access-date=2020-04-07  |archive-date=2020-10-28  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028141939/https://corporate.murata.com/en-us/about/newsroom/news/company/general/2016/1031 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=19 July 2017 |title=Sony to complete sale of battery business to Murata in September |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/07/19/business/corporate-business/sony-complete-sale-battery-business-murata-september/ |via=Japan Times Online |access-date=2020-04-07  |archive-date=2020-11-26  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126233347/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/07/19/business/corporate-business/sony-complete-sale-battery-business-murata-september/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2019, Sony merged its mobile, TV and camera businesses.<ref>{{Cite web |date=29 March 2019 |title=[Update: Mass job cuts expected] Sony to merge all consumer electronics divisions after mobile loses nearly a billion dollars in a year |url=https://www.androidpolice.com/2019/03/29/sony-to-merge-all-consumer-electronics-divisions-as-if-we-wont-notice-mobile-losing-nearly-a-billion-dollars/ |access-date=2020-04-07  |archive-date=2020-10-26  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201026041756/https://www.androidpolice.com/2019/03/29/sony-to-merge-all-consumer-electronics-divisions-as-if-we-wont-notice-mobile-losing-nearly-a-billion-dollars/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Sony Merges Electronics Divisions, Hiding Staggering Mobile Losses – ExtremeTech |url=https://www.extremetech.com/mobile/288598-sony-merges-electronics-divisions-hiding-staggering-mobile-losses |newspaper=Extremetech |date=28 March 2019 |last1=Whitwam |first1=Ryan |access-date=2020-04-07  |archive-date=2020-10-23  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023221923/https://www.extremetech.com/mobile/288598-sony-merges-electronics-divisions-hiding-staggering-mobile-losses |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 1 April 2020, Sony Electronics Corporation was established as an intermediate holding company to own and oversee its electronics and IT solutions businesses.

On 19 May 2020, the company announced that it would change its name to Sony Group Corporation as of 1 April 2021. Subsequently, Sony Electronics Corporation would be renamed to Sony Corporation.<ref>{{Cite press release |title=Announcement of New Sony Group Organizational Structure |date=1 May 2020 |url=https://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/News/Press/202005/20-039E/ |access-date=19 May 2020 |agency=Sony Corporation |archive-date=2020-10-29  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201029044607/https://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/News/Press/202005/20-039E/ |url-status=live }}</ref> On the same day the company announced that it would turn [[Sony Financial Holdings]] (currently Sony Financial Group), of which Sony already owns 65.06% of shares, to a wholly owned subsidiary through a takeover bid.<ref>{{Cite press release |title=Announcement Regarding Commencement of Tender Offer for Shares Etc, of Sony Financial Holdings Inc. (Securities Code: 8729) |date=1 May 2020 |url=https://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/IR/news/20200519_02E.pdf |access-date=21 May 2020 |agency=Sony Corporation |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807071655/https://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/IR/news/20200519_02E.pdf |archive-date=7 August 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 1 April 2021, Sony Corporation was renamed Sony Group Corporation. On the same day, Sony Mobile Communications Inc. absorbed Sony Electronics Corporation, Sony Imaging Products & Solutions Inc., and Sony Home Entertainment & Sound Products Inc. and changed its trade name to Sony Corporation.<ref>{{Cite press release |title=Announcement of Decision Regarding Company Split (Small-scale Company Split) of Electronics Products & Solutions Business|date=17 November 2020 |url=https://www.sony.com/en/SonyInfo/IR/news/20201117_01E.pdf |access-date=13 July 2021 |agency=Sony Corporation |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210713015240/https://www.sony.com/en/SonyInfo/IR/news/20201117_01E.pdf |archive-date=13 July 2021 |url-status=live }}</ref>