The Resume

(January 26, 1921-1999)
Co-founder of Sony Electronics (with Masaru Ibuka - 1946)
Died in Tokyo of pneumonia
Wrote the book 'Made in Japan'

Why he might be annoying:

Before being confined to a wheelchair, he would not sit still and relax.
He was asked to be the chairman of Keidanren, the most prestigious business association in Japan, but on the day that his succession announcement was to have taken place, he suffered a stroke (November 30, 1993). By having him hold this position, Japan could have bettered their economic situation.
Many have considered Sony's current products to be unreliable.

Why he might not be annoying:

He refused to inherit the family business, so that he could start up his own company.
He (and Masaru Ibuka) started Sony with $375 and space in a post WW II bombed out building.
In the 60's, he moved his family into a large Fifth Avenue apartment in Manhattan.
He was a sports fanatic and in his 60s, he took up wind surfing, scuba diving, skiing and water-skiing.
He collapsed with a brain hemorrhage while playing tennis (November 30, 1993).
Sony is one of the leading producers of audio and video electronics.
They built the world's first transistorized TV.
The name Sony is a mix of the words 'sonus (Latin for sound)' and 'sonny (popular American slang for young fella)'

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• A.M. and P.M.
• Celebrities Born on the Same Date [January] (Ranked: 1261921)
• I Had a Stroke [Cerebral Vascular Accident]
• I Had Pneumonia
• Playboy Interview Subjects [1980s] (Ranked: 1982)
• Profiles 3001-3250 (Ranked: 3242)
• Time Magazine's 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century [1998]

Year In Review:

In 2023, Out of 17 Votes: 5.88% Annoying
In 2022, Out of 5 Votes: 20.0% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 14 Votes: 42.86% Annoying
In 2020, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2019, Out of 19 Votes: 52.63% Annoying
In 2018, Out of 57 Votes: 61.40% Annoying
In 2017, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
In 2016, Out of 7 Votes: 100% Annoying
In 2015, Out of 10 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
In 2014, Out of 15 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
In 2013, Out of 13 Votes: 46.15% Annoying
In 2012, Out of 17 Votes: 41.18% Annoying
In 2011, Out of 15 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
In 2010, Out of 27 Votes: 37.04% Annoying
In 2009, Out of 17 Votes: 47.06% Annoying
In 2008, Out of 28 Votes: 64.29% Annoying
In 2007, Out of 53 Votes: 58.49% Annoying
In 2006, Out of 146 Votes: 44.52% Annoying
In 2005, Out of 174 Votes: 45.98% Annoying
In 2004, Out of 277 Votes: 52.35% Annoying
In 2003, Out of 566 Votes: 50.88% Annoying
In 2002, Out of 1605 Votes: 51.03% Annoying