[lbo-talk] As Sony wobbles, Samsung rises

[Dennis Redmond]

> THE TIMES OF INDIA
> FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2005
>
> As Sony wobbles, Samsung rises
>
> "Samsung is now the anti-Sony," said George Gilder, a US technology
> analyst. "Sony is layered with bureaucracy," he added. Samsung, by
> contrast, has kept a lean corporate structure, with authority increasingly
> delegated to frontline managers around the world, and almost a quarter of
> the far-flung staff of 88,000 dedicated to R&D.

Is this *the* George Gilder? You know, Mad King George, who prophesied the
demise of Nokia at the hands of Motorola, the victory of TDMA over GSM,
and NASDAQ 10 gazillion? If so, then he's keeping true to form.

Sony is still the class of the field. Profits are down because they've
invested lots in chip tech, which will pay off further down the line -- in
particular, the wondrous Cell technology behind the Playstation 3. Samsung
has some fine tech, but has been the beneficiary of East Asia's
cellphone/megapixel boom. On the other hand, if Samsung finds a way to tap
into South Korea's booming online videogame culture, then they'd be in a
position to challenge Sony. But not yet.

-- DRR