I joined Sony with the passion to work not just on creating new technologies or products, but on creating a new culture in the world.

A Steady Accumulation of Technological Innovations Will Change the World

I joined Sony in 2005 and have been involved in developing CMOS image sensors as an engineer for many years, steadily working to advance the technology by tackling the tasks at hand. Looking back on my work to date, the development of images in our world has been remarkable through our technology compared to 10 years ago. CMOS image sensors are semiconductor products used in smartphone cameras, and indispensable in modern life. The technological advancement of CMOS image sensors has allowed everyone to capture stunning photos and videos. Our customers have high expectations of us, saying that Sony’s image sensors have been contributing to development of images in our culture and will be innovating in this space for the future. Although this is tremendous pressure, it has also helped me stay motivated in doing my work. At Sony, we have many people who are willing to work together without being bound by organization structure or rules. One of the projects I worked on was the development of near-infrared and distance measuring sensors used in face recognition technology. This started as a project outside our work, but it has become one of our essential technologies now. Taking on challenges can lead to new discoveries, and it is an engineer’s habit to get carried away in finding new interests, even if it deviates from a project’s primary focus. With its long manufacturing history, Sony has a culture of valuing small discoveries and inventions that emerge from within the company. The work environment allows opinions to be freely exchanged, even on matters outside of work, and no one denies them. There are many cases where the free exchange of ideas gradually gains support, and as more and more people come together, it eventually becomes an official project. This way of collaboration is one of the things I admire about Sony’s culture. At the same time, along with the free and lively workplace culture, Sony’s engineers have a strong will for action and a stoic element that regards “freedom” and “responsibility” as inextricably linked. Engineers are expected to identify problems on their own, work on solving them, and complete through to the end.

CMOS Image Sensor

Findings From an Overseas Assignment

From 2016 to 2020, I was assigned to an office in San Jose, California, known as Silicon Valley. This was a valuable opportunity to see Sony from an overseas perspective, having worked in the same environment for many years since joining the company as a new graduate. I learned a great deal from the experience of working with people from diverse backgrounds and different values. For example, in Silicon Valley, discussions took place under the basic principles of assertive communication*. In Japan, silence often indicates agreement, but in Silicon Valley, it is interpreted as "having no opinion," "having no ideas," or even "not thinking," so it is necessary to voice opinions and ideas actively. Without communicating your thoughts, you cannot even establish a relationship of trust, let alone recognition. On the other hand, if you proactively express opinions, ask questions, and disseminate information, you will be recognized as someone with their own ideas, become part of the conversation, and information will naturally come to you. In addition, time is considered a valuable asset in Silicon Valley, and everyone tries to avoid wasting time for activities with unclear goals or directions. Even in meetings, if the purpose of a meeting needed to be clarified or didn't align with the direction, it would occasionally be terminated midway through. From such experiences, I am now working with a strong awareness of having a purpose for meetings and maximizing work efficiency. While overseas, I also found communicating with our internal organizations in Japan challenging. These challenges called for clarifying responsibilities and organizing structures aligned with the work and were issues I did not realize when working in Japan. To address these issues, we are improving operations, reviewing organizational structures, considering smooth information flow from the client's perspective, and building an appropriate system as a global company.
*A method of communication to convey one’s feelings and needs in a respectful manner without being aggressive.

There is always a sense of crisis. Because any technology, no matter how advanced, will eventually become obsolete by nature.

To be a company that continuously provides innovation to the world

CMOS image sensors, which we have been developing for many years now, have a history of about 40 years. It is satisfying to be able to provide "inspiration" through photography by having our products used in smartphones all over the world. On the other hand, we always have a mindset to challenge something new as a whole company in addition to the business we have built up over the years. As the organization and the company have grown significantly, improving communication and finding initiatives to overcome cross-functional interaction issues is crucial. By stimulating communication across the organization, we believe diverse opinions will intersect, different types of talent will come together, and our skilled engineers will be able to fully demonstrate their abilities in the right positions. With my experience and skills in team building among diverse talents, I also want to help Sony continue to be an innovative company for the next generation.