Frankly, I was surprised at how generous the Japanese press has been to the idea of a foreigner running Sony.

I get really frustrated during a crisis when I go through all the cable channels and find - very often with the exception of CNN - that I'm not watching news at all. You think, 'Well, God... there are talk shows, talk shows, talk shows and everyone is an expert!

Japan can't get anything on the market very cheaply because it has a large, relatively highly paid workforce which you can't fire.

For Sony, owning a studio is a gamble and probably a pretty good one, now that in the broadband era having content is a great advantage when you sell devices that in a ubiquitous world of distribution can actually show programs, movies, content directly to the consumer. So that you actually create, in a digital world, real synergy.

Frankly, I was surprised at how generous the Japanese press has been to the idea of a foreigner running Sony.

I have to determine whether the joy of craplets is worth preserving.

Sometimes Hollywood is a small town on the West Coast of America at the furthest point from everywhere else, and that can make it a little provincial and insular.