Who was the CEO of Sony when the PlayStation was launched in 1994?

Norio Ohga was Sony’s CEO when the PlayStation launched in 1994.

Ohga joined Sony in 1953 as a classical-music student and became one of the company’s most influential leaders. He served as president and chief executive officer from 1989 to 1995, a period when Sony expanded beyond consumer electronics into music, films and games.

Sony Computer Entertainment was established in 1993, after Sony’s earlier partnership with Nintendo collapsed over a proposed CD-based console. The original PlayStation launched in Japan on December 3, 1994, and later arrived in North America and Europe. Ohga supported the new game business, helping make it a major Sony division.

A common mix-up is Akio Morita, Sony’s famous co-founder and chairman. Morita remained a towering figure in Sony’s history, but Ohga—not Morita—held the CEO title at the 1994 launch. Howard Stringer led Sony much later, beginning in the 2000s.