Stringer’s position under threat

The positions of both chief executive SIr Howard Stringer and corporate executive officer and executive VP Kaz Hirai are under threat as a result of the ongoing PSN saga.

That’s the opinion of two fund managers speaking to UK newspaper The Guardian.

"The way Sony handled the whole thing goes to show that it lacks the ability to manage crises," Beyond Asset Management fund manager Michael On stated.

"The current chief executive should step down after the hacker problems and the company’s failure to push out products that are competitive."

Interestingly Stringer has remained silent over the crisis, with Kaz Hirai – who is in many people’s opinion already a shoe-in for Stringer’s job – instead fronting Sunday’s press conference in which the company outlined its plans for the service going forwards.

"The leadership of Sony is not in a good place right now," a second unnamed fund manager is quoted as saying. "This could lead to Stringer stepping down and may sabotage Hirai’s chances of succeeding as chief executive."