Iwata makes Barron's best CEO list
by Alexander Sliwinski 
{ Mar 27th 2007 at 10:25AM }
Financial publication Barron's announced their picks for the worlds best CEOs. Making the list for the first time is Nintendo's Satoro Iwata. The publication said that while Microsoft and Sony duke it out for power in their hardware, Nintendo's Wii is an "elegant and popular" alternative. Nintendo's stock has doubled in the last year supported by good buzz and strong performance of their hardware. Barron's focused on the Wii, but the DS is Nintendo's secret weapon of financial stability.The question now becomes if Barron's was swept up in all the Nintendo Wii hype as well. The impressive launch, those sales figures and seeing their readership demographic enjoying the system. It's simply strange that this is Iwata's first appearance on the list, considering Nintendo has been chugging along as a profitable company for a good while.
[Via GamePolitics]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
JRM @ Mar 27th 2007 10:31AM
...I guess some people just didn't like Hiroshi Yamauchi...
Crono @ Mar 27th 2007 10:51AM
@JRM
NO! couldn't be! The man was a saint!
*sarcasm, in case it wasn't obvious
32_Footsteps @ Mar 27th 2007 11:02AM
Well, most non-gamers only pay attention to the console races. It had long been viewed as Sony's to lose... and it looks like they're losing it right now. Despite the fact that the DS is the backbone of Nintendo's business (not to say the Wii isn't making the profit margins prettier), it's the consoles that grab everyone's attention.
Scooby Doo @ Mar 27th 2007 11:13AM
Actually, this isn't all that surprising. This has little to do with Nintendo being profitable in the past, but more importantly, they are now 'beating the street'. If you are chugging along at status quo, no one is going to notice you because the market has already adjusted your price and you are doing what's EXPECTED of you. It's when you go beyond expectations that you get noticed.
What the industry notices is that all of sudden, Nintendo is a 'growth' stock once again. Also Mr. Iwata brought a new vision to Nintendo that took some huge risks with the DS and the Wii. While the fanboys argue about which system is best, the financial world looks at it completely different and looks at a whole company. From a financial point-of-view he has done amazing things and looks to expand a market that's been fairly stagnant for the past couple years. No matter what your console affiliation, he has certainly shown that he is top-notch CEO and worthy of being on this list. Even if you hate the company, they are certainly a stock worth looking into.
dark @ Mar 27th 2007 12:07PM
Whose hiroshi tamaguchi?
Kannon @ Mar 27th 2007 12:39PM
dark, you really are a young fool.
This quote I found at 4colorrebellion says it all. That is why he is on the list.
“We are not fighting against other companies — we are fighting against ignorance of video games.” satura iwata
dark @ Mar 27th 2007 12:45PM
Enlighten me then, cause I really don't.
32_Footsteps @ Mar 27th 2007 1:04PM
Dark - you mean "Hiroshi Yamauchi".
Yamauchi is the former President of Nintendo. Inheriting the company from his mother's family, he was the one who presided over its shift from playing cards and children's toys to video game development and console manufacturing.
A bit visionary in that regard, turning the company from a mid-sized toy developer confined to Japan to a world-wide institution and near synonymous with video gaming - so in that respect, he is a rather important figure.
However, he's also extremely arrogant and pushy, and he never learned to adapt to a changing market. Moreover, his attitude ended up alienating many developers, who then in turn poisoned the name of Nintendo amongst hardcore gamers.
It's worth noting that even amongst dedicated Nintendo employees, he's not particularly well-liked. There's a reason Bowser is on-screen somewhere whenever his name comes up in the credits of any Mario game made in the last 10 to 15 years. I believe similarly that Zelda games have Ganon somewhere on-screen during the credits when Yamauchi's name appears.
By contrast, Iwata comes from a development background (I recall he was one of the guys behind the creation of Kirby), and is rather liked by developers (even if they think he's a bit spacy at times). Iwata is a much more popular guy than Yamauchi, and I can't help but think that Iwata's appearance and the increased rise of Nintendo are not coincidental.
For the record, it wouldn't surprise me if in his own way Reggie Fils-Aime becomes the new Yamauchi. He's got just as much potential for insight and alienation, I believe.
Crono @ Mar 27th 2007 2:06PM
Better watch out, 32. If Reggie catches wind of what you said, he and his friend Chuck Norris will come and roundhouse kick you into the future, where giant robot Reggie's do battle with mecha-chuck norris for the title of king of the universe.
hvnlysoldr @ Mar 27th 2007 2:13PM
Yamauichi brought the cut throat business ethos needed to revive the American video game market after the crash. One of the most important foundations for Nintendo of America was fighting off Universal over Donkey Kong. Then the whole market crashed and they needed a way to fight the ignorance of Americans to video games.
However the entire market shifted to a different cycle away from arcades and towards cinema. Since he didn't adapt to the market he became a liability.
32_Footsteps @ Mar 27th 2007 3:54PM
I'm not afraid, Crono. Reggie has yet to kick my ass or take my name since he first came on at Nintendo (and I was even at the E3 press conference where he first said that, so he had ample opportunity). He hasn't gotten to me yet - I like my chances.
And if I'm wrong? I had a good run.
Crono @ Mar 27th 2007 4:09PM
He was only feeling merciful. Just you wait. Someday, a knock will come at your door, and upon opening it, you will be roundhoused kicked, and your identity stolen.
Aberu @ Mar 27th 2007 9:15PM
Let's see how elegant and attractive the system is in 5-10 years when it looks like 15 years ago. They rewarded him for thinking backwards? Sure his stock doubled, but did you see how it dramatically dropped throughout the rest of nintendo history since one peak with the NES? The company has been a stock bomb for almost it's entirety. How is that something to reward?
Sony on the other hand could lose half their stock and still have a huge amount on Nintendo and do I see any big PR for them? This just furthers my idea that, like Apple, Nintendo is in bed with all these companies and magazines that aren't written by heavy gamers. They've said so much it influences the actual gamer outlets.
Since when has hardware competition been a bad thing anyways, this organization acts like it is.