MEDIA

Toyokezai

Toshiyuki Inoko, the presedent of teamLab, screams, “Japan is in danger.”

Verscheen in Toyokezai op April 16, 2010

The reason I was surprised is the charge of PR team who I met had beautiful pigtail hairstyle just like Na’vi in the movie called “Avatar.” He used to work as an editor in charge of a game magazine in Sweden. He couldn’t speak Swedish well. (Of course, he is Japanese.) He has worked there for 3 and half years and then moved to teamLab 2 months ago. Oh my… Is this company putting the new man who just came in 2months ago the position of the chief of PR team?

Then here comes the main person, Toshiyuki Inoko, who showed up a little bit late. He was a big man who was about 190cm. While I was thinking he had power in his eyes like a worrier of Na’vi, he said, “Did you have lunch?” I said, “Of course.” He said, “Can I have lunch during the interview?” I said, “Sure. Go ahead.” Then his lunch box from a convenience store was opened. Unordinary “softy” aura was flowing out and immediately I became relaxed.

Revolution Sankei “i z a” vie with Google

Tannawa Keizo who is the Legal representative of Japan of Towers Watson, merged of Watson Wyatt and Towers Perrin, which is the worldwide consulting company told about Inoko, “Hentai from the beginning.”

Tannawa has held “Hentai meeting” to study and drink with young CEOs of ventures. If the owner is said to be a Hentai enough, he or she cannot bring an impact on the world. That’s the origin of the name of meeting. Ryosei Wakabayashi, the vice president of beBit and Kyoto University lecturer, who was the one of the first member said one day, “I will bring the super Hentai next time.” Then the one who was showed up was Inoko.

Inoko and teamLab are not usual. First,on 2006, they created the search engine “SAGOOL” vie with Google. Google already has established an absolute advantage and search engine development companies were disappeared from Japan. However, the search engine is the engine of the information society as what the letter says.

“That’s same to that you cannot make the internal combustion engine when the country decide to have the automotive industry to live. The country like this is so in danger, isn’t it? Whatever the reason is let’s just do it. This is Byakkotai. (a name of a group of samurai) ”

We want original one if we make it. It is designed that the page that is liked in order which is pulled to Microsoft, Yahoo, and Google comes to top ranking.

“Doesn’t it feel bad that the world is covered in the values of one? Isn’t it better to have a different algorithm?” SAGOOL puts something interesting things to the top.

So, the SAGOOL became a business? “Not at all.” It is fine as long as we remained the technology of the search engine in this country. That’s why this is Byakkotai.

Second was the news and blog portal “i z a” of the Sankei newspaper. This one became a big hit. He straightly said when consulted, “I think the form of newspaper is a kind of over.” Then Sankei side said, “Then, it’s all up to you.” On January 2006, He became the director of digital Sankei that was a spin-off digital department.

Inoko denied the elitist. Newspaper is made by a few of elite reporters and editors. But, “‘collective intelligence’ in the information society is overwhelmingly win. Information society is too diverse, a few elites cannot catch up.” ‘i za’ made bi-directional relationship between newspapers and readers in the first time of history.

Reporters sharedall reviews of readers for the each articles (traditionally assessment is exclusively the domain of the desk),the readers also can write something. There was no edition to reporters’ reply for readers’.

Masami Abe who was the president of Sankei digital at that time was fearful. “It was the reporter blog without the prior preview. If it was possible, it would be interesting but it was evolutional thing at that time. Mr.Inoko calmly suggest it. I also desperately persuaded the company. ”

‘i z a’ became the top national popular newspaper portal site while the time of blinking of eyes, and Abe from Sankei digial became “web person of the year” on 2006.

Third one was the digital media artwork “Flower and Corpse” displayed in the middle of the SAGOOL palace. teamLab that has been produced as part of the 150th anniversary of France and Japan business created it. When the video processed by a computer displayed the 12 display monitors seems like hanging scrolls, the hall turned into the space of scroll paintings of “Death and rebirth” of the Heian period.

The “Le Monde,” a luxury magazine, praised and Tannawa of Towers Watson visited Paris by chance and was overwhelmed by looking at the real thing. “Inoko is a genius. There is a possibility of the brains of the world’s top class.” At the same time, hewas really worried about. “Because he is a genius, he catches people’s eyes too much. I want him to be hidden. I don’t know it is good or bad to expose him to the world.”

“Construction” that has nothing and nothing. Free research on summer vacation

What parts of him is awesome? Inoko said, “To be honest with you, I haven’t thought of a management or business.” It is like a humble, but it is not.

As what Inoko said, the strategy theory and all the business administration were the concepts that were built before the information society. And somehow the expiration date has expired.

Before the information society, it was important that the goods need to be well known by customers, and there was a highest priority to put the goods to big stores in order to sell it.So, companies planned the marketing strategy andused the mass media promotions. However, the Internet changed everything. “Now everyone can get information at the moment. If we make something cool, we win. If we make the awesome one, it will be distributed by itself.”

There was no need of McKinsay or Dentsu. Also there was no need of a salesman or white-collar. “CEO means nothing. Management and strategy also don’t matter.” The only important thing is making the very awesome stuff. Who can make it possible are the specialists of the technology (= the information skill) and creativity (= the cultural creativity).”

“The awesome thing depends on the details. The rough story like CEO or strategy can’t make the parts of details.”

20 billion dollars in sales. The balance of the incoming is similar, but teamLab, employees more than 200 peopl, has no salesman. There are no sales plan or profit plan. The board members haven’t asked about them even once.

Toyokezai