Akio Morita

Japanese businessman and co-founder of Sony who relocated to New York in 1963 to sell Japanese electronics directly to American consumers — pioneering the Walkman, Trinitron TV, and the idea that Japanese products could command premium prices globally.

Moved Sony's marketing headquarters to New York and built the Walkman as a personal music experience product — betting on personal portable sound before the concept existed — creating the template for personal electronics categories that Apple would later perfect with iPod.