Shoichiro Irimajiri, aka Irimajiri-san, Iri-san, or just Iri was a brilliant engineer and charismatic executive, and was one of Japan’s most admired business leaders, first at Honda and then at Sega, where he played an essential role in Nvidia’s history.
Today, he’s 84 years old, not that you’d know it from looking at him.
About Shoichiro Irimajiri
Birthplace
Japanese engineer and businessman Shoichiro Irimajiri (入交 昭一郎, Irimajiri Shōichirō) (irimajiri-san)was raised in Kobe and was born in Kochi, Japan on January 3, 1940.
Educational Details
He earned an aeronautical engineering degree from the University of Tokyo and worked for Honda Motor Co., Ltd. for 20 years.
Serving as president of Honda of America Inc., supervising the launch of their CBX motorbike, and designing their F1 racing engines for the RA273.
Personal Experience
His heart issue forced him to resign in 1992, and he began a traditional Chinese medicine regimen to get better.
In light of Irimajiri’s performance at Honda, it was reported at the time that General Motors hired him for a top executive role at the business.
Irimajiri turned down the position and took a job as an outside director, although he would have been the first Japanese-born executive of an American automaker if he had taken the offer.
Timeline
Following his recuperation, Sega Enterprises President Hayao Nakayama requested that he take on the role of vice president.
He also took over as chairman and CEO of Sega of America in 1996. When he took over as president of Saga in 1998
He unveiled an audacious plan to use the Dreamcast to regain the company’s lost market share and credibility.
Sega had suffered greatly after the poorly received launches of the Sega Saturn and Sega 32X.
Following Sega’s third straight loss announcement, Irimajiri stepped down and was replaced by Isao Okawa.
Investing $5 million in Nvidia, a tiny Silicon Valley business that had already failed to fulfil its contract to develop the graphics chip for the Dreamcast, was one of his better judgments as president of Sega.
Jensen Huang has publicly thanked Irimajiri for his assistance in keeping Nvidia afloat.
Nvidia went public in 1999, and Sega sold its Nvidia stock for $15 million in 2000 following Irimajiri’s departure.
When Huang visited Japan in 2017, he kindly paid Irimajiri a visit by agreeing to talk to a small gathering of business executives.
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The 84-year-old man who saved Nvidia
Biography of Irimajiri-san
Japanese engineer and businessman Shoichiro Irimajiri (入交 昭一郎, Irimajiri Shōichirō) (irimajiri-san)was raised in Kobe and was born in Kochi, Japan on January 3, 1940.
What is the connection between Irimajiri-san and Nvidia?
Nvidia was on the verge of bankruptcy. Irimajiri-san had no motivation whatsoever to do it. Nevertheless, he did it.