SAITAMA -- His friends backed him up 15 years ago when he left his lofty position at one of the world's largest electronics makers and ended up at a small audio manufacturer. But when he decided to pursue a piece of analog equipment seemingly destined to die in an increasingly digital world, they wrote him off.
Sanju Chiba, former vice president at General Electric Co., has no regrets. He says his decision to build the world a stylus-free record player was in fact the best one he has ever made.
In mid-December, as his staff worked against the clock to fill mounting orders for Christmas delivery at a small factory next to a railroad, Chiba said he has gained far more than he's lost since leaving GE, now the world's largest company in terms of market value.