Arriving at Neural Group After 15 Years at Sony and Being Amazed at the Short Three-month Product Turnaround Time
Development Department
Manager
Masaaki Yamamoto
Sasaki：You joined us as a mid-career hire from Sony. What kind of work were you involved in at your previous job?
Yamamoto：I joined Sony as an engineer and was initially involved with the development of optical disks and other products. Following this, I led the initial development, sales, marketing and business management efforts at in-house startups, experiencing everything from the initial launch to the closing phase of these ventures. From this experience I found myself wanting to immerse myself in a real startup experience, prompting my decision to start looking for a new job.
I first found out about Neural Group after an acquaintance of mine introduced me to the CEO, Mr. Shigematsu. Mr. Shigematsu asked me to drop by the office, and I soon found myself regularly coming in to check how things were going.
Sasaki：What was your impression of the company at the time?
Yamamoto：I got a strong sense that everyone was passionate about engineering, and every team member I talked to had interesting stories to tell. There were quite a few foreigner employees for a company of its size, which I felt was a rare sight for a startup.
I looked into a few other startups at the time, and while they weren’t bad per se, a lot of places I encountered seemed to have an excessive amount of energy in the air. I am now over 40, and I felt that I would not be able to fit into a workplace with too much youthful energy. Neural Group brings with the sense of speed found at other startups.It also has a relaxed air about the place. The combination of these contrary elements was what attracted me to Neural Group.
Sasaki：You previously worked at a large conglomerate.
Is there anything about the working style here that you find different?
Yamamoto：The biggest difference is the sense of speed. I was amazed that an idea could be taken from the discussion stage to become a reality in just two to three months. It typically takes at least a year to deliver a product at a large company. This sheer sense of speed was admittedly mind boggling to me at first.
Sasaki：Lastly, what type of person do you think would fit in well at Neural Group?
Yamamoto：I think anyone capable of a simple and frank approach to quickly developing prototypes and introducing new services out of new ideas brought up on the business side would make for a great fit. Neural Group hires people who specialize in a specific field. While someone who specializes in a specific area of expertise and can take on challenges in new fields makes for the ideal candidate, even without both of these skillsets, anyone who specializes in product development and prototyping I think would find a place at Neural Group.
While it sounds contrived, I have had a great time since joining Neural Group. In fact, no one has quit the company since it was first founded. I think a large reason for this is that each team member has such a warm personality to them, with everyone having a mutual respect for each other. We look forward to receiving applications from those who share a deep-seated passion for what we do.
