Happily, the clip was recorded and translated so we can all enjoy this bit of unplanned, unscripted humanity:
— Spoon & Tamago (@Johnny_suputama) January 27, 2023 It’s not exactly an Earth-shattering exchange, but I personally find it strangely endearing; Sato gave his speech, and afterwards current and soon to be former CEO of Toyota, Akio Toyoda, jumped in to tell him he should have smiled during his speech. Sato admitted he was nervous, Toyoda said just adding that smile would have been perfect, and they both laughed, like, you know, humans do. There’s something good about knowing that the CEO of one of the biggest carmakers on the planet gets nervous before talking, and can get razzed for looking too somber by his peers. Really, if Toyota wanted to engender some goodwill for their new leadership, they really couldn’t have done it any better. I don’t speak Japanese, but I can recognize genuine relief and camaraderie when I hear it. Professionalism is important, sure, but so is vulnerability and honesty and just remembering that, fundamentally, most of us are just trying to do the best we can, as often as we can. Deep down, we’re all goofballs.
Toyota’s New CEO Is A Car Enthusiast Too Akio Toyoda Was The Enthusiast’s CEO. But He May Have Gotten The Future All Wrong Akio Toyoda Kept Fun Cars Alive At Toyota: Comment Of The Day Got a hot tip? Send it to us here. Or check out the stories on our homepage. The off-camera exchange was for real but obviously left in on purpose, for exactly the reasons Jason points up, reducing the impression of a monolithic corporation moving entirely on its own momentum, and a funny and subtle way to make customers feel more connected to the brand. Now just wait for another brand to try something similar and produce something cringe-inducing instead. https://youtu.be/M3C07uxyaWQ?t=595
