Mickey’s Voice
Insights from our CEO
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Try, fail, learn, grow: Why acknowledging mistakes is key to business success
Mickey Mikitani, Chairman and CEO, Rakuten Group In a global company, individuals from different cultures come together to pursue a common business goal. When we connect across cultures, we can leverage each other’s strengths, knowledge and history to achieve new heights. But not all cultural interchange goes smoothly: Sometimes, individuals from different cultures can hold different views, and wh
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Change happens faster than we can imagine: CEO reflects on Rakuten Mobile’s GLOMO Awards
Mickey Mikitani, Chairman and CEO, Rakuten Group Dear Rakutenians, I am delighted to share with you the news that Rakuten Mobile received two of the mobile industry’s top five global awards at the 2021 Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona. In addition to winning the Best Mobile Technology Breakthrough award, Rakuten Mobile received Global Mobile Awards top annual industry award from the global
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Respecting basic human rights is the foundation of social progress: LGBT Equality Act
Mickey Mikitani, Chairman and CEO, Rakuten Group Each year, Pride Month is an important opportunity to celebrate the contributions of our LGBTQ+ team members, partners and customers around the world. It’s a chance to recognize the individual diversity of our stakeholders and let them know that they are valued for who they are; a chance to reassure employees that they have a safe and inclusive plac
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Englishnization: Embracing a global vision
Mickey Mikitani, Chairman and CEO, Rakuten Group People in Japan often ask, “Do Rakuten employees really all speak English at work?” Through the years, our company has become almost notorious for our bold commitment to unifying the language of communications to one: One that happens not to be Japanese. More than a decade ago, I stood on stage in front of a room full of Rakuten employees and made a
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Always be curious and ambitious: Inside insights on Business-Do
Mickey Mikitani, Chairman and CEO, Rakuten Group If you’re not sure what to do next, ask “why?” “Why” questions are the genesis of innovation. Why does it take me so long to do my job? Why is this new website so popular? Why do some country’s economies grow while others stall? Personally, I have a long history of asking why. I’m not really a computer scientist, an engineer or a web designer. About
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Set clear goals for your actions: Inside insights on Business-Do
Mickey Mikitani, Chairman and CEO, Rakuten Group, Inc. Hopes and goals are not the same thing. Both may inspire you. But goals are what will ensure your success. When you set goals, you create a framework for your forward progress. I call the process “getting to the spreadsheet.” This doesn’t mean you need to click open a file every time you take an action, but it’s the concept o
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Play catch with your left and right brain: Inside insights on Business-Do
Mickey Mikitani, Chairman and CEO, Rakuten, Inc. There is something that all successful entrepreneurs have in common but that anyone can try out. You see it at work especially in those “crazy” entrepreneurs – the ones who attempt outrageous innovations that everyone says can’t be done. Entrepreneurs like myself, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Steve Jobs. Innovation accelerator and innovation brake This
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How an international education changed my life: Diversity drives innovation
Above image: My father, Ryoichi Mikitani (far left) during his time as a Fulbright Scholar. Mickey Mikitani, Chairman and CEO, Rakuten, Inc. It was a Fulbright scholarship that led to my father, Ryoichi Mikitani, becoming one of the first generation of Japanese scholars to travel to the United States after World War II to study. Thanks to the program and to the warm hospitality of his hosts, he su
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Taking Action Leads to Deeper Thinking: Inside Insights on Business-Do
Mickey Mikitani, Chairman and CEO, Rakuten, Inc. You’ve got an idea for something new. What should you do? Should you hold back and plan or get started and learn on the fly? The answer is: yes. Both those things are critical to the successful launch of a new idea. While they seem to be in conflict, in fact, they represent the natural tension that exists in any new endeavor. This topic is especiall
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A new year, a new decade: Rakuten looks ahead
Above image: A handwritten prayer for the New Year at Atago Shrine in Tokyo: “To the world winning against COVID-19 and an economic recovery, Mickey Mikitani.” Mickey Mikitani, Chairman and CEO, Rakuten, Inc. As we say goodbye to 2020, I am looking ahead — not just into 2021 but to the coming decade as well. We are on the cusp of great things. Of course, the year we have all just endur
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