Joi Ito was an important figure in bringing the Internet to Japan and popularizing it there in the 1990s. Now, he's doing the same for LinkedIn.
Digital Garage, a company Ito co-founded and where he remains director, will be responsible for marketing, public relations and marketing research to help LinkedIn crack the cultural barrier/challenge that has regularly prevented foreign-based social media companies from taking off in Japan.
“Japan is one of the most professional network oriented business environments in the world and LinkedIn has enormous potential to increase productivity of individuals and organizations in Japan and help Japan in its global context,” Joi Ito said.
As if that isn't a big enough challenge, Ito has also just been named director of the influential MIT Media Lab. He says launching LinkedIn in Japan will be his last "real job" before fully embracing the MIT Media Lab.
Back in July 2009, when Joi Ito was CEO of Creative Commons, leading tech writer Quinn Norton penned an award-winning profile of this "Ambassador of the New Breed" for One+.