We asked Mr. Hayashi about the values at WOVN.

We interviewed Mr. Hayashi, asking about WOVN’s worldview about its mission, vision, and values and about how they came to be.

Create a world where all people can access all data in their native language

- What led you to aim for this worldview?

I’ve always loved seeing new products and IT businesses and used to watch news about such topics a lot. Like what kinds of products overseas venture capitalists were investing in.
Even though I wanted to see the latest updates on such products and businesses and know more, most of these updates were shared in English. There were a lot of times when I wished the information was available in Japanese, since I didn’t speak English. If you’re interested in the field of IT and want to learn more, first you need to learn English.
I figured that there must be a lot of other people around the globe facing the same issue.

Americans who love manga have to learn Japanese, and those interested in Chinese history and the Records of the Three Kingdoms have to first learn Chinese to really understand the material. Basically, you have to learn the language before you can learn about a specific field.
I started digging and found that only 5% of data on the internet was in Japanese (or 3% as of the latest figures). I discovered that the ratio on the worldwide web was the same as the current consumption tax rate. I then realized that what I had thought to be the internet was no internet at all!

I wondered how English faired and found it to be 25% and Chinese came to 17%. In other words, no single language can cover all of the information on the internet. Which is why I began wanting to create a world where all information is accessible in all languages.
I wanted to change the current world, which wasn’t getting across most of the ideas on the internet.

Localize the web and become a global actor behind the scenes

- Tell us more about the worldview WOVN is aiming for!

As stated in our vision, WOVN is aiming to become “a global actor behind the scenes.” Some people may not know about WOVN, but most will benefit from it. An infrastructure-like service that is a given, just like plumbing, electricity, and gas. I’d like for us to become such an actor, supporting people’s daily lives behind the scenes.

I’ve had this vision ever since we shifted our target to enterprise companies.
Japanese enterprise companies’ services will be used around the world thanks to WOVN. That’s the kind of worldview that I’ve begun to aim for. I chose the phrase “actors behind the scenes” because I liked how it sounded. (laughs) I simply prefer to exist as the driving force in the background rather than be in the limelight, which is why I thought “actors behind the scenes” fit well.

As for the term “localization” mentioned in our vision, we use this term in a different way from “translation.” I believe there are three major elements involved in localization.

1. Language compatibility

2. Cultural compatibility ; Design related. In Japan, it’s like how “yes” is listed on the left and “no” is on the right, or how sale signs are written in red

3. Legal compliance ; Compliance with things like Europe’s GDPR and Japan’s Act on the Protection of Personal Information

(1) Language compatibility equates to translation, and adding (2) cultural compatibility and (3) legal compliance turn the process into localization. Global businesses need localization, not just translation. I would love for WOVN to become a specialist in this field.

Vital Work
Go Beyond
Boost the Team

- Why did you choose these three concepts as our values?

Focus on what’s important and give more than the average person to get results. That’s the key to our “vital work” and “go beyond” principles.
A localization market doesn’t exist yet, and since there are no forerunners, what needs to be done isn’t set in stone. Out of the many things we need to do, we regularly have to decide for ourselves which tasks are the most important.
WOVN is striving to become an actor behind the scenes. So, we can't just keep doing average things. To get amazing results, we have to take that extra step.

I think these two values will bring results. However, I believe that you need a team to achieve big results. There is an African proverb that goes like this.

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

WOVN’s goal is to “go far” as a business, so we have to do things together, not alone. I wanted to include an element about teamwork, so “boost the team” was made the third value.

For future candidates

- Mr. Hayashi, what do you value as a leader of the company?

I’m always thinking about how I should never make employees feel unhappy. If employees are going to be unhappy, it would be better to never create a company. I’m against the idea of only the president profiting or the employees being burnt out. I also make sure to keep a mindset that doesn’t let just us profit from making an infrastructure.
Eiichi Shibusawa, who created the infrastructures for electricity, gas, and banks in Japan had the saying “combine the samurai spirit with business acumen.” This idea refers to fusing the bushido spirit with the expertise of a businessman, and I also think it’s important to do business properly, never forgetting the aspiration to handle things justly.

- What kind of people would you like to work with?

What kind of people? I don’t have a specific “type” of person, but...

People who can relate to WOVN’s mission

• People who focus on long-term goals instead of short-term profit

• People who can work without having a set-in-stone structure, and people who can help make that structure

• People who understand what’s important and can work hard

• People who can work as a team and respect each other

I’d like to work with people who have these qualities and outlooks.
Regarding mutual respect, that’s something I wasn’t capable of before. When I was working as an engineer, I didn’t understand how important sales was. I figured that good products would sell themselves. (laughs) But after learning just how uncertain the job that sales members face can be, I developed a sense of respect for them.

- Please share a quick message with the candidates!

No matter how big a company gets, it always starts out as a startup. Some predecessor at the company laid the foundations for the business and then it grew.
I’d love to become such a predecessor, and would love for lots of people to actively build up that foundation.
If you’re looking to work at a startup with value that’s also carving out new markets, choose WOVN!