Behind Sony - Samsung Rivalry, An Unlikely Alliance Develops.

The article discusses the relationship between Sony Corp.'s engineer Hiroshi Murayama and rival Samsung Electronics Co.'s engineer Jang Insik. Although the two companies are rivals, they have come to depend on each other. The relationship between the two engineers, who phone each other several times a day to discuss how to make better flat-panel TVs, symbolizes the extent to which this is the case. Although competition is fierce, the two companies need each other as the cost of making key parts soars and the pace of development gets faster. The trend is happening with other Asian electronics makers.