According to the New York Times, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology will soon be announcing its plans to make Joichi “Joi” Ito its new director of its Media Laboratory. The decision is considered an unusual one because, while Ito did attend two American colleges, he did not graduate from either one of them.

As the fourth person to take on the role of director of M.I.T.’s Media Laboratory, Ito brings with him his experience as a venture capitalist. Furthermore, while Ito does not fit the mould of the conventional Japanese technologist, he did serve as a board member of Icann, which was the first Internet governance organization. He also became a “guild master” with the World of Warcraft online fantasy game, he invested in more than a dozen tech-related start-ups, including Twitter and Flickr and he is currently a board member with the Mozilla Foundation. He also played an instrumental role in establishing Japan’s first commercial Internet service provider, was an early participant in the open-source software movement and co-founded and chairs the Creative Commons organization that seeks to find common ground in terms of sharing digital information.

“The choice is radical, but brilliant,” said Larry Smarr, who is the director of the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology at the University of California. “He can position the lab at the edge of change and propel it for a decade.”

The M.I.T. Media Laboratory, which was originally founded in 1985 by architect Nicholas Negroponte, has long had a reputation for taking risks with technology development. Its reputation picked up steam in the 1990s, at which time it hosted numerous high-tech demonstrations that gave a glimpse into the digital society of the future. On the other hand, the Media Lab has also been criticized for its flashy demos as it developed a culture of “demo or die” rather than the traditional “publish or perish” mindset.

Ito’s appointment to the director position comes at a time when most information technology research centers are struggling with financing. While the lab does receive most of its $35 million annual budget from government and corporate sponsors, the amount it receives from these sources has declined significantly over the past ten years.

“Funding got tight in 2002 and even tighter in the last economic downturn,” said Negroponte.

As such, fundraising will be one of Ito’s top priorities. It is not just because of his ability to raise funds that he was selected for the position, however, as Negroponte pointed out that Ito has unique leadership qualities that should prove to be invaluable to the Media Lab.

“Joi is very good at enabling others,” said Negroponte. “I’ve never met a 44-year-old who is able to enable others in this way. Most people who are that age are into themselves and their career.”

L. Rafael Reif, who is the provost at M.I.T., agrees with this assertion, saying Ito is “the right person to lead the Media Lab today” and describing his as being “an innovative thinker who understands the tremendous potential of technology and, in particular, the Internet, to influence education, business, and society in general.”
While Ito does not have the academic credentials, his colleagues are not concerned about his abilities. Not only does he have a proven track record in the technology field, but he also have global connections that those involved with the Media Lab feel will prove to be invaluable.