Because Iwata was good at programming, programmers and gamers started respecting him. He would often continue to work on weekends and holidays (Japanese holidays, New Year's Eve-Day, Christmas and Japanese Independence Day) because he wanted to. HAL was about to be bankrupt, so Iwata was promoted to president of HAL in 1993 when Nintendo's then-President, Hiroshi Yamauchi, asked him to be promoted. With Nintendo's help, Iwata helped turn the company around from its ¥1.5 billion debt and manage its finances. It took about 6 years. Iwata did not have much managing experience. Because of this, Iwata learned how to make himself better. He often read books about managing. He also asked for advice from others.