Masayoshi Son, born on August 11, 1957, in Tosu, Saga Prefecture, Japan, is one of the most influential and successful entrepreneurs of the 21st century. As the founder and CEO of SoftBank Group, a multinational conglomerate, Son has made a profound impact on the global technology and investment landscape. With a net worth that has fluctuated in the billions, Son is known for his visionary approach to business, a penchant for risk-taking, and a keen eye for spotting groundbreaking technological trends.
Early Life and Education
Masayoshi Son was born to Korean immigrant parents in Japan, where his family faced significant social and economic challenges. Despite these early struggles, Son exhibited an entrepreneurial spirit from a young age. At 16, he moved to the United States, a decision that would later prove instrumental in shaping his career and global outlook.
In the U.S., Son completed high school and went on to study economics and computer science at the University of California, Berkeley. It was at Berkeley that he became deeply interested in technology and innovation. During his time there, he invented a voice-operated multilingual translator and sold the patent for $1 million, a sum that was a fortune for a college student. This early success provided Son with the financial backing and confidence to pursue his business ambitions.
Founding SoftBank
After graduating in 1980, Son returned to Japan and founded SoftBank in 1981. Initially, SoftBank was a software distribution company, but under Son’s leadership, it quickly diversified into other areas, including publishing, internet services, telecommunications, and, most famously, technology investments.
Son’s vision for SoftBank was not just to be a player in the tech industry but to lead it. He understood the potential of the internet and digital technology long before they became mainstream. This foresight led him to make several bold investments that would define the trajectory of SoftBank.
One of the company’s early successes was its investment in Yahoo! in the mid-1990s, a partnership that helped SoftBank become a major player in the internet boom. Son’s investment strategy was not without its challenges, however. During the dot-com bubble burst, SoftBank’s stock plummeted, and Son personally lost billions. Yet, he remained undeterred, continuing to make daring investments.
Vision Fund: A Global Game-Changer
Perhaps the most ambitious and far-reaching of Son’s ventures is the SoftBank Vision Fund, launched in 2017. With an initial capitalization of $100 billion, primarily funded by SoftBank, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, and other major global investors, the Vision Fund became the largest technology investment fund in the world.
The Vision Fund’s mission was to invest in emerging technologies that Son believed would shape the future, particularly in areas like artificial intelligence, robotics, and telecommunications. Son famously described this investment philosophy as part of his “300-year plan,” aiming to create a portfolio of companies that would dominate the global tech landscape for centuries.
Through the Vision Fund, SoftBank has invested in some of the most high-profile tech companies of the modern era, including Uber, WeWork, Arm, Slack, and ByteDance (the parent company of TikTok). While many of these investments have been massively successful, others, such as WeWork, have struggled. The WeWork debacle in particular, which saw the company’s valuation plummet from $47 billion to less than $10 billion, was a significant setback for SoftBank. Despite these ups and downs, Son’s commitment to his long-term vision has remained steadfast.
Business Philosophy and Approach
Masayoshi Son is known for his daring and often unconventional business approach. He has never been afraid to take big risks, and his philosophy is grounded in the belief that the future of the world will be shaped by technological advancements. He once famously said that “there’s no meaning to being number two,” highlighting his ambition to be the leader in every sector SoftBank operates in.
Son has also displayed an uncanny ability to see potential in technologies and businesses that others might overlook. His early investments in Alibaba and Yahoo! Japan are prime examples of this foresight. Son’s $20 million investment in Alibaba in 2000 grew into one of the most successful tech investments in history, eventually worth more than $100 billion.
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