Softbank is back to its old, bold ways after a brief lull. Mz magazines, about nec and sharp computers respectively. The incredible story of softbanks masayoshi son, now the. Theres a wellknown anecdote about masayoshi son, the maverick billionaire founder and chief executive of softbank group corp. The sales figure was over 9 trillion yen at the end of fy 2015. Masayoshi son founded and runs mobile telecom and investment giant softbank group. Softbank is still writing big checkseven after the wework. Masayoshi son, softbanks founder and chief executive. Now 61, son is already a legend in japan, where comic books depict the. Softbank forecasts record losses as startup bets backfire. Masayoshi son, japanese billionaire taking over wework, is. The japanese conglomerate closed out 2019 with a slew of funding rounds that showed it continues to hunt for big deals in daring startups. Fujita was the founder of mcdonalds japan, and had written a book that son admired. In ancient and modern times, vision and strategy are key.
Before traveling to the united states to study in 1973, he repeatedly tried to meet fujita. Chairman and chief executive officer masayoshi son speaks during a press conference on may 10, 2017 in tokyo, japan. Aiming high a biography of masayoshi son by atsuo inoue. Son masayoshi, original name yasumoto masayoshi, born august 31, 1957, saga prefecture, kyushu, japan, japanese entrepreneur who served as chairman and ceo of softbank corp, a media and telecommunications company he founded in 1981 son was a thirdgeneration korean with japanese citizenship. Currently, there seems to be only one readable biography of masayoshi son in english. Masayoshi son, ceo and founder of softbank which is owner of arm since september 2016, is giving the opening keynote at the 2017 mobile world congress in barcelona. Masayoshi son describes softbanks current businesses as follows. Two years ago, masayoshi son, chief executive officer of softbank, sat in a gulfstream jet high above the arabian gulf, en route to meet with potential investors in a new fund that would invest in. The reputation of legendary softbank ceo masayoshi son depended on the success of the vision fund, a considerable challenge given the difficulties associated with organizing a large pool of capital, investing at scale and generating vcstyle returns. The pandemic has undermined predictions by softbank ceo masayoshi son, who just two months ago said the tide is turning and pointed to recovery at. Softbank is preparing its shareholders for what executives think could be one of its worst fiscal years in the conglomerates 39year history.
Masayoshi son ceo softbank financial speaker book a. Softbank masayoshi son inspired by dads business travails. Elliott management now targets softbank, masayoshi son. Japans softbank group corp said on tuesday it expects to book around 1. As his softbank vision fund family shakes up the venture capital industry with unicorn company and startup investments approaching a quartertrillion dollars, masayoshi son already is dubbed by. Softbank taking masayoshi sons sprint playbook to wework. Masayoshi sons softbank has a 300year plan, which could be genius but is probably just insane. He dropped out of high school at 15 after reading a book by ryoma. What is a recommended biography of masayoshi son softbank. In his book, inoue describes how son would go around town riding. Fading vision fund to tip softbank into first loss in 15.
As he lined up a roster of big backers saudi arabias crown prince and apples tim cook among them. A 2010 softbank deck explains masayoshi sons 300year plan for the softbank vision fund. Softbank was founded in september 1981 as a softbank corp. They went into the publishing business in may 1982 with the launches of the oh. Startups backed by japanese billionaire masayoshi sons vision fund are reporting back on what its like to be part of the softbank family and theres a few key takeaways. Tokyo there can be little doubt that masayoshi son, chairman and ceo of japans softbank group, was one of the most notable business people in asia in 2017, given his bold decisions and far. Billionaire masayoshi son talks about being a billionaire, growing up in japan, investment, entrepreneurship, apple, steve jobs, innovation. The same thinking underpinned another of sons big bets, arguably his biggest of all. Masayoshi son is the ceo of the soft bank group corp and a billionaire. Aiming high a biography of masayoshi son by atsuo inoue the first ever english language biography of masayoshi son, japans foremost it revolutionary and softbanks founder, chairman and ceo. Masayoshi son believes ultrafast internet can deliver future benefits that cannot be foreseen until they happen and that softbank will be the ultimate beneficiary. Softbank group corp sftby stock price, quote, history. Billionaire documentary documentaries on billionaires. Softbank vision fund founder masayoshi son places big.
Based on over twenty years of indepth interviews and study, atsuo inoue brings sons story to life in this translation of the japanese best seller. Im reading a book a strategist of masayoshi son now. He founded softbank in 1981 under the philosophy of information revolution happiness for everyone. Son repeatedly called fujitas assistants, asking for a meeting, but his requests were ignored successful businessmen dont take time out of their busy schedules to meet eager 16year. Continuously realizing his aspirations, he made softbank into a multibillion. To celebrate its 10th anniversary, on january 15 softbank academia held a special fireside chat event between masayoshi son, softbank academias headmaster, and yasuhisa hara, writer and illustrator of the manga comic book series kingdom. Japans softbank group corp said on tuesday it expects a gain of 1. Son discussed the idea with investors including elliott management and the abu dhabi sovereignwealth fund mubadala in the past week, the financial times reported, before moving. But to keep up the pace, it will need major new commitments from the worlds largest investors. Softbank ceo masayoshi son, tells wall street hes eager. But the billionaire founder and ceo of japans softbank loves to make a splash and is rapidly gaining a global profile thanks to a. It is written in a short, punchy style with lots of space. Softbanks masayoshi son has enjoyed a 40year career in which he built. Softbank academia is a program administered by softbank corp.
Masayoshi son has been an unstoppable force in the technology world over the last year. Chief executive masayoshi son on thursday reaffirmed his commitment to sprint corp. Softbank has six divisions in different businesses, five wholly owned subsidiaries, and five joint ventures. The founder of softbank, the japanese conglomerate, had the business world chattering on monday night with his. How softbank founder and vision fund guru masayoshi son lost his. Softbanks masayoshi son sees sprint turning the corner wsj. Masayoshi son claims vision fund lps are already up 45%. Sprint, looking to get bigger to survive, weighs deal. Masayoshi son, the japanese telecommunications mogul, has always been known as an inveterate deal maker. The funds dire performance, which softbank attributed to the deteriorating market environment as markets are hammered by the coronavirus crisis, is a major blow to ceo masayoshi sons attempts. The funds dire performance, which softbank attributed to the deteriorating market environment as markets are hammered by the coronavirus crisis, is.