Masayoshi Son

Early Life and Background

Masayoshi Son was born on August 11, 1957, in Tosu, Saga Prefecture, Japan. He is a third-generation Zainichi Korean, a term referring to ethnic Koreans who are long-term residents of Japan. His family adopted the Japanese surname 'Son' (originally 'Son Jeong-ui' in Korean) as it was common practice for Zainichi Koreans to use Japanese names to avoid discrimination and facilitate integration into Japanese society. His father was a farmer who also engaged in various other ventures, including operating pachinko parlors and restaurants, to support the family. Growing up, Son Masayoshi displayed an early entrepreneurial spirit and a keen interest in technology and business. He was driven by a desire to overcome the societal challenges faced by his family and community, which instilled in him a strong work ethic and ambition from a young age. His early experiences in Japan provided a foundational understanding of both the opportunities and obstacles present in a rapidly modernizing society, fueling his determination to achieve significant success.

At the age of 16, Son Masayoshi made the bold decision to move to the United States, motivated by a desire to escape the limitations he perceived in Japan and to pursue advanced education and entrepreneurial opportunities that he felt were more abundant abroad. This move marked a significant turning point in his life, exposing him to new cultures, ideas, and technological advancements that would profoundly shape his future career and global outlook. He initially spent time in California, immersing himself in the American educational system and business environment.

Education

Son's educational journey in the United States began with his enrollment at Holy Names University in Oakland, California, where he pursued studies in economics and computer science. These fields were rapidly gaining prominence and would become central to his future endeavors. His time at Holy Names University allowed him to immerse himself in American academic culture, refine his English language skills, and begin to explore his passion for technology. Demonstrating his academic prowess and ambition, he later transferred to the University of California, Berkeley, a prestigious institution renowned globally for its strong programs in economics, engineering, and computer science. He successfully graduated from UC Berkeley in 1980 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics, laying a solid theoretical foundation for his future business ventures.

During his university years, Masayoshi Son's entrepreneurial drive was already remarkably evident. He leveraged his academic knowledge and innovative thinking to develop several ingenious business ventures. One particularly notable project was the creation of an electronic translator, a pioneering device for its time. He successfully obtained a patent for this invention and subsequently sold the patent to the prominent Japanese electronics giant Sharp Corporation for a substantial sum of approximately $1 million. This was an extraordinary achievement for a university student and provided him with significant capital and validation of his innovative capabilities. Additionally, he engaged in importing and distributing 'Space Invaders' arcade games to various university campuses and local establishments, further honing his business acumen in logistics, sales, and negotiation, and generating additional seed money that would later prove crucial for founding his primary enterprise.

Career

Upon returning to Japan in 1981, Masayoshi Son, then 24 years old, founded SoftBank. Initially named Nihon SoftBank, the company started as a software distribution business, rapidly expanding its offerings to include PC software and magazines. His vision quickly extended beyond mere distribution; he aimed to create a comprehensive information and technology ecosystem that would leverage the burgeoning internet and computing trends. In the 1990s, SoftBank diversified significantly, venturing into internet infrastructure, publishing, and telecommunications. This period marked SoftBank's aggressive expansion and its transformation from a niche software distributor into a burgeoning technology conglomerate with global aspirations.

One of SoftBank's most notable early strategic investments was in Yahoo! in 1995, acquiring a significant stake in the nascent internet portal. This prescient investment provided SoftBank with crucial insights into the rapidly evolving internet landscape and generated substantial returns when parts of the stake were later sold. However, the most iconic and successful investment came in 2000, when SoftBank invested a relatively modest $20 million in the then-unknown Chinese e-commerce startup, Alibaba Group. This investment proved to be one of the most prescient and lucrative venture capital deals in history, eventually valuing SoftBank's stake in Alibaba at hundreds of billions of dollars at its peak, fundamentally transforming SoftBank's financial profile and global standing.

In the mid-2000s, Son Masayoshi aggressively pushed SoftBank into the telecommunications sector, recognizing the immense potential of mobile connectivity. In 2004, SoftBank acquired Japan Telecom, a fixed-line telephone provider, which provided a foundational network infrastructure. This was followed by the landmark acquisition of Vodafone K.K., the Japanese subsidiary of global telecommunications giant Vodafone, in 2006 for approximately $15 billion. Renamed SoftBank Mobile, this acquisition propelled SoftBank into the highly competitive mobile phone market, transforming it into a major telecommunications player in Japan. This bold move demonstrated Son's willingness to take on established giants and make capital-intensive bets to achieve market leadership.

Further international expansion characterized the 2010s. In 2013, SoftBank acquired a majority stake in the U.S. mobile carrier Sprint Corporation for over $20 billion, aiming to challenge the dominant players in the American market. While Sprint's turnaround proved challenging amidst intense competition, SoftBank eventually orchestrated its merger with T-Mobile US in 2020, creating a stronger competitor in the U.S. mobile landscape. In 2016, SoftBank made another significant acquisition, purchasing ARM Holdings, a British semiconductor design company, for approximately $32 billion. This move underscored Son's profound belief in the future of the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence, as ARM's energy-efficient chip designs are foundational to most mobile devices and increasingly to embedded systems and AI applications.

The year 2017 saw the launch of the SoftBank Vision Fund, a monumental initiative that redefined global technology investing. With an initial target of over $100 billion, backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund and other major investors, the Vision Fund aimed to invest in late-stage private technology companies across various sectors, including AI, robotics, ride-sharing (e.g., Uber, Didi), e-commerce, and logistics. This fund rapidly became the largest technology-focused investment fund in the world, deploying capital at an unprecedented scale and pace. While the Vision Fund faced significant challenges and write-downs with some high-profile investments (e.g., WeWork, Oyo, Katerra) in the late 2010s and early 2020s, Masayoshi Son remained steadfast in his long-term vision, adapting strategies to navigate volatile market conditions and continuing to pursue transformative technological opportunities.

Major Achievements

Masayoshi Son's career is marked by a series of extraordinary achievements that have cemented his reputation as a visionary leader and one of the most influential figures in the global technology industry. His most significant achievement is undoubtedly the founding and scaling of SoftBank Group Corp. from a small software distributor into a global technology investment powerhouse with interests spanning telecommunications, internet services, and cutting-edge artificial intelligence companies. The sheer scale, ambition, and diversified portfolio of SoftBank are a testament to his strategic foresight and relentless execution.

His early investment in Alibaba Group in 2000 is often cited as one of the greatest venture capital deals in history. The initial $20 million investment grew into a stake worth hundreds of billions of dollars at its peak, providing SoftBank with immense capital and validating Son's unparalleled ability to identify disruptive technologies and future market leaders. This investment alone has had a profound and lasting impact on SoftBank's financial strength and global standing, enabling many of its subsequent large-scale ventures.

The strategic acquisitions of Vodafone K.K. (which became SoftBank Mobile) in Japan and Sprint Corporation in the United States demonstrated his audacious approach to market entry and expansion, transforming SoftBank into a major global telecommunications provider. These moves required immense capital and strategic prowess to integrate and compete effectively against entrenched players. The acquisition of ARM Holdings further showcased his long-term vision for the future of technology, positioning SoftBank at the heart of the semiconductor and Internet of Things revolution, predicting the ubiquity of connected devices.

Perhaps his most ambitious undertaking, the SoftBank Vision Fund, revolutionized the venture capital landscape. By aggregating an unprecedented amount of capital from sovereign wealth funds and institutional investors, Son aimed to accelerate the growth of a diverse portfolio of technology companies, creating a powerful ecosystem of innovation. Despite some well-publicized challenges and write-downs, the Vision Fund has significantly influenced the funding and development of numerous global tech unicorns, demonstrating Son's unparalleled ability to mobilize capital and drive technological change on a global scale. His ability to consistently anticipate and invest in future-defining technologies, from the internet boom to mobile telecommunications and artificial intelligence, underscores his unique position in the global business arena.

Personal Life

Masayoshi Son is married to Masami Ohno. Together, they have two daughters. While Son is a prominent and often public figure in the business world, he maintains a relatively private personal life, with details about his family largely kept out of the public eye. His personal wealth, primarily derived from his ownership stake in SoftBank, has consistently placed him among the wealthiest individuals in Japan and globally, though his net worth fluctuates significantly with SoftBank's stock performance and the valuations of its extensive portfolio investments. He is known for his intense work ethic, often working long hours, and his unwavering dedication to his business ventures. Despite his immense success, he has publicly spoken about the challenges he faced as a Zainichi Korean growing up in Japan, which he frequently cites as a significant source of his drive and ambition to create a company that transcends national boundaries and societal limitations, aiming for global impact rather than being confined by origin or circumstance.

Legacy

Masayoshi Son's legacy is multifaceted and profound, extending far beyond the financial success of SoftBank. He is widely regarded as a visionary entrepreneur and an unparalleled risk-taker who has consistently pushed the boundaries of technology investment and business expansion. His creation of SoftBank and its evolution into a global force stands as a testament to his strategic genius, relentless pursuit of innovation, and audacious decision-making. He has not only built a vast business empire but has also played a crucial role in shaping the global technology landscape through his early and impactful investments in foundational internet companies like Yahoo! and transformative e-commerce giants like Alibaba.

The SoftBank Vision Fund, despite its controversies and occasional setbacks, represents a paradigm shift in late-stage technology investing. It demonstrated the power of concentrated capital to accelerate technological development and global expansion at an unprecedented scale, inspiring other large-scale investment vehicles and reshaping how venture capital operates. Son's willingness to make bold, often contrarian bets, and his long-term perspective on technological trends, particularly in artificial intelligence, robotics, and the internet, have left an indelible mark on the industry. He has consistently championed a future driven by AI, positioning SoftBank and its portfolio companies at the forefront of this technological revolution.

His story also serves as an inspiration, particularly for minority entrepreneurs and those facing societal barriers, demonstrating how ambition, strategic vision, and an unwavering commitment can lead to extraordinary success against all odds. Masayoshi Son will be remembered as a titan of industry, a master dealmaker, and a relentless innovator who consistently sought to connect people and information through technology, leaving an enduring and transformative impact on the digital age and the future of global business. His influence on the startup ecosystem and the flow of capital into disruptive technologies is arguably unmatched by any other individual investor of his generation.