Masayoshi Son
Masayoshi Son
Masayoshi Son is a Japanese business magnate who is widely recognized as one of the most influential entrepreneurs in the world. He is the founder and CEO of SoftBank Group Corp., a multinational conglomerate that invests in a variety of industries such as telecom, internet, robotics, and finance. Son's innovative approach to business has earned him a reputation for pushing boundaries and taking bold risks.
Born on August 11, 1957, in Tosu, Saga, Japan, Masayoshi Son was the third generation of Korean ancestry. At the age of 16, he moved to California to attend high school, where he learned English and became interested in business. After graduating, he attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned a degree in economics.
After completing his studies, Son returned to Japan and founded SoftBank in 1981. Initially, SoftBank specialized in selling PC software, but Son soon realized that there was a significant opportunity in the emerging field of computer networking. In 1994, he founded Yahoo! Japan, which quickly became the country's leading internet portal.
Over the next two decades, Son went on an acquisition spree, investing billions of dollars in some of the world's most prominent tech companies, including Alibaba, Sprint, and Arm Holdings. He also launched the $100 billion Vision Fund in 2017, which aimed to invest in cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics.
Despite his many successes, Son has also faced his share of setbacks. In 2000, the dot-com bubble burst, wiping out nearly 95% of SoftBank's market value. Undeterred, Son pivoted the company's focus to telecoms, which proved to be a wise decision. In recent years, SoftBank's shares have rebounded and are currently trading at all-time highs.
Outside of business, Son is known for his philanthropy and has pledged to donate $2 billion of his personal wealth to support tech startups that are working to solve some of the world's most significant problems, such as climate change and poverty.
In summary, Masayoshi Son is a visionary entrepreneur who has played an integral role in shaping the global tech industry. His fearless approach to business and commitment to innovation have helped him build one of the most valuable companies in the world and position himself as a leader in the field of technology advancement.