In a revealing new profile by Financial Times, SoftBank’s CEO Masayoshi Son reflects on his lowest point, staring at his reflection on Zoom and criticizing his "ugly" face, lamenting, "I have done nothing I can be proud of." Son’s retreat from the public eye followed the massive losses sustained by SoftBank’s Vision Fund, with high-profile failures like WeWork casting a shadow over the firm’s reputation. But, as FT writer Lionel Barber details in his new biography of Son, Gambling Man, while it seemed Son was in self-imposed exile, he was quietly plotting a major comeback.
Now, SoftBank is doubling down on artificial intelligence as its next big bet, and Son is spearheading the company’s revival with a significant move: taking chip design giant Arm public. This strategic shift highlights Son’s ambition to lead SoftBank into a new era of tech dominance through AI, which he sees as the next transformative frontier.
Despite the setbacks, Son remains confident in his grand vision. The FT profile even uncovers a few eccentric details about the billionaire entrepreneur. Son is reportedly fascinated with historical figures like Napoleon. In a 2020 meeting with an activist investor, Son dismissed comparisons to tech moguls like Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg, labeling them as “one-business guys.” Instead, Son declared, “The right comparison for me is Napoleon, Genghis Khan or Emperor Qin. I am not a CEO. I am building an empire.”
Son’s bold vision may seem audacious, but with the AI industry booming and Arm’s public offering poised for success, SoftBank’s comeback story is just beginning.
