Contents
Masayoshi Son
Founding SoftBank and making large technology investments, including an early stake in Alibaba.
Alibaba investment · Arm acquisition
- Born
- 11 August 1957
- Birthplace
- Tosu, Japan
More people
Masayoshi Son
Japanese entrepreneur of Korean heritage who expanded a software distributor into a global technology investment group.
Early life
Korean heritage
Grew up in Japan in a family of Korean ancestry and encountered discrimination.
Study abroad
Moved to California as a teenager and studied economics at Berkeley.
Career
- 1981–1990s
Building SoftBank
Started with software distribution and expanded into publishing and internet businesses.
- 2000s
Telecommunications
Built broadband and mobile operations alongside technology investments.
- 2010s–2020s
Global investing
Launched the Vision Fund and shifted increasing attention toward artificial intelligence.
Ventures
Alibaba investment
Backed the Chinese e-commerce company early in its development.
Arm acquisition
SoftBank bought the British chip-design company.
Vision Fund
Launched a large fund to invest in technology businesses.
Beyond work
Student invention
Developed an electronic translator while studying in the United States.
Investment reversals
SoftBank’s large gains were accompanied by substantial losses, including in its Vision Fund portfolio.
Sources & photo credit
Biography and references ↗Biography and contributions ↗Photo: European Communities, 2025 / EC - Audiovisual Service. CC BY 4.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
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