Great careers and landmarks can sometimes happen through an inspiring journey. And one such inspiring story is of Masayoshi Son.

 

Masayoshi Son is a Japanese billionaire technology entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist. Masayoshi Son founded and runs mobile telecom and investment giant SoftBank Group. SoftBank has forecast an annual loss of $6.9 billion, its first in 15 years, and a $16.7 billion investment loss in its $100 billion Vision Fund, for the year ending March 2020. 

 

According to Forbes, Son's estimated net worth is US$40.8 billion, making him the second richest man in Japan. 

 

Masayoshi Son was born in Tosu, Japan on August 11, 1957. Although belonging to Korean ethnicity, his family adopted Japanese culture and the surname Yasumoto. He graduated from the University of California in Economics. Even as a child, Son showed great interest in computer chips. As he grew, Son was convinced that computers would soon revolutionize the commercial sector.

 

His first business endeavors began as a student. With the help of some professors, Son created an electronic translator that he sold to Sharp Corporation for $1.7 million. He made another $1.5 million by importing used video game machines from Japan, on credit, and installing them in dormitories and restaurants. Son pursued his interests in business by securing a meeting with Japan McDonald's president Den Fujita. Taking his advice, Son began studying English and computer science.

 

Son was an early investor in internet firms, buying a share of Yahoo! in 1995 and investing a $20 million stake into Alibaba in 1999. Son's holding company SoftBank owns 29.5% of Alibaba, which is worth around $108.7 billion as of 23 October 2018. Although SoftBank's stake in Yahoo! had dwindled to 7%, Son established Yahoo! BroadBand in September 2001 with Yahoo! Japan in which he still owned a controlling interest. After a severe devaluation of SoftBank's equity, Son was forced to focus his attention on Yahoo! BB and BB Phone. So far, SoftBank has accumulated about $1.3 billion in debt. Yet, Yahoo! BB acquired Japan Telecom, the then third-largest broadband and landline provider with 600,000 residential and 170,000 commercial subscribers. Yahoo! BB is now Japan's leading broadband provider. In June 2020, Son stepped down from the Alibaba board.

 

Through his holdings in SoftBank, Son bought a 76% share in Sprint. SoftBank has further accumulated shares in Sprint to about 84% ownership.

In July 2016, SoftBank announced plans to acquire Arm Holdings for £23.4 billion ($31.4 billion) which would be the largest-ever purchase of a European technology company. In September 2016, SoftBank announced that the transaction was complete. The total acquisition price was approximately £24 billion ($34 billion).

 

Masayoshi Son is also an active philanthropist. He has played an integral part in the recovery strategy during the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011. He was also instrumental in establishing solar power projects in Japan. In 2011, Son donated $120 million to help the victims of the Tohoku Tsunami.

 

Masayoshi Son's SoftBank has acquired some of the most influential organizations. It has an established reputation worldwide in the telecom sector. Additionally, he is listed as one of the notable influential people of his time. A forward-thinking entrepreneur, Masayoshi Son mastered the art of taking calculated risks that paid off in the end. His step by step methodology in establishing and planning business stands as fine learning for aspiring young entrepreneurs all over the world.