Key Facts
Career & Education
About
Masayoshi Son, born on August 11, 1957, in Tosu, Saga Prefecture, Japan, is a prominent Japanese billionaire entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist of Zainichi Korean descent. He is the founder, chairman, CEO, and largest shareholder of SoftBank Group Corp. (SoftBank Group), a major Japanese multinational telecommunications and investment conglomerate he established in 1981, and one of the world's most influential technology investors. Son's parents were Korean immigrants who settled in Japan after World War II, and he grew up in a family that owned a sake brewery and pig farm. Facing discrimination as a Korean minority in Japan, he moved to the United States at age 16, where he founded his first company, Unison World, while studying at UC Berkeley before dropping out to focus on business. Under his leadership, SoftBank evolved into one of the world's largest technology investment firms, known for its aggressive investments through the Vision Fund (SoftBank Vision Fund) that makes massive bets on technology and AI startups worldwide, with significant stakes in companies like Alibaba, Yahoo Japan, and Sprint. His visionary investments, particularly the early $20 million stake in Alibaba in 2000 that yielded billions, have made him one of the richest individuals globally, with a net worth fluctuating around $20-30 billion. Son is also chairman of UK-based Arm Holdings and US-based Stargate LLC. Known for bold strategies and leading massive investments in technology companies worldwide, he has influenced global tech landscapes but faced setbacks like the WeWork debacle. He is married to Masami Ohnishi, with whom he has two daughters, resides primarily in Tokyo, and engages in philanthropy through the Sunflare Foundation, focusing on education for underprivileged children. Despite controversies, he remains a key figure in Japan's business world and a central node in international technology and finance networks.