# Masayoshi Son

> Masayoshi Son is the Japanese founder, chairman and CEO of SoftBank Group. Born in Tosu to a family of Korean ancestry, he studied economics at UC Berkeley and founded a PC software distributor in 1981. Investments in Yahoo and Alibaba, a move into Japanese mobile telecommunications, the acquisition of Arm and the Vision Funds made his career a study in technological conviction and financial risk. He now concentrates on artificial intelligence, including OpenAI and the infrastructure required to run it.

- **Role:** Founder, Chairman and CEO at SoftBank Group Corp.
- **Organizations:** SoftBank Group Corp., SoftBank Corp., Arm Holdings plc, Stargate, Masason Foundation
- **From:** Tosu, Japan
- **Nationality:** Japanese
- **Education:** BA in Economics, University of California, Berkeley
- **Known for:** Founded SoftBank in 1981 and led its expansion from software distribution into publishing, internet services, telecommunications and technology investment., Built a long-standing Alibaba investment relationship beginning in 2000; SoftBank announced a minimum $7.9 billion monetization of part of the stake in 2016., Led SoftBank’s acquisition of Vodafone Japan in 2006.

## Career timeline

- **1957** — Born on August 11 in Tosu, Saga Prefecture, Japan.
- **1973** — Moved to the United States at age 16 to study.
- **1980** — Graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in economics.
- **1981** — Founded Nihon SoftBank as a PC software distribution business.
- **1982** — SoftBank entered computer publishing.
- **1995** — SoftBank invested in Yahoo in the United States.
- **1996** — Yahoo Japan launched.
- **2000** — SoftBank made its first investment in Alibaba.
- **2001** — Launched Yahoo BB broadband service.
- **2006** — SoftBank acquired Vodafone Japan and entered Japanese mobile telecommunications.
- **2013** — SoftBank acquired Sprint in the United States.
- **2016** — SoftBank acquired Arm for approximately £24 billion.
- **2016** — Masason Foundation established in December to support talented young people.
- **2017** — The first Vision Fund held its first major close with over $93 billion of committed capital.
- **2019** — WeWork withdrew its planned IPO; SoftBank announced a valuation loss related to its investment.
- **2023** — Arm listed on Nasdaq; Son publicly emphasized generative AI and his renewed interest in invention.
- **2025** — Named chairman in the announcement of the Stargate AI infrastructure project.
- **2026** — Extended his entrepreneurial life plan into his seventies; SoftBank completed another $30 billion OpenAI investment, taking cumulative investment to $64.6 billion.

## Achievements

- Founded SoftBank in 1981 and led its expansion from software distribution into publishing, internet services, telecommunications and technology investment.
- Built a long-standing Alibaba investment relationship beginning in 2000; SoftBank announced a minimum $7.9 billion monetization of part of the stake in 2016.
- Led SoftBank’s acquisition of Vodafone Japan in 2006.
- Led SoftBank’s acquisition of Arm in 2016.
- Established the Vision Fund, whose first major close in 2017 exceeded $93 billion in committed capital.
- Positioned SoftBank as an OpenAI investor and lead financial partner in the announced Stargate project.
- Founded the Masason Foundation, established in December 2016, to support talented young people through research, educational opportunities and financial assistance.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — On October 1 SoftBank executed the final $10 billion tranche of its $30 billion follow-on OpenAI investment. Its cumulative investment reached $64.6 billion, with an approximately 13% ownership interest.
- **2026-07** — Son’s 2026 annual-report message describes extending his life plan into his seventies and organizing the AI strategy around models, chips, infrastructure and robots; the page states information is current as of July 27.
- **2026-07** — At a July 14 corporate event in Tokyo, Son rejected AI bubble concerns and argued that AI would generate profits, according to AP.
- **2026-06** — SoftBank announced an OpenAI-powered Patching as a Service cybersecurity offering for critical infrastructure in Japan on June 16.
- **2026-02** — SoftBank announced a definitive agreement to invest an additional $30 billion in OpenAI via Vision Fund 2.

## Links

- Website: https://group.softbank/en/about/officer/son
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/masason

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/masayoshi-son
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-16