SoftBank and the pursuit of audacious dreams

A recently released memoir, 'The Money Trap' by Alok Sama, former CFO and President of SoftBank, reveals the pressures and pleasures of working for a large, aggressive investment house like SoftBank. A well-written book, it reveals the inner workings and personal rivalries that often arise in organisations reliant on a few high-performing, highly compensated individuals. In SoftBank, the most interesting personality is the founder - Masayoshi Son, whose style defines the company's culture. With an 'investment process' largely defined as 'what appeals to Masa', SoftBank's story and its founder repeatedly demonstrate how quirky geniuses can succeed and fail. The rise of Masayoshi Son Masayoshi Son, born in 1957 to Korean immigrant parents in Japan, built SoftBank from humble beginnings into a global powerhouse. His early life was marked by instability and a desire to prove himself amid feelings of alienation due to his heritage. He moved to the United States for his education and quickly demonstrated his entrepreneurial spirit by creating and selling an electronic dictionary for $1.7 million. Upon returning to Japan in 1981, Son founded SoftBank as a software distributor. His tenacity led him to secure partnerships that propelled the company's growth from modest beginnings to an impressive annual revenue of $27.6 million within just one year. Over the next decade, SoftBank became Japan's largest software distributor and a prominent publisher of technology magazines. The first big bet In 1995, an IPO raised $140 million, allowing Son to establish SoftBank Technology Ventures (SBTV) to invest in technology-driven companies. Masa had identified the internet as a megatrend, and his publishing experienc

This article was originally published on January 01, 2025.