Masayoshi Son
InvestorFounder, Chairman & CEO at SoftBank Group · Chairman & CEO, SoftBank Group Corp. at SoftBank Vision Fund · Chairman and CEO of Softbank Group at Open Opportunity Fund
Tokyo, Japan
Find your path to Masayoshi
127 people in our graph share verified history with Masayoshi — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.
Photo: European Communities, 2025 / EC - Audiovisual Service, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons ↗
About
Masayoshi Son founded SoftBank in 1981 and turned an early $20 million stake in Alibaba into one of the most profitable investments ever made. Through the $100 billion Vision Fund he rewrote the scale of venture investing, backing hundreds of companies including Arm, DoorDash, and Coupang alongside high-profile losses like WeWork. In recent years he has concentrated SoftBank's firepower on artificial intelligence, including major commitments to OpenAI and the Stargate data-center project.
Invests in
Enterprise SoftwareFintechHealthtechImpact & Social GoodSaaS
Beyond investing
- Founded
- Son founded SoftBank in 1981 as a software distributor and publisher of computer-related literature. Son founded a video game company called Unison World in Oakland, which he later sold. Son established the $100 billion SoftBank Vision Fund in 2017 to invest in emerging technologies like AI, robotics and the internet of things.
- Education
- Studied at University of California, Berkeley (BA, Economics, 1980) Studied at Holy Names College
- Communities
- Son invested in a nationwide solar power network for Japan following the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.
- Awards
- Son was named Entrepreneur of the Year at The Asian Awards in 2017. Son was placed 45th on Forbes' list of the World's Most Powerful People in 2013. Son received the Time 100 award.
- Family
- Son was born a Zainichi Korean in Tosu, Saga Prefecture, Japan, and adopted his Korean surname Son for professional purposes. Son married Masami Ohno in 1979 and has two children.
- More
- Son created an electronic translator with help from Berkeley professors and sold it to Sharp Corporation for $1.7 million while still a student.
From published sources — common ground for a warm intro.
Investments
Investor
AlibabaArm HoldingsSprintYahoo!
Per curated public sources.
Podcasts & interviews
featuring Masayoshi SonMacron and Masayoshi Son Discuss Innovation and Growth | AC1W
GBS
A Conversation with Masayoshi Son ― SoftBank Group Earnings: FY2021
ソフトバンクグループ株式会社 (SoftBank Group Corp.)
Colleagues at SoftBank Group
Frequently asked questions
- Who is Masayoshi Son?
- Masayoshi Son founded SoftBank in 1981 and turned an early $20 million stake in Alibaba into one of the most profitable investments ever made. Through the $100 billion Vision Fund he rewrote the scale of venture investing, backing hundreds of companies including Arm, DoorDash, and Coupang alongside high-profile losses like WeWork. In recent years he has concentrated SoftBank's firepower on artificial intelligence, including major commitments to OpenAI and the Stargate data-center project.
- Where does Masayoshi Son work?
- Masayoshi Son is Founder, Chairman & CEO at SoftBank Group.
- What does Masayoshi Son invest in?
- Masayoshi Son invests in Enterprise Software, Fintech, Healthtech, Impact & Social Good, SaaS.
- What companies has Masayoshi Son invested in?
- Investments tracked here include Alibaba, Arm Holdings, Sprint, Yahoo!.
- What awards has Masayoshi Son received?
- Son was named Entrepreneur of the Year at The Asian Awards in 2017. Son was placed 45th on Forbes' list of the World's Most Powerful People in 2013. Son received the Time 100 award.
- What podcasts and interviews feature Masayoshi Son?
- Tracked appearances include "Macron and Masayoshi Son Discuss Innovation and Growth | AC1W", "A Conversation with Masayoshi Son ― SoftBank Group Earnings: FY2021".