All articles tagged with #masayoshi son
SoftBank sold its entire Nvidia stake for $5.83 billion to fund its AI projects and investments, highlighting its strategy to capitalize on AI growth while managing liquidity for new ventures like data centers and chip design acquisitions. The sale reflects SoftBank's focus on expanding its AI ecosystem amid debates about potential investment bubbles in the tech sector.
SoftBank's founder Masayoshi Son is making his most ambitious bet yet on artificial intelligence, aiming to position the company at the forefront of a technological revolution driven by AI and artificial superintelligence, with significant investments in AI firms, chips, and robotics, despite past setbacks and market challenges.
OpenAI is allowing its employees to sell $1.5 billion worth of shares to SoftBank in a new tender offer, as SoftBank's CEO Masayoshi Son seeks a larger stake in the AI startup. This follows SoftBank's previous $500 million investment in OpenAI during a $6.6 billion funding round. Employees have until December 24 to decide on participation, with the offer price matching the last funding round. The investment will be made through SoftBank's Vision Fund 2.
SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son predicts that artificial intelligence 10,000 times smarter than humans will emerge within 10 years. During SoftBank's annual general meeting, Son discussed the future of AI, including artificial general intelligence (AGI) and artificial super intelligence (ASI). He emphasized that while AGI will be slightly smarter than humans, ASI will bring significant changes. Son also reflected on his personal mission and SoftBank's role in advancing AI, despite the company's recent financial challenges.
SoftBank's Masayoshi Son is reportedly seeking $100 billion to build a new venture, code-named Izanagi, that would compete with Nvidia in the AI chip market. The venture would collaborate with Arm, in which SoftBank still owns about 90% of the stock. The fundraising plan involves tapping Middle East-based institutional investors for $70 billion, with SoftBank contributing the remaining $30 billion. This move aligns with SoftBank's shift in focus from Alibaba to AI, following its recovery from losses in the Vision Fund. OpenAI's Sam Altman is also reportedly in talks to raise a significant amount for a new AI chip project, separate from SoftBank's initiative.
SoftBank's investment in Arm resulted in a $16 billion windfall after the chip designer's earnings report exceeded expectations, surpassing the total losses incurred from its investment in WeWork. Despite a rough stretch for SoftBank's investment portfolio, including a $6.2 billion loss in the Vision Fund tied to WeWork, the surge in Arm's shares has significantly increased the value of SoftBank's stake. However, the company is currently under a lock-up provision preventing it from selling its Arm shares until mid-March.
SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son has been selling off assets to support the struggling conglomerate, including shares in Alibaba and T-Mobile, as the company faces financial challenges due to the underperformance of its Vision Fund and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
SoftBank reported a $6.2 billion quarterly loss, but its Vision Fund managed to eke out a gain in the fiscal second quarter. The company attributed the loss to a weaker yen and U.S.-dollar denominated liabilities. SoftBank's Vision Fund saw an investment gain of 21.3 billion yen, thanks to the sale of shares in chipmaker Arm. This offset the decline in the value of other invested companies, such as SenseTime. SoftBank's founder, Masayoshi Son, had previously shifted the company into "defense" mode but is now optimistic about the potential of artificial intelligence technology.
The WeWork saga has cost Japanese billionaire Masayoshi Son $11.5 billion in equity losses and damaged his professional reputation. Son's investment style, characterized by overvaluing startups and giving founders more money than they asked for, has come under scrutiny. The collapse of WeWork, along with the Vision Fund's record loss of $32 billion, has raised questions about Son's judgment and arrogance. Despite the bankruptcy, SoftBank and existing creditors have agreed to a restructuring deal to slash more than $3 billion of WeWork's debt. Son's investing style is unlikely to change, and the focus now shifts to what he will invest in next.
SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son predicts that artificial general intelligence (AGI), surpassing human intelligence in almost all areas, will be realized within 10 years. Son believes AGI will be ten times more intelligent than the sum total of all human intelligence and highlights the rapid progress in generative AI. He also introduces the concept of "Artificial Super Intelligence," which he claims will surpass human intelligence by a factor of 10,000 within 20 years. Son calls upon Japanese companies to embrace AI and emphasizes the importance of chip designer Arm in the "AI revolution."
SoftBank successfully orchestrated the IPO of Arm Holdings, raising $4.87 billion and achieving a 25% gain in share price on the first day of trading. However, the company played it safe by pricing the IPO lower than it could have, leaving potential gains of over $1 billion on the table. SoftBank's stake in Arm still increased in value by about $12 billion due to the share price gain. SoftBank's CEO, Masayoshi Son, was determined to secure a win after a series of IPO flops, and despite the unconventional choice of pricing, the IPO is seen as a success in an improving market environment.
SoftBank's CEO, Masayoshi Son, has announced that he is shifting his focus towards AI inventions. This move comes as the company looks to diversify its portfolio and expand its reach in the technology industry.
SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son has said that the company is ready to go on a "counteroffensive" after a series of setbacks, including the failed WeWork IPO and the Covid-19 pandemic. Son stated that SoftBank's investments in technology companies have positioned it well for the future, and that the company will continue to pursue growth opportunities.
SoftBank's Vision Fund, backed by tens of billions of dollars of sovereign wealth money from the Gulf region, reported a $32 billion loss for its full year due to soaring interest rates, a raging war in Europe, and a general economic malaise. The losses were attributable to price drops across a whole range of its portfolio, including DoorDash and SenseTime. SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son's ambitious project may no longer be fit for purpose in a world that's returning to its senses, and the company is offloading swathes of its other valuable holdings to make up for heavy Vision Fund losses.