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The Son Kingdom
Article

The Son Kingdom

The impact of Masayoshi Son’s $100bn tech fund will be profound


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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Controversial
  • Eye Opening
  • Engaging

Recommendation

Meet Masayoshi Son, the influential Japanese entrepreneur and investor who is giving Silicon Valley a run for its money. The founder of software maker SoftBank, today he runs the Vision Fund, a $100 billion venture capital Goliath that eclipses its competitors. But according to this engaging article from The Economist, he’s also a controversial figure who invests huge amounts in companies that many would consider highly risky. Regardless of what the outside world thinks, what Son does in the future is likely to affect the course of technological innovation for years to come. getAbstract recommends this illuminating look at a provocative force to entrepreneurs, investors and bankers. 

Summary

In the world of private equity and venture capital, it would be hard to find anyone quite like Masayoshi Son. Armed with $100 billion from his Vision Fund, the Japanese entrepreneur and investor has made his mark by making outsized investments in fledgling companies. While the size, scope and swiftness of his investments have alarmed some denizens of Silicon Valley, Son has a slew of successes to his name. He launched software distributor SoftBank in 1981 with only two employees, and his fortunes grew as the company invested in hundreds of web firms such as Yahoo. Son’s prescient $20 million...

About the Author

The Economist is an independent weekly magazine covering business, foreign affairs, science and technology.


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