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☆ Looks like Masayoshi Son's plan to go all in on AI is starting to pay off for SoftBank
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Japanese billionaire's conglomerate posted a $1.5 billion profit for its latest quarter. The gains come off the back of its big bet on chip firm ARM, which is targeting AI opportunities. Arm Holdings CEO Rene Haas is seeking to capitalize on the AI boom. But as the appetite for ARM's AI activities show, SoftBank has room to grow in the face of the latest boom. If he's able to find the right bets, AI could pay off handsomely in the long term.

Persons: Masayoshi, —, It's, SoftBank, Rene Haas, Michael M, Yoshimitsu Goto, Son, WeWork, AI's Organizations: ARM, Service, Son, Nasdaq, Apple, Arm, Funds, Nvidia Locations: Tokyo, Cambridge, London, Alibaba

☆ Masayoshi Son made $72 billion betting on Jack Ma's Alibaba. Now he wants to do it again with AI.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewMasayoshi Son owes much of his success to an incredibly prescient dot-com era bet on Alibaba. The SoftBank chief first invested $20 million in Jack Ma's ecommerce upstart in 2000, when it was just a year old. That faith was handsomely rewarded, with SoftBank realizing an incredible $72 billion gain on its investments in Alibaba over the course of 23 years. Arm and the Vision Funds collectively represent 70% of SoftBank’s net asset value, a key performance indicator that reflects the total value of its holdings. Arm, SoftBank's latest golden child, is on course to deliver, but there is still much work to be done to get the Vision Funds back on track.

Persons: —, Jack Ma's ecommerce, Ma, Son, Masayoshi Son's, Jack Ma, Alibaba, ChatGPT, Yoshimitsu Goto, SoftBank, Uber, Sam Altman, he'll Organizations: Service, Business, Future Publishing, Vision, Apple, Google, Nvidia, Samsung, Nasdaq, Funds Locations: Alibaba, China, British, London

☆ CNBC Daily Open: Banking troubles again roil markets
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Sumathi Bala | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

This report is from today's CNBC Daily Open, our international markets newsletter. CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need to know, no matter where they are. Nikkei ralliesAsia markets mostly rose Thursday, while Japan's Nikkei led gains and hit fresh 34-year highs. Russian oilIndia's energy minister claimed "the world is grateful to India for buying Russian oil," adding the move keeps global crude prices affordable. The country's refiners have been snapping up discounted Russian oil since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Persons: China's, VCs, Son's SoftBank, David Gibson Organizations: New York Community Bank, CNBC, Nikkei, Japan's Nikkei, Nasdaq, Dow Jones, Nintendo Analysts, Nintendo Locations: Hicksville , New York, Asia, India, Ukraine

☆ SoftBank nets $16 billion on Arm earnings pop, exceeding its total losses in WeWork
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Arm shares rocketed as much as 41% late Wednesday after the chip designer reported revenue and earnings that sailed past analysts' estimates. SoftBank took Arm public in September and still owns about 930 million shares, or roughly 90% of the chip designer's outstanding stock. Arm pared its initial gains, but SoftBank's stake still jumped by almost $16 billion — from close to $71.6 billion to $87.4 billion — after the earnings report. Softbank acquired Arm in 2016 for $32 billion, and its shares were worth just over $47 billion at the time of the IPO last year. The Vision Fund, SoftBank's venture arm, posted a $6.2 billion loss in the second quarter of 2023, tied to WeWork and other soured bets.

Persons: Son, Masayoshi Son's SoftBank, SoftBank, Softbank Organizations: Vision Locations: Tokyo, Arm's, WeWork, Alibaba

☆ SoftBank books $5.2 bln quarterly loss as investments and weak yen bite
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Anton Bridge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The results underscore the volatility and risk inherent in founder Masayoshi Son's strategy of betting big on often risky start-ups. The Japanese conglomerate said it was squeezed by weakness in the yen that drove up costs on its dollar-denominated debt. SoftBank reported a 789 billion yen ($5.2 billion) net loss for the three months to end-September, compared with a 3.01 trillion yen profit a year earlier when it sold down a large portion of its stake in Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba (9988.HK). Its Vision Fund investment unit, meanwhile, booked an investment profit of 21.4 billion yen in the latest quarter, after posting a 160 billion yen profit three months earlier. SoftBank said it exchanged unsecured WeWork notes into shares and convertible bonds and reflected a 21.6 billion yen loss from the transaction in the first half.

Persons: Thomas Peter, Masayoshi, SoftBank, Anton Bridge, Miyoung Kim, David Dolan, Tom Hogue Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, SoftBank, HK, Vision Fund, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, WeWork

☆ WeWork, once valued at $47 billion, files for bankruptcy
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The WeWork logo is displayed outside of a shared commercial office space building in Los Angeles, California on August 8, 2023. The bankruptcy filing is limited to WeWork's locations in the U.S. and Canada, the company said in a press release. The company reported liabilities ranging from $10 billion to $50 billion, according to a bankruptcy filing. Valued in 2019 at $47 billion in a round led by Masayoshi Son's SoftBank, the company tried and failed to go public five years ago. The company leases millions of square feet of office space in 777 locations around the world, according to its regulatory filings.

Persons: WeWork, Patrick T, Fallon, PATRICK T, FALLON, David Tolley, Masayoshi Son's SoftBank, Adam Neumann, Neumann, Kirkland, Ellis, Cole Schotz, PJT, CNBC's Ari Levy Organizations: Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, Getty, New York Stock Exchange, CNBC, PJT Partners, C Street Advisory Group, Alvarez, Marsal Locations: Los Angeles , California, AFP, New Jersey, U.S, Canada

☆ WeWork's inevitable retreat is here
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . It comes after the company warned that there was "substantial doubt" about its ability to stay in business back in August. A company that planned to 'change the world'Once the US's most valuable tech startup , WeWork has seen a dramatic fall from grace. Years later, WeWork's financial woes could have dire consequences for commercial real estate.

Persons: WeWork, —, Masayoshi, Adam Neumann, Stijn Van Nieuwerburgh, Neumann Organizations: Service, Beam, BBC, Street Journal, Reuters, Softbank, Columbia Business School Locations: London, Central London, Valley, WeWork

But a person who worked closely with Ramaswamy said, "He thinks people are put on this earth to serve him." Roivant attracted investors including Masayoshi Son's SoftBank Vision Fund, Peter Thiel's Founders Fund, and the hedge fund Viking Global Investors. Former Roivant employees said Ramaswamy worked hard and expected the same of others. McLaughlin called the employee's recollection "inaccurate," adding that Ramaswamy "has never once raised his voice or used bad language with employees." At Roivant, Ramaswamy kept his politics largely to himself, former employees said.

Persons: Vivek Ramaswamy, Ramaswamy, He's, Donald Trump, Mike Pence, Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis, Trump, George Soros, didn't, Taco Bell, he's, —, Vivek, Tricia McLaughlin, he'd, McLaughlin, takeout, Forbes, Vivek doesn't, they've, Roivant, Masayoshi, Peter Thiel's, Thiel, JD Vance, Bill Ackman, who'd, . Ramaswamy, Erik Gordon, Vance, John Phillips, Joyce Rosely, Phillips, Anson Frericks, they'd, Rosely, Frericks, They're, they're, Eric Balchunas, Todd Rosenbluth, Rosenbluth, Christopher Lenzo, Brandon Bell, Vivek Ramaswamy's, Katherine Long, Jack Newsham, Meghan Morris Organizations: pharma, Army Rangers, Biotech, Republican, nab, GOP, of Education, FBI, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Federal Reserve, Florida, Roivant Sciences, General Electric, Yale Law School, Army, Rangers, Harvard, Yale, Fund, Viking Global, Leerink Partners, GlaxoSmithKline, Forbes, Big Pharma, Japan's Sumitomo Pharma Co, ., University of Michigan, FDA, US, Yale Law, ESG, The, Texas, Indiana, BlackRock, Vanguard, Bloomberg Intelligence, Fair, SEC Locations: Mexico, FiveThirtyEight, Roivant, Patagonia, Iowa, New York, Ohio, The Lever

☆ WeWork plunges another 11% after announcing reverse stock split to try and keep NYSE listing
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Ari Levy | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

WeWork , the office-sharing company once valued at $47 billion, said Friday it will undergo a 1-for-40 reverse stock split to try and keep its stock from being delisted. "The Reverse Stock Split is being effected to regain compliance with the $1.00 per share minimum closing price required to maintain continued listing on the New York Stock Exchange," WeWork said in a filing with the SEC. The reverse split will take effect after the close of trading on Sept. 1, the company said. The move will do nothing to improve the company's financials or valuation but, based on Friday's close, it would lift the stock price to $5.60. With or without a higher stock price, WeWork is in dire straits.

Persons: WeWork, Masayoshi Son's SoftBank, Andrew Ross Sorkin, Adam Neumann Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, SEC, NYSE

☆ Apple and Samsung to invest in SoftBank's Arm at IPO -Nikkei
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File PhotoTOKYO, Aug 8 (Reuters) - Apple (AAPL.O) and Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) will invest in SoftBank Group (9984.T)-owned chip designer Arm at its initial public offering (IPO), expected in September, Japan's Nikkei newspaper reported on Tuesday. Reuters reported in June that Arm was in talks with some ten companies - including Apple, Samsung and Intel (INTC.O) - with the aim of bringing on one or more anchor investors in the offering. Last month, Reuters and other media reported that Arm was in talks to bring in U.S. chip designer Nvidia (NVDA.O) as an anchor investor for the New York listing. Apple, Samsung, Nvidia and Intel all plan to invest in Arm as soon as it is listed on the market, the Nikkei said. Apple, Nvidia and Intel did not immediately respond to a Reuters' request for comment.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, SoftBank, Masayoshi, Anton Bridge, Elaine Lies, Joyce Lee, Akash Sriram, Louise Heavens, David Dolan, Miyoung Kim, Sharon Singleton Organizations: REUTERS, Samsung Electronics, SoftBank, Japan's Nikkei, Reuters, Apple, Samsung, Intel, Nvidia, New, Nikkei, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, Vision Fund, Thomson Locations: KS, New York, Tokyo, Seoul

The timing of the listing was still unclear as money-losing PayPay needs to first demonstrate a clear path to profitability, the source said. SoftBank has previously set a PayPay listing as a goal, with one executive saying in November it was worth just under 1 trillion yen ($7.17 billion). Representatives for PayPay and SoftBank Group's (9984.T) domestic telecoms business, SoftBank Corp (9434.T), said they would not comment on speculation. PayPay is owned by SoftBank Corp, its internet business, Z Holdings (4689.T), and the group's second Vision Fund. PayPay booked a loss before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation of 11.9 billion yen in the year ended March, compared to a loss of 43.2 billion yen a year earlier.

Persons: SoftBank, SoftBank Group's, Kirk Boodry, Son, PayPay, Sam Nussey, Miho Uranaka, Scott Murdoch, David Dolan, Muralikumar Organizations: Companies, Z Holdings, PayPay, SoftBank Corp, Vision Fund, SoftBank, Syla Technologies, Rakuten Bank, SBI Sumishin, Bank, Astris Advisory, Mobile Marketing, Cambridge, Thomson Locations: . New York, Tokyo, New York, U.S, Astris Advisory Japan, Japan, England

☆ Why Japan is lagging behind in generative A.I. — and how it can create its own large language models
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Audrey Wan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

But the nation is lagging behind in the generative AI race and is trying to create its own large language models. Generative AI has been the trendiest topic in tech since OpenAI made waves with its chatbot ChatGPT. Key to generative AI development are large language models which underpin the likes of ChatGPT and Baidu's Ernie Bot, capable of processing vast data sets to generate text and other content. Japanese companies pursuing generative AIBig Tech players have also joined the fray to boost Japan's standing in generative AI. While it has yet to catch up in the generative AI space, Japan is making its first stride with these private sector efforts.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Ernie Bot, Noriyuki Kojima, Kojima, Fumio Kishida, Sam Altman, Masayoshi, Son, Amir Anvarzadeh, Anvarzadeh, CyberAgent, Bloom Organizations: Getty, Japan, Technology, Reuters, Microsoft, Google, Ministry of Economy Trade, Industry, IMD, Nikkei, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tohoku University, Fujitsu, Riken, Japanese, Big Tech, SoftBank Group, SB Energy, Toyota Tsusho, Fortress Investment, Vision Fund, Asymmetric Advisors, NTT, Local Locations: Japan, China, Europe, Nikkei Asia, Government, Tohoku, Hokkaido, SoftBank

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/IllustrationTOKYO, July 3 (Reuters) - Japan is leaning toward softer rules governing the use of artificial intelligence (AI) than the European Union, said an official close to deliberations, as it looks to the technology to boost economic growth and make it a leader in advanced chips. A softer Japanese approach could dull EU efforts to establish its rules as a global benchmark, with requirements such as companies disclosing copyrighted material used to train AI systems that generate content like text and graphics. EU industry chief Thierry Breton is visiting Tokyo this week to promote the bloc's approach to AI rule-making as well as to deepen cooperation in semiconductors. The government official did not elaborate on areas where Japan's rules were likely to differ from those of the EU. For Japan, AI could help cope with the population decline that is causing a labour shortage.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Thierry Breton, Yutaka Matsuo, Matsuo, Breton, Japan's, Sam Nussey, Tim Kelly, Christopher Cushing Organizations: REUTERS, European Union, EU, The University, Tokyo's, Learning, SoftBank, Microsoft, Japan, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Japan, European, U.S, Tokyo, China

A softer Japanese approach could dull EU efforts to establish its rules as a global benchmark, with requirements such as companies disclosing copyrighted material used to train AI systems that generate content like text and graphics. EU industry chief Thierry Breton is visiting Tokyo this week to promote the bloc's approach to AI rule-making as well as to deepen cooperation in semiconductors. The government official did not elaborate on areas where Japan's rules were likely to differ from those of the EU. For Japan, AI could help cope with the population decline that is causing a labour shortage. "If you increased the GPUs in Japan by 10 times, it would probably still be less than what OpenAI has available," said Prof. Matsuo.

☆ Jefferies discusses SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son's investments
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailSoftBank's Masayoshi Son was early to investment themes but hasn't picked the best stocks: JefferiesAtul Goyal, managing director at Jefferies, says SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son has been "very early" when it comes to investment themes such as e-commerce, but hasn't made the "best" stock picks.

Persons: Son, hasn't, Jefferies Atul Goyal, Jefferies, Masayoshi Son Organizations: SoftBank

[1/2] The logo of SoftBank Group Corp is displayed at SoftBank World 2017 conference in Tokyo, Japan, July 20, 2017. The fourth-quarter earnings come after the Vision Fund unit posted four consecutive quarters of investment loss, with investors debating whether the value of privately held stakes have further to fall. Portfolio firms of the Vision Fund unit whose shares climbed during January-March include e-commerce firm Coupang Inc (CPNG.N) and robotics firm AutoStore Holdings Ltd (AUTO.OL). What matters is Arm for SoftBank to demonstrate it can get results as an investment company," said SMBC Nikko Securities analyst Satoru Kikuchi. Still, SoftBank executives are unlikely to offer meaningful new information about the Arm listing on Thursday, Kikuchi said.

☆ SoftBank Q3 seen under pressure from tech weakness, Arm IPO eyed
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Kiyoshi Takenaka | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SoftBank has said the initial public offering (IPO) is unlikely to take place during the current business year that ends in March due to market conditions. SoftBank is expected to post a net profit of 103.7 billion yen ($806.13 million) for the latest quarter, according to analysts' average estimate compiled by Refinitiv. That compares with a 29 billion yen profit a year earlier. SoftBank bought Arm, whose technology underpins the global smartphone industry and is used in supercomputers, for $32 billion in 2016. read moreOne notable change to SoftBank's quarterly announcement this time around is the lack of founder and chief executive Masayoshi Son's colourful presentation, which has been a regular feature of SoftBank's earnings disclosure.

☆ Elon Musk's $182 billion net worth drop breaks Guinness World Record
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Nicolas Vega | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Elon Musk can add a new title to his resume: Guinness World Record holder. The 53-year-old's wealth decline spared Amazon founder Jeff Bezos from taking the Guinness World Record. Bezos's $80 billion loss in 2022 would have firmly given him the "largest loss" title were it not for Musk. Fellow tech CEO Mark Zuckerberg also broke Masayoshi Son's record with his $78 billion loss. As of Jan. 10, Forbes estimates that his net worth sits at $142.1 billion, making him the No.

☆ 2023 is shaping up to be a big year for dealmaking in live sports. Here's why.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Big deals for the big (and little) screen. Next year is shaping up to be a big one for media deals. Like many other industries, media quickly turned quiet on the dealmaking front this year as the economy soured. However, a stabilization of interest rates, along with money burning a hole in investors' pockets, could lead to a big 2023, insiders say. The landscape for media deals is fascinating when you consider the two opposing forces, as Lucia pointed out to me.

☆ SoftBank faces tech stock weakness at Q2 earnings
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, Nov 7 (Reuters) - SoftBank Group Corp (9984.T) is expected to face further weakness in tech stocks when it reports second-quarter earnings on Friday, after two brutal quarters that have shaken Masayoshi Son's tech conglomerate. The Vision Fund investing arm booked $50 billion in losses in the six months to end-June as valuations slid. Founder and Chief Executive Son has moved to cut headcount and refocus the second fund on managing its existing portfolio. Alibaba (9988.HK), , which SoftBank has been selling to raise cash, has fallen more than 40% year-to-date. "For most/all funding needs, SBG will use Alibaba shares to defend its balance sheet or stock price," Goyal wrote.

HONG KONG, Oct 7 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Too much cash can be a problem sometimes, especially in South Korea. Samsung Electronics (005930.KS), meanwhile, may find that deploying its $77 billion war chest is getting trickier. The company estimates third-quarter operating profit at 10.8 trillion won ($7.7 billion), down 32% from a year earlier and below analysts’ expectations. Prices for so-called DRAM and NAND memory chips, a highly cyclical sector that's Samsung's biggest profit driver, have yet to bottom out. CONTEXT NEWSSouth Korea's Samsung Electronics on Oct. 7 announced earnings guidance for the third quarter of 2022.

☆ 2 gaming veterans raised $1 million from Amazon and Google to make games you can only play by voice
▼ + stars: | 2019-07-23 | by ( Shona Ghosh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Two gaming veterans have raised €1 million ($1.1 million) for Doppio, a new games studio that builds role-play games you play with your voice. CEO Jeferson Valadares says voice games have become more economically feasible now that it's possible to buy items through Alexa skills. The way people play games is evolving, with most of the major tech companies assuming gaming will go the way of films and Netflix and building out their own game streaming platforms. Doppio's first game is "The Vortex," which you can play on the Amazon Alexa (by asking "Alexa, open The Vortex") or with Google Assistant on your phone. The Vortex, Valadares said, is similar to old-school text-based games, or MUDs, that were popular in the 80s and 90s.

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