Unlock Editor’s Digest Lock for Free
FT editor Roula Khalaf will select your favorite stories in this weekly newsletter.
The son of Softbank founder Masayoshi dropped his biggest hints on the future leadership of a tech conglomerate, which he began over 40 years ago.
The son, who showed he was willing to take charge for another decade, said his successor was already someone who worked by his side at Softbank.
“Deciding when to declare these two is a matter of timing. I don’t want them to be overconfident or acting titles. I also have a desire to stay a little longer, so I’m going to manage that delicate balance.
“If I feel that I am actually a barrier to the growth of the company, of course I think I should hand over the leadership to the next person,” he said.
The son later made a mention that he had done a “very good job” with Miyakawa, the head of Softbank Corp, the group’s listed communications unit, and that he placed great trust.
People close to the group denied showing Miyagawa lined up in top positions. Instead, they said he was given an example of how his son had already entrusted a vital part of the business.
The question of who will take over from SoftBank’s founder has long been key to investors. My son has experienced many of the EUs over the years, where many analysts and investors assumed to be in top positions.
They include Rajeev Misra, who led the group’s technology-centric vision fund. Marcelo Krauer, former CEO of Sprint. Katsunori Sago, Chief Strategy Officer and former Goldman Sachs executive.
Nikesh Arora, a former Google executive, was another potential heir to his son who left the group after SoftBank founder decided to stay in place.
Softbank Group shares rose 2.5% on Friday as the benchmark Nikkei 225 index rose 1.5%.
Recommended
My son has been betting on AI for the past few years, buying startups and businesses that can sit with a chip designer arm within SoftBank’s portfolio. The group is also considering investing more than ever before to deploy it into infrastructure.
His son has already pledged to raise $100 billion to the Stargate project to expand its US data centers and AI infrastructure in Oracle, Abu Dhabi’s MGX and Openai.
“A few years later, Openai is ready for an IPO and the structure is being discussed and prepared to make them the company they are listed,” his son said Friday.
Softbank’s chief is the establishment of the Free Trade Zone and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., the world’s largest chip maker.
