Masayoshi Son’s Ambitious Bet: Transforming SoftBank into a Leading Force in Artificial Intelligence

Masayoshi Son’s latest venture revolves around his conviction that SoftBank will spearhead an AI revolution. This belief centers on the development of artificial superintelligence (ASI), a form of AI that is 10,000 times more intelligent than humans, which Son predicts will arrive within the next decade.

The billionaire investor’s ambitious plans stem from his history of strategic moves, most notably a $20 million investment in Alibaba in 2000 that resulted in significant returns for SoftBank. Now, he aims to replicate that success through investments and acquisitions in AI companies, positioning SoftBank at the forefront of this technological shift.

Over the past few years, particularly during the last two, Son has displayed a persistent drive to place SoftBank at the center of the AI narrative. This determination is rooted in conversations dating back several years, as revealed by two former SoftBank executives.

During a dinner at his home in 2015, Son discussed singularity — the point where machine intelligence surpasses human intelligence — with Alok Sama, then the finance chief of SoftBank. This conversation took place on the porch over a glass of wine.

For Son, AI holds personal significance. He has stated that both SoftBank and himself were born to realize ASI, a sentiment he expressed last year.

This deep-seated commitment is evident in SoftBank’s aggressive strategy to invest in and acquire AI firms across the entire AI stack, from semiconductors to cloud services and end applications. Notable investments include Arm, a chip designer acquired by SoftBank in 2016 for approximately $32 billion, and OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, with planned investments reaching around 4.8 trillion Japanese yen ($32.7 billion).

SoftBank’s AI strategy encompasses companies spanning various aspects of AI, according to Neil Shah, co-founder at Counterpoint Research. The goal is to create a powerful AI ecosystem designed to maximize long-term value for shareholders.

The firms within SoftBank’s portfolio should leverage advanced intelligence to become more competitive, successful, and customer-focused, as outlined by a person familiar with the company. This emphasis on improving products and customer satisfaction is a consistent theme across SoftBank’s AI investments.

Son’s early interest in robotics predates current discussions about robotics as a key application of AI by more than a decade. In 2012, SoftBank took a majority stake in French company Aldebaran, which launched the humanoid robot Pepper in 2014. Although Pepper proved unsuccessful for SoftBank, Son’s interest in robotics underscores his curiosity about AI applications of the future.

In addition to investments in AI companies, SoftBank launched the Vision Fund in 2017 with a capital of $100 billion. The fund made significant investments worldwide, particularly in ride-hailing firms like Uber and Chinese company Didi. However, investments in Chinese technology companies and some poor decisions on firms like WeWork led to substantial losses for the Vision Fund by 2023.

Despite these setbacks, Son’s early interest in AI-focused companies such as Uber and Didi reflects his forward-thinking approach. Although the timing wasn’t ideal, Son’s vision for self-driving cars represented a bold bet on the future of AI.

As the market questioned some of Son’s investments, particularly those with questionable unit economics, he declared that SoftBank would adopt a more cautious investment strategy in 2023. It was during this time that companies like OpenAI began gaining traction but were not yet at the level of popularity they enjoy today.

Despite missing out on early investments in AI leaders like OpenAI, Son expressed his desire to invest in the company as early as 2019. However, it was Microsoft that became the key investor instead. As of 2025, the Vision Fund — now consisting of two separate entities — boasts a portfolio filled with AI-focused companies.

The rapid advancement of AI technology poses challenges and opportunities for investors like SoftBank. The race among tech giants in the US and China to produce increasingly advanced AI models aims to reach artificial general intelligence (AGI), a broad term referring to AI that surpasses human intelligence. With significant investments pouring into AI, the risks are high, but so are the potential rewards.

However, unexpected advancements in technology can occur at any stage of AI development. In 2023, Chinese firm DeepSeek made waves with a reasoning model that appeared to be developed more cost-effectively than its US counterparts. This achievement by a Chinese company raised concerns among global financial markets that previously believed the US had an unassailable lead in AI technology.

While the market has since recovered, the potential for sudden technological breakthroughs at this early stage of AI development remains a significant risk for companies like SoftBank. As Dan Baker, senior equity analyst at Morningstar, noted, the key challenge is to invest in winning technologies, as many of the investments SoftBank has made are currently held by industry leaders. However, challengers could still emerge from nowhere in this rapidly evolving field.

Despite these risks, Son remains committed to establishing a legacy for SoftBank that ensures its survival and success for 300 years, as stated on the company’s website. This conviction is reflected in the ambitious bets he places on AI and his willingness to pay substantial valuations for companies he believes will shape the future of this technology.