Do we like them?Do we like Masayoshi Son?
Our score: 6 out of 10. A decent record on giving and on speaking up about his heritage, set against a hard-driving boss and Saudi money kept in his fund.
His business story is a rollercoaster, and the WeWork chapter is the messiest. WeWork's co-founder and other investors sued SoftBank, alleging it breached its obligations by pulling out of a US$3 billion rescue plan. SoftBank settled in 2021 without releasing details, though the Wall Street Journal reported terms including a US$50 million extra payment to the co-founder. Not a good look, but a business fight, not a personal one.
The staff-culture reporting is more pointed. Bloomberg Businessweek reported in 2019 that people on Vision Fund calls described Son swinging between charm and anger, and that he reportedly told one managing partner “You're too much like a banker!” It's one report from a few participants, and the excerpt we read had no SoftBank response, so treat it as a lead rather than a verdict.
The Saudi question is the real asterisk. After the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, Son called it an attack on journalism and free speech but defended the Vision Fund, which includes Saudi money, saying “we cannot just turn our backs on our work.” He said he'd urged the crown prince to investigate and would approach a second fund cautiously. Critics read that as keeping the cash flowing; supporters read it as engaging rather than walking away.
On the harm check, we found nothing from him against LGBTQ+ people, women, migrants or the climate, and no conspiracy-theory slide. That's an honest gap as much as a clean sheet, since he's mostly quoted on AI and money. His recent talk is about AI access: he's argued everyone should get it, and in Kyoto warned about misuse and called for governments to work together.
The bigger picture right now is ambition. He told shareholders in June he wants SoftBank to build artificial superintelligence and aims to grow net asset value to 1,000 trillion yen within 16 years. Where you land depends on whether you see a visionary or a man betting the farm on one idea.
The good stuff is real. After the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, Son personally pledged 10 billion yen, split across the Red Cross, UNICEF Japan, three hard-hit prefectures and a fund for children orphaned by the disaster. He also committed all his future pay as SoftBank's head to orphan support. That's money from his own pocket, not a corporate press release.