SoftBank Group, founded by Masayoshi Son in 1981, transformed from a software distributor into a global technology conglomerate, known for massive investments and acquisitions like Alibaba, Sprint, and ARM, while navigating financial volatility.
Masayoshi Son establishes SoftBank in Tokyo, initially as a software distribution company. The name combines 'software,' 'bank,' and 'oriental.' #founding #tech
SoftBank goes public on the over-the-counter (OTC) market in Japan, raising capital for expansion. #finance #ipo
SoftBank acquires Ziff Davis, a US publishing company known for PC Magazine, expanding into media. #acquisition #media
SoftBank invests $100 million in Yahoo! and later forms Yahoo! Japan as a joint venture. #investment #internet
SoftBank establishes SoftBank Technology to focus on IT services and internet infrastructure. #tech #expansion
Masayoshi Son invests $20 million in Alibaba Group, a fledgling Chinese e-commerce company. This later becomes one of SoftBank's most successful investments. #investment #ecommerce
During the dot-com bust, SoftBank's stock price falls over 90% from its peak, but the company survives. #finance #crash
SoftBank launches Yahoo! BB, a broadband internet service in Japan, competing with NTT. #broadband #internet
SoftBank acquires Japan Telecom from Ripplewood Holdings, gaining fixed-line and broadband assets. #acquisition #telecom
SoftBank acquires the struggling Japanese mobile unit of Vodafone for about $15 billion, marking its entry into mobile telecommunications. #acquisition #mobile
SoftBank becomes the first Japanese carrier to offer the iPhone, boosting subscriber growth. #iphone #mobile
SoftBank launches a discount pricing plan called 'SoftBank for Everyone,' disrupting the Japanese mobile market. #mobile #pricing
SoftBank announces acquisition of 70% of Sprint Nextel for $21.6 billion, expanding into the US mobile market. #acquisition #telecom
SoftBank completes its acquisition of Sprint, making it the third-largest US wireless carrier. #telecom #merger
Alibaba's record-breaking IPO on NYSE increases SoftBank's stake value to over $50 billion, providing massive returns. #investment #ipo
SoftBank acquires Brightstar, a mobile device distributor, for $1.1 billion to strengthen supply chain. #acquisition #supplychain
SoftBank leads a $500 million investment in OneWeb, a satellite internet startup. #investment #space
SoftBank acquires UK chip designer ARM Holdings for $32 billion, betting on IoT and mobile technology. #acquisition #semiconductor
SoftBank launches the $100 billion Vision Fund, the largest private equity fund, with backing from Saudi Arabia's PIF and others. #finance #investment
SoftBank acquires a 15% stake in Uber for $8 billion, gaining influence in ride-hailing. #investment #rideshare
SoftBank sells Brightstar to its founder, focusing on core investments. #divestiture #strategy
SoftBank invests $10 billion in WeWork, valuing it at $47 billion. The investment later becomes problematic. #investment #realestate
WeWork's IPO fails after governance issues surface, leading to a massive loss for SoftBank and a bailout. #finance #failure
SoftBank announces a $12.7 billion loss for fiscal Q3 2019, largely due to WeWork and Uber write-downs. #finance #loss
SoftBank announces a plan to sell up to $41 billion in assets, including stakes in Alibaba and T-Mobile, to reduce debt. #finance #restructuring
Sprint merges with T-Mobile US after regulatory approval, consolidating US telecom. SoftBank's stake transferred to T-Mobile. #merger #telecom
SoftBank acquires a 4.9% stake in NVIDIA, later selling it for significant profit. #investment #semiconductor
SoftBank agrees to sell ARM Holdings to NVIDIA for $40 billion, but the deal later collapses due to regulatory hurdles. #acquisition #semiconductor
SoftBank launches Vision Fund 2 with $30 billion from its own capital, focusing on AI. #investment #fund
SoftBank leads a $600 million investment in Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing. #investment #rideshare
SoftBank sells Fortress Investment Group to Mubadala Investment Company, exiting asset management. #divestiture #finance
NVIDIA's acquisition of ARM is called off due to regulatory challenges. SoftBank instead plans an IPO for ARM. #acquisition #regulatory
SoftBank posts a record $13.2 billion loss for the year ended March 2022, driven by tech stock declines. #finance #loss
SoftBank sells a significant portion of its Alibaba stake through forward contracts, raising $22 billion. #divestiture #ecommerce
SoftBank files for ARM's IPO on Nasdaq, aiming to raise up to $10 billion. #ipo #semiconductor
ARM Holdings goes public on Nasdaq at $51 per share, valuing the company at over $50 billion. SoftBank retains majority ownership. #ipo #semiconductor
SoftBank's Vision Fund reports its first profit in five quarters, driven by AI investments and ARM rally. #finance #profit
SoftBank invests $1 billion in OpenAI, signaling a major bet on AI. #investment #ai
SoftBank acquires UK AI chip startup Graphcore for $500 million to strengthen semiconductor portfolio. #acquisition #ai
