• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

CEO says anyone who works from home is grabbing groceries or at the vet 30% of the time—and shows off his busy office at Friday 5 p.m. to prove it

2

Ohio city workers are covering automated license plate readers with trash bags as officials sound the alarm on 'egregious violations' of privacy

3

A single new sentence in SpaceX's amended IPO filing could signal the biggest merger in history

1

CEO says anyone who works from home is grabbing groceries or at the vet 30% of the time—and shows off his busy office at Friday 5 p.m. to prove it

2

Ohio city workers are covering automated license plate readers with trash bags as officials sound the alarm on 'egregious violations' of privacy

3

A single new sentence in SpaceX's amended IPO filing could signal the biggest merger in history
TechSoftbank

This Tech CEO Says He’s Ready to Take on Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Apple

By
Ian Mount
Ian Mount
Madrid-based Editor
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Ian Mount
Ian Mount
Madrid-based Editor
Down Arrow Button Icon
July 26, 2016, 7:34 AM ET
Photograph by Getty Images

It wasn’t quite John Lennon’s comment that the Beatles were “more popular than Jesus,” but SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son seems pretty confident that his company will soon have the same size and importance as several religion-sized tech firms.

In an interview published Tuesday in The Times (London), the 58-year-old Son said that the huge investments SoftBank will make in the British chip design giant ARM Holdings (ARMHF)—which he agreed to purchase for $32 billion last week—would allow it to compete with the likes of Facebook (FB), Google (GOOGL), Apple (AAPL), and Amazon (AMZN).

According to Son, ARM’s chip designs, which already power more than 95% of the smartphones out there, will allow it to become one of the planet’s biggest tech companies as the “Internet of Things” (IoT) explodes over the next several years. SoftBank has said that it plans to at least double ARM’s U.K. headcount over the next five years.

While Son did not give a timeline as to when ARM would be fighting with tech’s biggest-of-the-big, he showed no doubt that it could.

“I’ve helped Alibaba [get] to that kind of scale,” he told The Times. “I have a feeling that ARM has a right to be that kind of scale.”

 

Son also addressed Brexit and suggestions that he’d bought ARM when he did because the drop in the value of the pound had made it cheaper.

“I did not calculate the political change,” he told The Times. “I’m looking at the technological shift. I was looking at Arm for ten years. For me, the more important factor was, ‘when do I have enough cash?’”

While the pound lost value after the Brexit vote, he noted, ARM’s stock price rose, removing any currency advantage.

And, he added, he did not worry too much about the long-term future of Britain. “I’m still committed to the success of the U.K. and the belief of the strong intelligence and passion and determination of the British people,” he said. “I’m a strong believer of their long-term historical success.”

Fortune has reached out to SoftBank for additional comment and will update the story with a reply.

About the Author
By Ian MountMadrid-based Editor
LinkedIn icon

Ian Mount is a Madrid-based editor at Fortune.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

‘The next China is still China’: McKinsey’s Joe Ngai and Nick Leung on why global business can’t write off the Chinese economy
AsiaAsia Agenda
‘The next China is still China’: McKinsey’s Joe Ngai and Nick Leung on why global business can’t write off the Chinese economy
By Nicholas GordonJune 4, 2026
8 hours ago
IBM, AT&T accused by whistleblower of covering up foreign hacks
CybersecurityIBM
IBM, AT&T accused by whistleblower of covering up foreign hacks
By Jake Bleiberg, Mark Anderson and BloombergJune 4, 2026
8 hours ago
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky plans to start a new AI company
Startups & VentureAirbnb
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky plans to start a new AI company
By Shirin Ghaffary, Edward Ludlow, Natalie Lung and BloombergJune 4, 2026
8 hours ago
Google CEO Sundar Pichai
AIGoogle
World’s largest sovereign wealth fund backs push for Google oversight on government use of its AI and cloud technology
By Beatrice NolanJune 4, 2026
10 hours ago
James Talarico
PoliticsElections
AI is primarily a blue state problem, and Democrats have the most to lose amid brewing voter ‘techlash’
By Tristan BoveJune 4, 2026
12 hours ago
SpaceX and Anthropic are about to go public—and your 401(k) may be forced to buy in
InvestingSpaceX
SpaceX and Anthropic are about to go public—and your 401(k) may be forced to buy in
By Catherina GioinoJune 4, 2026
12 hours ago

Most Popular

CEO says anyone who works from home is grabbing groceries or at the vet 30% of the time—and shows off his busy office at Friday 5 p.m. to prove it
Success
CEO says anyone who works from home is grabbing groceries or at the vet 30% of the time—and shows off his busy office at Friday 5 p.m. to prove it
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 4, 2026
22 hours ago
Ohio city workers are covering automated license plate readers with trash bags as officials sound the alarm on 'egregious violations' of privacy
Cybersecurity
Ohio city workers are covering automated license plate readers with trash bags as officials sound the alarm on 'egregious violations' of privacy
By Sasha RogelbergJune 3, 2026
2 days ago
A single new sentence in SpaceX's amended IPO filing could signal the biggest merger in history
Startups & Venture
A single new sentence in SpaceX's amended IPO filing could signal the biggest merger in history
By Shawn TullyJune 4, 2026
22 hours ago
10,000 Boomers a day, $39 trillion in debt, and no benefit cuts: Bessent stakes Social Security on the Trump economy
Economy
10,000 Boomers a day, $39 trillion in debt, and no benefit cuts: Bessent stakes Social Security on the Trump economy
By Nick LichtenbergJune 4, 2026
13 hours ago
Current price of oil as of June 4, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 4, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 4, 2026
16 hours ago
Teens are up against the worst summer job market in nearly 80 years—they’re fighting against hundreds to work at ice cream shops and swimming pools
Success
Teens are up against the worst summer job market in nearly 80 years—they’re fighting against hundreds to work at ice cream shops and swimming pools
By Emma BurleighJune 2, 2026
3 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.