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

Trendingnow

1

U.S. Treasury has borrowed $155 billion every month of this fiscal year—and is now paying $24 billion a week in interest on its debts

2

Top Iranian officials admitted to the supreme leader that the U.S. naval blockade was crushing the economy, report says, as Trump eyes reimposing it

3

Billionaire MacKenzie Scott just donated $20 million to support America’s youth mental health, as a fifth of teens struggle with suicidal thoughts

1

U.S. Treasury has borrowed $155 billion every month of this fiscal year—and is now paying $24 billion a week in interest on its debts

2

Top Iranian officials admitted to the supreme leader that the U.S. naval blockade was crushing the economy, report says, as Trump eyes reimposing it

3

Billionaire MacKenzie Scott just donated $20 million to support America’s youth mental health, as a fifth of teens struggle with suicidal thoughts
TechSoftbank

Figuring Out What SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son Will Do With $100 Billion

By
Adam Lashinsky
Adam Lashinsky
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Adam Lashinsky
Adam Lashinsky
Down Arrow Button Icon
October 11, 2017, 9:11 AM ET
Photograph by Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

This article first appeared in Data Sheet, Fortune’s daily newsletter on the top tech news. Sign up here.

The venerable journalist Michael Lewis made a remark in a New York Times Book Review interview three years ago that has stuck with me, that “writers go on hot streaks.” (He was praising the prolific Roger Angell.) My friend and former Fortune colleague Katie Benner, ace technology reporter with The New York Times, is on such a hot streak.

Required reading this morning is her keenly observed explanatory profile of just what the hell Masayoshi Son of SoftBank is up to with his seemingly willy-nilly Vision Fund. Son has been plunking down a billion here and a billion there for months now, and many have wondered what if anything it is all adding up to. Benner’s fascinating conclusion, at once hiding in plain sight while also based on her typically dogged reporting, is that Son is snapping up pieces of every company he can that stands to solve the puzzle of the data science revolution.

Son already is a veritable investing and entrepreneurial genius, having started his own software and telecommunications company and invested early in Yahoo, Alibaba (BABA), and gamer Supercell, billion-dollar returns all. Son also has been public about his belief in the “singularity,” the once-fringe notion that machines eventually will be smarter than humans. Per Benner, Son has been openly articulating his thesis to the entrepreneurs he courts for rat-a-tat-tat investments.

If Son is right, he’ll earn himself and his investors fortunes vastly greater than the one he already has amassed. If he’s wrong—or early—he’ll be yet another dreamer who thought big and failed miserably. Either way we’ll have Katie Benner to thank for helping us make sense of it all.

***

The Canadian writer Gary Stephen Ross sent me the briefest of emails Tuesday. It was all subject line, in fact, and it read “Prime Minster.” I knew what he meant immediately. That’s how I identified Canada’s head of government, Justin Trudeau, in my column that morning.

I thanked Ross and told him typos really annoy me. (I’ve had a streak of my own lately, and I’m not happy about it.) Well that got two writers emailing about how important even the smallest of errors is. “Everything that you publish brands you as someone who’s meticulous or someone who’s sloppy,” wrote Ross, who it turns out teaches a course on effective communication in organizations.

In his honor, I read every word in this column three times before submitting it. I so hope I’ve done right by him and all of you.

About the Author
By Adam Lashinsky
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

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

OpenAI engineer’s ‘LOL’ moment set stage for legal fight with Apple
LawOpenAI
OpenAI engineer’s ‘LOL’ moment set stage for legal fight with Apple
By Mark Gurman and BloombergJuly 11, 2026
9 hours ago
Photo of Phoebe Gates
Startups & VentureEntrepreneurs
‘I have a chip on my shoulder.’ Phoebe Gates wants her $185 million AI startup Phia to succeed with ‘no ties to my privilege or my last name’
By Sydney LakeJuly 11, 2026
13 hours ago
usa
Commentary250 Years of Innovation
For 250 years, work defined American identity. That era Is ending
By Keith Ferrazzi and Wendy SmithJuly 11, 2026
14 hours ago
Meta added a privacy-safety feature to its AI glasses but is reportedly testing a ‘super-sensing’ prototype
Big TechMeta
Meta added a privacy-safety feature to its AI glasses but is reportedly testing a ‘super-sensing’ prototype
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJuly 11, 2026
14 hours ago
How SK Hynix just pulled off the second-largest U.S. share sale by quietly powering the AI boom
AsiaIPOs
How SK Hynix just pulled off the second-largest U.S. share sale by quietly powering the AI boom
By Nicholas GordonJuly 11, 2026
15 hours ago
Why the 2026 IPO boom is about to broaden beyond AI mega-deals
InvestingFinance
Why the 2026 IPO boom is about to broaden beyond AI mega-deals
By Sheryl EstradaJuly 11, 2026
16 hours ago

Most Popular

U.S. Treasury has borrowed $155 billion every month of this fiscal year—and is now paying $24 billion a week in interest on its debts
Economy
U.S. Treasury has borrowed $155 billion every month of this fiscal year—and is now paying $24 billion a week in interest on its debts
By Eleanor PringleJuly 10, 2026
2 days ago
Top Iranian officials admitted to the supreme leader that the U.S. naval blockade was crushing the economy, report says, as Trump eyes reimposing it
Middle East
Top Iranian officials admitted to the supreme leader that the U.S. naval blockade was crushing the economy, report says, as Trump eyes reimposing it
By Jason MaJuly 10, 2026
1 day ago
Billionaire MacKenzie Scott just donated $20 million to support America’s youth mental health, as a fifth of teens struggle with suicidal thoughts
Success
Billionaire MacKenzie Scott just donated $20 million to support America’s youth mental health, as a fifth of teens struggle with suicidal thoughts
By Emma BurleighJuly 9, 2026
2 days ago
Wyoming officials say Meta’s 715,000-square-foot data center is responsible for contaminating its water system with a rare bacterium
Environment
Wyoming officials say Meta’s 715,000-square-foot data center is responsible for contaminating its water system with a rare bacterium
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 10, 2026
1 day ago
Americans are quietly abandoning the daily habit that billionaires say set them up for success—and it could have lasting consequences
Success
Americans are quietly abandoning the daily habit that billionaires say set them up for success—and it could have lasting consequences
By Preston ForeJuly 11, 2026
13 hours ago
'The first time ever in my career': Senior Citi executive on why the ultrawealthy want to diversify away from America
Banking
'The first time ever in my career': Senior Citi executive on why the ultrawealthy want to diversify away from America
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 11, 2026
13 hours 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.