Masayoshi Son: High-tech gambler

This episode explores the life and career of Masayoshi Son, the founder of SoftBank, examining his journey from humble beginnings as a third-generation Zainichi in Japan to becoming a billionaire and a major player in the tech investment world. Against the backdrop of discrimination and early hardships, Son displayed remarkable persistence and business acumen, initially venturing into the pachinko business before seeking advice from Den Fujita, who inspired him to focus on computers. More significantly, the episode highlights Son's early success with a talking word translator and importing arcade machines, leading to the founding of SoftBank, which capitalized on the rise of personal computers and software distribution. As the discussion pivoted to SoftBank's evolution into a global tech investment firm, the hosts underscored Son's strategic investments in companies like Yahoo and Alibaba, with the latter investment saving him after the dot-com crash. In contrast to his successes, the episode also addresses the failures of the Vision Fund, including investments in WeWork and Wirecard, which led to significant financial losses. Ultimately, despite these setbacks and his controversial investment strategies, Masayoshi Son remains a significant figure in the tech industry, leaving the hosts to conclude that he is "just another billionaire."