Masayoshi Son: How Can the Founder-CEO of SoftBank Navigate the Challenges?

Masayoshi Son: How Can the Founder-CEO of SoftBank Navigate the Challenges?
Case Code: BECG183
Case Length: 12 Pages
Period: 2020-2023
Pub Date: 2024
Teaching Note: Available
Price: Rs.400
Organization: SoftBank Group Corp
Industry: Conglomerate
Countries: Japan
Themes: Investment Decisions, Governance PracticesFamily Business,Venture Capital
Masayoshi Son: How Can the Founder-CEO of SoftBank Navigate the Challenges?
Abstract Case Intro 1 Case Intro 2 Excerpts

Excerpts

Masayoshi Son’s Investment Decisions

Son had come to be appreciated by industry analysts and investors for his vision ever since he had pumped US$20 million into Alibaba in 2000 and got US$4.6 billion value for SoftBank’s stake in the e-commerce giant..

Corporate Governance Concerns at Softbank

After the collapse of Katerra and Greensill, the shareholders of SoftBank raised concerns over the governance failures at the company. Defending SoftBank’s governance structure, Son said that the board was not “Masayoshi Son’s one-man show.” ..

Lack of Succession Planning

In 2018, Misra, who was the CEO of SoftBank’s Vision Fund, was promoted as the executive vice president of the board of directors at SoftBank..

Looking Ahead

To tackle the cash crunch at the Vision Fund, SoftBank had exited several high-profile investments since 2022. In August 2022, the company sold its stake in Uber. In India, the company reduced its investment by 84% in 2022 compared to 2021. In the last quarter of 2023, it sold its shares in Alibaba for US$7.2 billion..

Exhibits

Exhibit I: Timeline of SoftBank
Exhibit II: SoftBank’s Consolidated Financial Data
Exhibit III: Outline of SoftBank’s Investment Funds
Exhibit IV: SoftBank’s Performance Snapshot (March 31, 2022)
Exhibit V: SoftBank’s Corporate Governance System

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