Japanese Billionaire Masayoshi Son’s bet on WeWork has been an unmitigated disaster

Japanese business mogul Masayoshi Son took a significant risk by investing in WeWork, which ultimately collapsed in 2023, despite Softbank pumping more than $14 billion into the firm. Many are now questioning his decision to continue injecting funds into Adam Neumann’s remote-work business despite its obvious struggles. Son hasn’t let that stop him from diving headfirst into the next big trend, however.

He is shifting his $100 billion Vision Fund into “offense mode” as he plots new investments in AI, and is reportedly planning a team-up with Sam Altman and iPhone designer Jony Ive to build an AI consumer device. Perhaps he’ll have better luck in 2024.

Son’s wealth is still far from its peak of almost $37.8 billion at the start of 2021, and it has even dropped from its year-to-date high of $14.6 billion in July. This year, Son’s net worth dropped to $11.3 billion. However, he has pulled himself out of similar situations before, recovering from massive financial losses during the dot-com crash.

Richest people in Japan:

1. Takemitsu Takizaki: $25.0 billion
2. Masayoshi Son: $11.3 billion
3. Takahisa Takahara: $7.17 billion
4. Yasumitsu Shigeta: $5.92 billion

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