It was an Uber year for Masayoshi Son and his SoftBank Vision Fund. One in which WeWorked out just how much attention he could grab by saying hello to lots of cash while being quite slack on stuff that matters, like corporate governance and profits. Critics wagged their fingers at the improbable bets, even when he tried to make lemonade from the year's biggest failure.
The numbers are so bad, you have to laugh. Uber: down 37 percent since IPO. WeWork: valuation cut by 80 percent. Wag: sold back to founders at a loss. But Son will bounce back. He has to, because he has another Vision Fund to raise and run. Instead of being cowed into humility, it's more likely he'll double down and make even more fantastical bets with other people's money. To help him out, I did an analysis based on past SoftBank deals to come up with a list of investments he ought to consider.
A K-Pop Band: For all the preppy tunes and perfect cheekbones, Korean pop bands are really just assets. Money is poured in, data are crunched, and if the algorithm works as planned, money comes back out. There's buzz and superficial sheen, pure investment-bait for Son. Of course, this is an industry with a dark side. Suicides, assaults, and allegations of prostitution remind us that these impossibly beautiful super idols are vulnerable humans who have a highly controlled relationship with fans. Scandal has never kept Son away, though, and given his enthusiasm for AI, a K-Pop band would hit the right note.