Tag - softbank

 
 

SOFTBANK

Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 2, 2022
SoftBank could be planning Vision Fund staff cuts of at least 20%
Executives are still debating how extensive the cuts should be, with some calling for cuts as high as 50%, according to one source.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 25, 2022
Nidec’s COO to resign after being sidelined by founder Shigenobu Nagamori
The move underscores the Japanese company's struggles to put a succession plan for its aging founder in place.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 16, 2022
KDDI outage spurs action in Japan over emergency communication system
Discussions on a backup system are ramping up, but there are disagreements between carriers about what the scope of the service should be.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 12, 2022
Masayoshi Son is now down $4 billion on his SoftBank side deals
Son took the unusual step of establishing personal stakes in a series of SoftBank ventures in recent years, a mixing of company and executive interests that drew the ire of investors.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 11, 2022
SoftBank gives up a third of Alibaba stake for $34 billion amid mounting losses
Record losses on sliding tech valuations has raised concern over SoftBank's own financial stability, prompting founder Masayoshi Son to accelerate asset sales.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 10, 2022
Fair Trade Commission to probe Japanese mobile carriers over '¥1 smartphone'
Subject to the investigation are the country's four major mobile phone carriers — NTT Docomo, KDDI, SoftBank and Rakuten Mobile — and their outlets.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 10, 2022
SoftBank steps up asset sales from sinking portfolio
The Vision Fund exited a swathe of assets in the second quarter — including ridehailer Uber Technologies and property platform Opendoor Technologies — for a realized gain of $5.6 billion
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 8, 2022
SoftBank CEO pledges sweeping cost cuts after $23.4 billion loss
Low tech valuations have been draining SoftBank's ability to turn public listings of its portfolio companies into liquidity to fuel further big bets.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 5, 2022
SoftBank talent drain worsens, adding pressure on Masayoshi Son to deliver
Two more managing partners at the company's Vision Fund are leaving, bringing the number of top level departures from the world's largest investment fund to at least 10 since March of 2020.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 19, 2022
SoftBank pauses talks for Arm London listing on U.K. political turmoil
SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son has repeatedly said his primary focus is to take Arm public in the U.S. because of its deep investor base and attractive valuations.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 15, 2022
SoftBank-backed cancer detection startup may go public as soon as 2023
AI Medical Service Inc. develops software to scan endoscopy images and identify potential cancers.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 7, 2022
SoftBank’s Rajeev Misra to step back to launch new fund
A key lieutenant of SoftBank's founder Masayoshi Son, Misra will retain a senior position with the group's first $100 billion Vision Fund, but relinquish other roles, sources said.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 6, 2022
Japan's forestry industry tests robots to address labor shortage
If successful, it could increase reforestation in the country and help Japan achieve its carbon neutrality goals.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 29, 2022
The eternal optimism of Masayoshi Son
The SoftBank founder sees an upside to almost every trouble the conglomerate has faced over the past year, from slumping share prices to failed mergers.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 24, 2022
SoftBank Vision Fund’s fourth Japan investment is a legal tech bet
LegalForce, which uses AI to screen contracts for loopholes and potential legal risks, said it will use the funds on research and on expanding its sales team to win new customers.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 23, 2022
SoftBank’s Son faces shareholders shaken by ¥4.6 trillion loss
With SoftBank's own financial health on the line, shareholder confidence is near a breaking point, some analysts have said.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 22, 2022
SoftBank Group International CEO to leave after five months on job
The exit of Michel Combes, who will close a five-year career at SoftBank, adds to a string of key departures in recent months.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 15, 2022
SoftBank plans additional London listing for Arm IPO
The company is adjusting plans for an initial public offering of its chip technology division and will likely still list the majority of what it offers for trading on U.S. exchanges.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 30, 2022
SoftBank executive pay slashed after historic Vision Fund loss
SoftBank founder and CEO Masayoshi Son kept his pay unchanged at u00a5100 million, but four of the top six executives at the firm saw their compensation cut.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 11, 2022
SoftBank faces record loss as Masayoshi Son’s bets tumble again
The world's largest tech fund is estimated to have lost about $18.6 billion on its public portfolio alone during the quarter that ended March 31.

Longform

The byzantine process for converting a foreign driver’s license into a Japanese one entails mountains of paperwork and significant stamina — unless you're a lucky license holder from a country or region where these requirements are waived.
Driving in Japan isn’t hard. Getting the license is.