Masayoshi Son, the SoftBank CEO who has dominated the venture capital space since his massive investment in Yahoo in 1995, recently revealed that AI has pushed him to ask, What is mankind? According to Son, mankind is the primitive precursor to AI. At the annual shareholders’ meeting, Son presented his emotional relationship with tech and pointed out that ChatGPT has become one of his top advisors.
Son talked about his existential crisis and how he cried for several days because he felt his career had not been fulfilling enough. He said that he emerged from the crisis with clarity that he wanted to design the future of humanity, becoming an architect. One shareholder challenged Son about SoftBank’s recent performance and lack of focus on AI in particular. Son admitted his big mistakes and his regret about the WeWork debacle in 2019.
Despite SoftBank’s nearly $7 billion net loss this fiscal year due to losses from its tech funds, it has $35 billion in cash after selling almost all its shares in the Chinese e-commerce group Alibaba. Son worked hard to convey that he’s taking AI seriously and is working with it. He has teams on standby 24 hours a day to receive his ideas after brainstorming with ChatGPT.
Son believes that AI will solve problems mankind cannot and presented his slides on Evolution Speed (illustrative), which showed the graph of human evolution. From mankind’s birth to the agricultural revolution, it was completely flat. From the Industrial Revolution to the Information Revolution, the line crept up a measly centimeter (where we are today). But then, a few years into his projected future, the line shoots up, its slope craning toward a near vertical line. The cause? AI: Birth of Superhuman, the slide reads.
Son’s presentation continues to say that SoftBank’s new business strategy is one of shifting to offense mode. It entails investing more in tech and developing new AI technologies, Son said.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Related to the Above News
Who is Masayoshi Son?
Masayoshi Son is the CEO of SoftBank, a venture capital company that has dominated the industry since its massive investment in Yahoo in 1995.
What did Masayoshi Son reveal about his thoughts on AI?
Masayoshi Son revealed that AI has pushed him to ask the question, What is mankind? and that he believes mankind is the primitive precursor to AI. He also shared his emotional relationship with technology and how ChatGPT has become one of his top advisors.
What did Masayoshi Son say about his career and his goals?
Masayoshi Son said that he experienced an existential crisis and cried for several days because he felt his career had not been fulfilling enough. He emerged from this crisis with clarity that he wanted to design the future of humanity and become an architect.
How did SoftBank perform this fiscal year?
SoftBank had a net loss of nearly $7 billion this fiscal year due to losses from its tech funds, but it has $35 billion in cash after selling almost all its shares in the Chinese e-commerce group Alibaba.
How is Masayoshi Son taking AI seriously?
Masayoshi Son has teams on standby 24 hours a day to receive his ideas after brainstorming with ChatGPT. He believes that AI will solve problems that mankind cannot and presented his slides on Evolution Speed, which showed how AI will cause a near vertical line of human evolution.
What is SoftBank's new business strategy?
SoftBank's new business strategy is to shift to offense mode, which entails investing more in tech and developing new AI technologies. This was announced by Masayoshi Son during his presentation.
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