Do not mistake Masayoshi Son for Warren Buffett

People instincts and investment philosophies set them apart

Avatar
20191001 Masayoshi Son.jpg

Son's cowboy leadership style carries downside risks. © Getty Images

Headlines call Masayoshi Son, founder and CEO of SoftBank Group, the "Warren Buffett of technology" as he has pivoted from the dull, capital intensive, low-margin telecom business to an investment fund model where he has put billions into companies from Uber and Slack to WeWork and semiconductor business Arm Holdings.

But unsettling recent news -- valuations slashed, controversial founders ousted -- calls into question Son's Midas touch and undermines the idea that he is anything like Buffett and that his Vision Fund shares the qualities of Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway.

Sponsored Content

About Sponsored ContentThis content was commissioned by Nikkei's Global Business Bureau.