Ahead of SoftBank’s annual meeting in June, Masayoshi Son readied himself to celebrate a global tech dynamo behind buccaneering mergers and acquisitions deals, a revolutionary private equity fund and visionary unicorn-hunting.
But what the Japanese company’s frustrated founder and chief executive faced were questions from institutional investors about SoftBank’s share price — a stubbornly unadventurous valuation that, despite all the fireworks, stands exactly where it was 18 months ago.
“You say the share price will go up but it never does. People may think that this is a Masayoshi Son discount,” Mr Son said. “I will make sure that the inside of our wallet becomes easier to calculate so that you can rest at night in peace.”