SoftBank Group

"At the young age of 19, he established the following “50-year life plan”: In his twenties, he would enter a self-chosen industry and start a company. In his thirties, he would build up capital. The minimum unit of capital would be at least 100 billion yen. In his forties, he would undertake a major project. The scale of the project would be measured in trillions of yen. In his fifties, he would complete the business to a certain extent. In his sixties, he would transfer the business to the next generation. Masayoshi Son has conducted his business based on this plan ever since. As of May 2014, Masayoshi Son is 56 years old. He is at the stage of “completing the business in his fifties,” but the scale of the SoftBank Group’s revenues already exceeds 6 trillion yen significantly, equivalent to achieving his goal."

"“Group” means “forming a strategic synergy group.” Eiichi Shibusawa established five hundred companies and called himself a “jack-of-all-trades.” Masayoshi Son currently has set a goal of creating an army of five thousand like-minded companies within the SoftBank Group in thirty years, ten times the goal of Eiichi Shibusawa."

"In an interview article from “Nikkei Sangyo Shimbun” dated March 24, 1997, Masayoshi Son said the following. “SoftBank has 50 to 60 affiliated companies with an investment ratio of over 20%, and about 100 companies including those with under 20%. In the consolidated financial results for the fiscal year ending March 1997, we have expanded to a scale reaching 340 billion yen in sales. The entire group is expected to expand to 1,000 companies within five to ten years.” As of May 2014, the SoftBank Group has expanded to approximately 1,300 companies as mentioned above. Son has set a goal to increase this to 5,000 companies within thirty years."

"Way = philosophy, resolve” is the most important thing in accomplishing anything. So what does “Way = philosophy, resolve” mean for the SoftBank Group? It means “making people happy through the information revolution.” Masayoshi Son emphasizes this on various occasions to instill it in the hearts of the group’s employees."

"Basic Management: Combination of “Team System” and “Daily Financial Closing” This combination of “daily financial closing” and “team system” forms the cornerstone of SoftBank’s management know-how, relying on computer assistance. Currently, SoftBank Group has approximately 23,000 employees and likely more than 2,000 teams. Each team constantly analyzes its profit and loss, and underperforming teams “go bankrupt.” Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) between teams also occur. If a team’s number exceeds ten, they split, leading to spinoffs from rising teams. Teams are automatically divided if they surpass ten people due to strong performance."

"On July 28, 2010, Masayoshi Son opened the SoftBank Academia with the goal of discovering and nurturing successors. He personally serves as the principal and provides direct guidance. Participants are recruited widely from both within and outside the SoftBank Group. As soon as recruitment began on the day of the opening, applications flooded in from thousands within less than a day. Almost four years after its opening, some alumni from the SoftBank Academia have already been appointed to top positions in group companies."

"No matter how talented a person is, they cannot achieve anything alone. To accomplish something big, you inevitably need collaborators who share your goals. So far, Masayoshi Son, as the “general” of SoftBank Group, has gathered many exceptional “generals.” Yoshitaka Kitao, currently the CEO of SBI Holdings, is precisely one of them (see below)."