Son’s philosophy is captured in one line he often repeats: “The greatest risk is not taking any risk at all.” In today’s AI-driven economy, that belief carries new weight. The global investment landscape is shifting rapidly toward intelligence-based infrastructure. Software alone is no longer the prize. Chips, energy, data centers, and robotics are where power is concentrating.
Masayoshi Son was born in 1957 in Tosu, Japan. His family belonged to Japan’s ethnic Korean minority, a community that often faced discrimination and limited opportunity. From an early age, Son understood insecurity. That background shaped his hunger for certainty through foresight.
As a teenager, Son decided he would become wealthy by age 30. He did not see wealth as status. He saw it as freedom to execute ideas without permission. At just 16, he moved alone to California. He worked multiple jobs, learned English, and studied economics at the University of California, Berkeley.
While still a student, Son invented an electronic translator. He sold the patent to Sharp for roughly $1 million. That early win taught him a critical lesson: ideas scale faster than labor. Capital follows leverage.
By his early twenties, Son had already written down what he called a “300-year vision.” This document outlined industries he believed would dominate future centuries, including computing, networks, and artificial intelligence. Most dismissed it as fantasy. Son treated it as a roadmap.
After years of volatile bets through the Vision Fund era, Son has emerged with a sharper focus. He openly admits his biggest regret was selling Nvidia shares too early, a move that cost SoftBank tens of billions in missed gains. That mistake now shapes his strategy. Son believes the next decade will define who controls intelligence itself, and who is left behind.The “Masa Wealth Rule” is built on identifying exponential growth before it becomes obvious to the masses. In 2026, this means moving beyond software. Son is currently pouring billions into the AI hardware stack. This includes specialized semiconductors, robotics, and energy-efficient data centers. He believes that while software can be copied, physical infrastructure creates a “moat” that protects long-term wealth.
Data from SoftBank’s 2026 filings show a massive concentration in Project Izanagi. This is Son’s $100 billion venture to build a global AI chip powerhouse. By controlling the “brains” of the future, Son ensures that SoftBank remains at the center of the global economy. His strategy suggests that investors should look for “bottleneck” assets. These are the rare resources—like high-end chips or massive power grids—that the entire AI industry requires to function.
By 2026, the race for ASI has become a matter of national and corporate survival. Masayoshi Son predicts that AI will be 10,000 times smarter than humans within a decade. This isn’t just a tech prediction; it’s a financial roadmap. Son is liquidating older, “linear” assets to fund “exponential” ones. He recently reduced SoftBank’s holdings in traditional e-commerce to double down on autonomous robotics and neural networks.
This “creative destruction” of his own portfolio is a hallmark of Son’s genius. He is not afraid to admit when a trend has peaked. In 2026, he views the traditional smartphone era as “legacy tech.” The new gold rush is in Physical AI—machines that can perceive, learn, and act in the real world. For the average reader, the lesson is simple: wealth in 2026 is found in the transition from digital tools to autonomous intelligence.
Masayoshi Son’s career is a masterclass in psychological resilience. He has made and lost more money than perhaps any person in history. After the $70 billion loss during the dot-com era, he didn’t retreat. Instead, he brokered the deal to bring the iPhone to Japan. This pattern of “falling forward” is what makes his 2026 AI bets so formidable. He treats every market dip as a “discount” on the future.
His 300-year plan for SoftBank is designed to outlast current market cycles. In 2026, he encourages entrepreneurs to embrace their mistakes as “proof of effort.” As the “King of Debt,” he uses leverage not for luxury, but for scale. For those looking to build wealth today, Son’s life proves that a clear vision and an appetite for risk are more valuable than a safe bank account. In the age of AI, the boldest thinkers are the ones setting the price of the future.
In public briefings and earnings calls, Son has made his position clear. SoftBank is in “offense mode.” Capital is being recycled aggressively. Traditional assets are being sold. The goal is speed. Son argues that in the AI era, being right too late is the same as being wrong. Wealth, in his view, is no longer built through patience alone. It is built through conviction at scale.
Why Masayoshi Son believes AI wealth is time-limited
Masayoshi Son’s urgency is rooted in a specific data point. He believes artificial intelligence will exceed total human intelligence by a factor of ten within the next decade. This projection is not abstract theory inside SoftBank. It is the foundation of its 2026 investment strategy.
Son argues that once this threshold is crossed, value creation will compress rapidly. Early infrastructure owners will benefit disproportionately. Late entrants will face permanent disadvantage. This belief explains SoftBank’s shift away from consumer-facing startups toward the physical backbone of AI.
In recent disclosures, SoftBank outlined plans exceeding $100 billion for AI-focused assets. These include specialized semiconductor projects such as Project Izanagi, energy-efficient data centers, and robotics platforms. Son has stressed that software can be copied, but compute power cannot be duplicated overnight.
His regret over Nvidia has become a strategic lesson. Son often refers to it as “regret data.” Instead of chasing application-layer growth, SoftBank is now targeting bottlenecks. Chips, power supply, cooling systems, and land for hyperscale facilities are central to the plan. Son believes controlling these assets creates a long-term wealth moat that survives market cycles.
From Vision Fund losses to an offense-first strategy
Critics still point to SoftBank’s past failures, including WeWork and other high-profile Vision Fund losses. Son does not dispute those outcomes. He reframes them. In his view, volatility is the cost of transformation, not a sign of recklessness.
The difference in 2026 is balance sheet strength. ARM Holdings, acquired by SoftBank in 2016 for $32 billion, has become the company’s anchor. ARM’s post-IPO surge has generated significant cash flow and valuation stability. That capital now funds Son’s renewed offensive push.
SoftBank has adopted what Son calls “capital circulation.” Slower-growth assets are liquidated. Funds are redeployed into higher-velocity AI projects. This constant movement, he argues, is how wealth compounds during technological revolutions.
Son also emphasizes psychological isolation. He believes transformative investments are unpopular at the start. If consensus already exists, the upside is gone. This mindset allows him to tolerate criticism while positioning SoftBank ahead of mainstream adoption curves.
The Masa wealth rule and the new definition of risk
At the center of Son’s strategy is what he calls the Masa Wealth Rule. The idea is simple but demanding. Think big. Start small. Move fast. Son believes money follows vision when the vision aligns with structural change.
His career supports that belief. In 2000, Son invested $20 million in Alibaba after a brief meeting with Jack Ma. That stake later peaked at over $100 billion. He made the decision based on conviction, not financial models.
In 2026, Son applies the same logic to artificial intelligence. He rejects traditional portfolio theory, arguing that diversified caution underperforms during exponential shifts. He has publicly criticized the 60/40 investment model as obsolete in the Intelligence Age.
For Son, wealth is not something to protect. It is something to deploy. As AI automates cognitive labor, capital invested in “thinking machines” gains leverage. Those who hesitate, he warns, risk falling into a permanent wealth gap.
How Masayoshi Son is reshaping the culture of wealth
Beyond returns, Son is pushing a cultural shift. He speaks openly about the joy of pursuit rather than the comfort of possession. Despite being one of the world’s richest individuals, Son has said the thrill lies in winning the bet, not holding the money.
In 2026, his message to entrepreneurs and investors is blunt. Passive saving is outdated. Skill adaptation is mandatory. Vision matters more than credentials. Son views the coming decade as a period of creative destruction where old wealth structures dissolve.
His legacy, if realized, will not be measured by quarterly earnings alone. It will be measured by whether SoftBank helped build the foundations of artificial super intelligence. In a world moving at unprecedented speed, Masayoshi Son is once again betting that boldness, not caution, defines who shapes the future.
FAQs:
Q: Why is Masayoshi Son investing heavily in AI in 2026? A: Son believes AI will surpass human intelligence tenfold within the next decade. SoftBank is deploying over $100 billion into chips, robotics, and data centers. He argues early control of AI infrastructure creates long-term wealth and reduces the risk of falling behind in the Intelligence Age.
Q: What is the “Masa Wealth Rule” and how does it guide Son’s strategy?
A: The Masa Wealth Rule prioritizes vision over caution: think big, start small, move fast. Son invests in exponential growth areas with structural bottlenecks. He uses past regrets, like selling Nvidia early, to justify bold, high-stakes decisions aimed at generational wealth.