SoftBank isn't a bank. So what is it?

Oct 23, 2019
SoftBank’s Vision Fund is a major Silicon Valley investor that plows huge sums into startups — some more successful than others.
SoftBank is a Japanese technology and investment conglomerate owned by Masayoshi Son.
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WeWork strikes a deal to save itself

Oct 22, 2019
Japanese conglomerate SoftBank will take control, ousting co-founder Adam Neumann.
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SoftBank is taking its mobile division public. But what is SoftBank?

Nov 12, 2018
SoftBank Group Corp., the massive Japanese holding company, is planning to take its mobile division public. The company is trying to raise $21 billion in its IPO, and it’ll list on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in December. You may not have heard of SoftBank, but it has a hand in a lot of our consumer technologies […]
Softbank group CEO Masayoshi Son delivers a speech during his company's financial results press conference at a hotel in Tokyo on Nov. 5, 2018.
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SoftBank’s profit jumps as it eyes more investments in U.S. tech

Aug 7, 2017
One of the big names in corporate earnings news today was SoftBank, which reported that its quarterly profit rose 50 percent from a year ago. If you’ve never heard of the Japanese conglomerate, you probably have heard of Sprint. SoftBank bought a majority stake in the U.S. wireless carrier four years ago for 22 billion […]

SoftBank to buy ARM for $32 billion

Jul 18, 2016
The Japanese conglomerate SoftBank has been looking for a splashy acquisition.
An ARM processor in a Hewlett-Packard printer.
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Will a Softbank-Sprint deal lower mobile phone prices?

Jun 26, 2013
Shareholders of Sprint Nextel approved an offer from Softbank to acquire a bulk of the U.S. phone company. Now it's up to Washington regulators to approve the foreign purchase.

SoftBank sweetens its Sprint pitch, offers U.S. veto power over board member: Report

May 23, 2013
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Japan-based SoftBank will allow the U.S. government to pick a member of Sprint's board if the deal goes through.

For public good, not for profit.

Sprint's Clearwire acquisition could signal move towards data

Dec 17, 2012
To compete with AT&T and Verizon, which have about 70 percent of the market, Sprint needs more spectrum and Clearwire has it.

Sprint Nextel to get a $20 billion lifeline

Oct 15, 2012
Softbank, Japan’s No. 3 mobile phone network, agrees to buy a majority stake in Sprint, in a bold bid to take on giants AT&T and Verizon.