Aiming High: Masayoshi Son, SoftBank, and Disrupting Silicon Valley

by Atsuo Inoue

'I have no intention of making small bets' - Masayoshi SonIn order to understand what's happening in Silicon Valley, you just need to look at Masayoshi Son.__________There is no one in the world right now who is in a better position to influence the next wave of technology than Masayoshi Son. Not Jeff Bezos, not Mark Zuckerberg, not Elon Musk. They might have the money, but they lack Masa's combination of ambition, imagination, and nerve.Masayoshi Son is the most powerful person in Silicon Valley. As CEO and founder of the Japanese investment firm, SoftBank, 'Masa' has invested in some of the most exciting and influential tech companies in recent memory - Uber, WeWork, ByteDance, Slack, and many others. Prior to that, he was known as one of the first investors in Alibaba and Yahoo!He has an audacious vision for the future and one that is unmatched in the tech industry. Aiming High provides insight into this charismatic and visionary leader.Originally published in Japan, this book charts Son's rise from a Korean immigrant who dropped out of high school to becoming one of the wealthiest people in the world. With unprecedented access to Son, including exclusive interviews, this book creates an authoritative account of how SoftBank and it's visionary and charismatic CEO is shaping the future of tech.__________

Genres: Business, Biography

320 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 18, 2021

Reviews

[Adam Znasik · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pri úplne hlbokej úcte k tomu, čo Masayoshi Son dosiahol, a že toho teda nie je málo, toto je katastrofálna zlátanina, nepodarený pokus o krízové PR, zle napísaný prúser. O podstate jeho biznisu sa nedozviete prakticky nič, krucinálne problémy typu Vision Fund s PIFom vybaví autor jedným odstavcom, meno bin Salman sa ani neobjaví. Zato 30 strán venuje tomu, ako nejaký zázračný manažýr zachráni monster fuck-up s WeWorkom. Je to veľká škoda, lebo Mr. Son a Softbank by si naozaj zaslúžili poriadnu biografiu.

[Ramon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of Masa Son is amazing, but I think this English translation has some areas of improvement. The plot is entertaining as it depicts the life of one of the greatest businessmen in human history and there are some important lessons to be learned. Specifically, I liked how there is an essence of a “child-like sense of wonder” that underlies Masa's relentless pursuit. Reading the lives of multiple entrepreneurs I admire this has been a constant and is an area I’m nurturing more myself. Definitely recommend to anyone interested in Masa or entrepreneurship.

[Nathan Terry John Matthews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learned more about Son than I thought I would. A good read even if you've read all the news about Softbank. Such a shame Son is surrounded by ex-Deutsche Bank traders who have made bad investments in his Vision Fund.

[Udhara De Silva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reads like an authorised, official biography, but the book helped me understand his unbelievable work ethic, vision and insight into what will shape the future, and I have more respect for his Vision Fund investments in the likes of Uber and WeWork than I did before.

[Joe Zhang · Rating 5 out of 5]

a great piece

I have enjoyed reading it. It would have been better if there was a critical view of Son. He is a genius but critical perspectives would benefit readers more.

[karoline steinfatt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Leider in weiten Teilen eine dieser Business-Genie-Heldenverehrungs-Biographien.

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a really badly done translation