Full History Of SoftBank Group In Timeline From 1981

September 1981: Founding of SOFTBANK Corp

In September 1981, Masayoshi Son, then 24 years old, founded SOFTBANK Corp as a software distributor.

May 1982: Entry into Publishing Business

In May 1982, SOFTBANK Corp entered the publishing business with the launch of Oh! PC and Oh! MZ magazines, covering NEC and Sharp computers.

1984: Formation of Japan Telecom

In 1984, SoftBank's mobile communications arm began with the formation of Japan Telecom.

1989: Oh! PC Magazine Success

By 1989, Oh! PC magazine achieved a circulation of 140,000 copies.

1994: SoftBank Goes Public

In 1994, SoftBank went public with a valuation of $3 billion.

1994: The Digital Phone Group Formed

In 1994, The Digital Phone Group mobile phone division was formed.

April 1995: Acquisition of COMDEX

On April 1, 1995, SoftBank bought COMDEX from The Interface Group for $800 million.

September 1995: Purchase of Ziff Davis Publishing

In September 1995, SoftBank agreed to purchase Ziff Davis publishing based in the US for $2.1 billion.

February 1996: Acquisition of ZDI

On February 29, 1996, SoftBank acquired ZDI.

1996: Acquisition of Kingston Technology

In 1996, SoftBank acquired 80% of memory manufacturers Kingston Technology. Kingston then distributed $100 million of their windfall to their employees.

October 1999: SoftBank Becomes a Holding Company

In October 1999, SoftBank transitioned to a holding company structure.

1999: J-PHONE Co., Ltd. Formed

In 1999, J-PHONE Co., Ltd. was formed by the DGP/ Digital TU-KA Group merger.

1999: SBI Group Started as a Branch of SoftBank

In 1999, SBI Group began as a branch of SoftBank.

1999: Sale of Kingston Technology

In 1999, after market softening, SoftBank sold Kingston Technology back to the original owners at a loss, for about a third of the original purchase price.

February 2000: Founding of SoftBank Ventures Asia

In February 2000, SoftBank Ventures Asia was founded under Masayoshi Son to invest in Korean Internet companies.

2000: Investment in Alibaba

In 2000, SoftBank made a $20 million investment in Alibaba, a Chinese Internet venture.

October 2001: Vodafone Increased Share of Japan Telecom and J-Phone

In October 2001, the British mobile phone group Vodafone increased its share to 66.7% of Japan Telecom and 69.7% of J-Phone.

2001: Sale of COMDEX

In 2001, SoftBank sold COMDEX to Key3Media, a spin-off of Ziff Davis.

October 2003: Name and Service Brand Changed to Vodafone

On 1 October 2003, the company's name and the service brand changed to Vodafone, while the division was called Vodafone K.K. or Vodafone Japan.

January 2005: Ownership of Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks

In January 2005, SoftBank became the owner of the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, a Nippon Professional Baseball team.

January 2005: Vodafone Japan Customer Losses

In January 2005, Vodafone Japan lost 58,700 customers to competitors like NTT DoCoMo, Au by KDDI, and Willcom.

February 2005: Vodafone Live! Subscriber Count

At the end of February 2005, Vodafone live! had 12.907 million subscribers in Japan.

February 2005: Further Customer Losses for Vodafone Japan

In February 2005, Vodafone Japan experienced further losses of 53,200 customers, while competitors gained subscribers. Vodafone's 3G service lagged significantly with only 527,300 subscribers compared to DoCoMo's 10 million and KDDI's 17 million, and at the end of February 2005, Vodafone Japan had 15.1 million customers.

October 2005: Subscriber Numbers Fall Below 15M

By the end of October 2005, Vodafone Japan's subscriber numbers had fallen below 15 million, while competitors NTT DoCoMo and KDDI/AU gained customers.

October 2005: Vodafone Live! Subscriber Decline

By the end of October 2005, the number of Vodafone live! subscribers had fallen by 138,000.

2005: SoftBank Acquires the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks

Since 2005, SoftBank has owned the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, a Japanese professional baseball team.

March 2006: Agreement to Buy Vodafone Japan

In March 2006, SoftBank announced its agreement to buy Vodafone Japan, giving it a stake in Japan's $78 billion mobile markets.

March 2006: Vodafone Considers Sale to SoftBank

In March 2006, Vodafone began discussions regarding the sale of Vodafone Japan to SoftBank due to the inability to satisfy customers.

March 2006: Vodafone Agrees to Sell Vodafone Japan to SoftBank

On March 17, 2006, Vodafone Group announced an agreement to sell Vodafone Japan to SoftBank for approximately US$15.1 billion.

April 2006: Stake in Betfair

In April 2006, SoftBank purchased a 23% stake in Betfair, an Internet betting exchange.

May 2006: Vodafone Japan Renamed SoftBank Mobile Corp.

On May 18, 2006, it was announced that the unit would be renamed "SoftBank Mobile Corp.", effective October 1, 2006.

May 2006: Launch of 'Otosan' Advertising Campaign

Since May 2006, SoftBank's marketing revolved around the "Otosan" advertising campaign, featuring a Hokkaido dog as the father of a human family.

August 2006: Sale of Shares in SBI Group

In August 2006, SoftBank sold all its shares of SBI Group to a subsidiary of SBI's holding company, making SBI independent.

October 2006: Vodafone Japan Renamed SoftBank Mobile

On October 1, 2006, Vodafone Japan changed its corporate name and service brand name to "SoftBank Mobile" and "SoftBank" respectively.

October 2006: SoftBank Mobile Corp. Name Change Effective

On October 1, 2006, Vodafone Japan was officially renamed "SoftBank Mobile Corp.".

January 2008: Collaboration with Tiffany & Co.

On January 28, 2008, SoftBank and Tiffany & Co. collaborated in making a limited 10 model-only phone containing more than 400 platinum diamonds and costing more than 100,000,000 yen.

June 2008: SoftBank Mobile Partners with Apple to Bring iPhone to Japan

On June 4, 2008, SoftBank Mobile announced a partnership with Apple to bring the iPhone (3G) to Japan later that year.

February 2010: Acquisition of Stake in Ustream

On February 3, 2010, SoftBank acquired 13.7% in Ustream.

October 2010: Ayumi Hamasaki as Commercial Spokesperson

On October 1, 2010, Ayumi Hamasaki became the commercial spokesperson for SoftBank.

2010: SoftBank Founded Wireless City Planning (WCP)

In 2010, SoftBank founded Wireless City Planning (WCP), a subsidiary that planned the development of TD-LTE networks throughout Japan.

2011: Nexon IPO

SBVA’s one of the early investments in South Korea included Nexon Co, now a Korean-Japanese gaming publisher that was the largest IPO in Japan for 2011.

2011: SBVA Expands Focus Beyond South Korea

Since 2011, SoftBank Ventures Asia (SBVA) expanded its focus beyond South Korea and made several notable investments in Southeast Asia.

October 2012: Plans to Take Control of Sprint Nextel

On October 15, 2012, SoftBank announced plans to take control of American Sprint Nextel by purchasing a 70% stake for $20 billion.

October 2012: Takeover of eAccess Announced

On October 3, 2012, SoftBank announced the takeover of competitor eAccess.

July 2013: Willcom Becomes Wholly-Owned Subsidiary

On July 1, 2013, SoftBank announced that Willcom was a wholly-owned subsidiary after the termination of rehabilitation proceedings. eAccess was merged with Willcom, resulting in a new subsidiary and brand from Yahoo! Japan, Ymobile Corporation.

July 2013: FCC Approval of Sprint Acquisition

On July 6, 2013, the United States Federal Communications Commission approved SoftBank's acquisition for $22.2 billion for a 78% ownership interest in Sprint.

August 2013: Increased Ownership Stake in Sprint

On August 6, 2013, SoftBank bought 2% more shares of Sprint Corporation, increasing its ownership stake to 80%.

October 2013: Acquisition of Stake in Supercell

In October 2013, SoftBank acquired a 51% stake in Supercell for a reported $2.1 billion.

2013: Acquisition of Aldebaran Robotics

In 2013, SoftBank bought a controlling stake in French company Aldebaran Robotics, which was rebranded SoftBank Robotics.

September 2014: Alibaba's IPO

In September 2014, Alibaba went public, turning SoftBank's initial $20 million investment into $60 billion.

October 2014: Investments in OlaCabs and Snapdeal

On 25 and 28 October 2014, SoftBank invested $210 million in OlaCabs and $627 million in Snapdeal for a 30% stake in the company, respectively.

November 2014: Investment in Housing.com

In November 2014, SoftBank made a $100 million investment in Housing.com for a 30% stake.

2014: Ymobile Corporation Established as Subsidiary of SoftBank

In 2014, Ymobile Corporation was established as another telecommunications subsidiary of SoftBank.

2014: Co-design of Pepper Robot

In 2014, teams from SoftBank Robotics and Aldebaran Robotics co-designed Pepper, a humanoid robot.

May 2015: Appointment of Nikesh Arora

In May 2015, Masayoshi Son announced he would appoint Nikesh Arora as Representative Director and President of SoftBank. Arora was previously heading SoftBank's investment arm.

June 2015: Increased Stake in Supercell and Investment in Coupang

In June 2015, SoftBank acquired an additional 22.7% stake in Supercell, increasing its total stake to 73.2%. Also in June 2015, SoftBank announced it would invest US$1 billion in Coupang.

July 2015: Renaming of SoftBank Corp to SoftBank Group Corp

In July 2015, SoftBank Corp was renamed to SoftBank Group Corp. SoftBank Mobile was renamed to SoftBank Corp.

July 2015: SoftBank Mobile Merged to Reflect Fixed-Line and ISP Operations

In July 2015, SoftBank Mobile merged with SoftBank BB Corp., SoftBank Telecom Corp., and Ymobile Corporation to reflect its fixed-line and ISP operations and was called SoftBank Corp.

2015: Increased Stake in SoftBank Robotics

In 2015, SoftBank increased its stake in SoftBank Robotics to 95%.

2015: SoftBank Offers Baby Bonus for Employees

In 2015, SoftBank, along with other Japanese companies, offered a baby bonus for employees who have children, ranging from 50,000 yen for the first child to 5 million yen for the fifth child.

February 2016: Share Repurchase Announcement

On 16 February 2016, SoftBank announced they would repurchase a record 14.2% of shares, valued at $4.4bn, to boost investor confidence.

March 2016: Sale of Alibaba Shares

On 31 March 2016, SoftBank announced they would sell shares worth $7.9 billion of their stake in Alibaba Group.

June 2016: Nikesh Arora Steps Down

In June 2016, Nikesh Arora stepped down amidst pressure from investors.

June 2016: Sale of Supercell Stake to Tencent

On 21 June 2016, SoftBank sold its 84% stake in Supercell for a reported US$7.3 billion to Tencent. Also in June 2016, Softbank agreed to sell most of its stake in GungHo Online Entertainment (approximately 23.47%) for about $685 million.

September 2016: Acquisition of Arm Holdings Completed

In July 2016, Softbank announced it would buy British chip designer Arm Holdings for more than US$32 billion. This acquisition was completed on 5 September 2016.

December 2016: Investment Announcement in the United States

On 6 December 2016, Masayoshi Son announced SoftBank would be investing US$50 billion in the United States, creating 50,000 new jobs.

January 2017: Potential Investment in WeWork

On 30 January 2017, the Wall Street Journal reported that SoftBank Group was considering a substantial investment in WeWork.

February 2017: Agreement to Buy Fortress Investment Group

On 14 February 2017, SoftBank Group agreed to buy Fortress Investment Group LLC for $3.3 billion. Also in February 2017, it was announced that Social Finance Inc. was close to raising $500 million from an investor group led by Silver Lake, including Softbank.

March 2017: Investment in WeWork and Didi Chuxing

On 20 March 2017, SoftBank bought a $300m stake in WeWork. On 28 March 2017, the Wall Street Journal reported that SoftBank Group Corporation had approached Didi Chuxing Technology Co. about investing $6 billion to help the ride-hailing firm expand in self-driving car technologies.

May 2017: Investment in Paytm

On 18 May 2017, it was reported that Softbank had completed its single largest investment in India to date, investing $1.4 billion in Paytm.

May 2017: Partnership for Softbank Vision Fund

On 27 May 2017, Softbank and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) partnered to create the Softbank Vision Fund, the world's largest private equity fund.

June 2017: Sale of Boston Dynamics to SoftBank

On 8 June 2017, Alphabet Inc. announced the sale of Boston Dynamics to SoftBank Group.

August 2017: Investment in Flipkart

On 10 August 2017, Softbank invested $2.5 billion in Flipkart.

August 2017: Investment in WeWork Finalized

On 25 August 2017, SoftBank finalized a $4.4 billion investment in WeWork.

October 2017: Collaboration with Saudi Arabia on Neom

On 24 October 2017, Son announced the group would collaborate with Saudi Arabia to develop Neom.

November 2017: Agreement to Invest in Uber

On 14 November 2017, Softbank agreed to invest $10 billion into Uber.

December 2017: SoftBank-led Consortium Investment in Uber

On 29 December 2017, it was reported that a SoftBank-led consortium had invested $9 billion into Uber.

2017: Creation of SoftBank Vision Fund

In 2017, SoftBank Investment Advisers created SoftBank's Vision Fund to invest in emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, and the internet of things.

2017: Sponsorship of Japanese National Basketball Team

In 2017, SoftBank was the official jersey sponsor of the Japanese national basketball team at the official Asian Basketball Championship in Lebanon.

January 2018: Deal Closed with Uber

In January 2018, the Uber deal closed, leaving SoftBank as Uber's biggest shareholder, with a 15 percent stake.

January 2018: Vision Fund Investment in Auto1

On 14 January 2018, Softbank's Vision Fund announced an investment of $560 million in the German used-car sales portal Auto1.

March 2018: Vision Fund Investment in DoorDash

On 1 March 2018, Softbank's Vision Fund led a $535 million investment in DoorDash.

May 2018: Walmart's Deal to Buy Flipkart Revealed

In May 2018, CEO Masayoshi Son revealed during an earnings presentation that Walmart had reached a deal to buy Flipkart.

September 2018: Planned Solar-Power-Generation Project Put on Hold

In September 2018, Saudi government officials announced that a planned $200 billion project with SoftBank Group to build the world's biggest solar-power-generation project would be put on hold, posing a challenge to SoftBank's energy initiatives.

September 2018: Investment in Opendoor

On 27 September 2018, Softbank announced the investment of $400 Million in Home-Selling Startup Opendoor.

November 2018: SoftBank Announces IPO of Telecommunications Operator

In November 2018, SoftBank announced an IPO of SoftBank Corp., the telecommunications operator, with shares priced at $13.22 (1,500 yen). The offering, lasting a month, valued SoftBank Corp. at $21.15 billion, making it the second-largest IPO ever.

December 2018: SoftBank to Invest in Ride-Hailing Startup Grab

In December 2018, SoftBank announced its intention to invest $1 billion in ride-hailing startup Grab, with some sources suggesting the total investment could reach $1.5 billion, underscoring SoftBank's interest in the ride-hailing market.

December 2018: SoftBank Invests in ParkJockey

In December 2018, SoftBank invested in ParkJockey, a startup aiming to monetize parking lots. After the investment round, the general valuation of ParkJockey reached $1 billion, marking a significant milestone for the startup.

2018: SBVA Launches China Venture Fund I

In 2018, SBVA launched a $300m venture fund ‘China Venture Fund I’, targeting Chinese start-ups.

July 2019: Creation of Vision Fund 2 Announced

In July 2019, SoftBank announced the creation of a "Vision Fund 2", excluding participation from the Saudi Arabia government.

September 2019: WeWork's IPO Canceled

In September 2019, WeWork's IPO was canceled, impacting SoftBank's investment portfolio and raising concerns about its valuation of WeWork.

September 2019: Softbank Robotics Launches Whiz Robotic Vacuum Cleaner in Singapore

On 25 September 2019, Softbank Robotics launched Whiz robotic vacuum cleaner in Singapore, marking an expansion of their robotics offerings.

November 2019: Line Corp. and Z Holdings to Become Subsidiary

In November 2019, it was announced that Line Corp. and Z Holdings would become a new subsidiary under Naver Corporation and SoftBank Group, their respective owners, marking a significant restructuring in the tech landscape. The closing was delayed until March 2021 due to COVID-19.

December 2019: Softbank Sells Interest in Wag at a Loss

In December 2019, Softbank sold its interest in dog-walking startup Wag at a loss, indicating a setback in its investment strategy. Also in December 2019, Tadashi Yanai, Fast Retailing's CEO and Japan's richest man at the time, left the Softbank board after 18 years.

2019: Sponsorship of FIBA World Cup

In 2019, SoftBank was the official jersey sponsor of the Japanese national basketball team at the FIBA World Cup.

January 2020: Softbank-Funded Startups Cut Staff

In January 2020, multiple Softbank-funded startups, including Getaround, Oyo, Rappi, Katerra, and Zume, began cutting their staff, indicating challenges within Softbank's investment portfolio.

February 2020: Elliott Management Buys Stake in Softbank, Pushes for Restructuring

In February 2020, Elliott Management, an activist hedge fund, bought a $2.5 billion stake in Softbank and pushed for restructuring and more transparency, particularly regarding its Vision Fund, leading to a delay in plans for a second Vision Fund.

February 2020: Report on Reduced Capital for Vision Fund 2

In February 2020, the Wall Street Journal reported that Vision Fund 2 would only come up with less than half of its initially projected capital.

March 2020: SoftBank Launches Emergency Asset Sale for Share Buyback

In March 2020, SoftBank announced an emergency ¥4.5tn ($41bn) asset sale to fund a share buyback and debt reduction, initiated by Son to address a collapse in the company's share price due to the pandemic. The announcement led to an almost 19% rise in Softbank's share price.

April 2020: Sprint Completes Merger with T-Mobile US

On 1 April 2020, Sprint completed its merger with T-Mobile US, majority-owned by Deutsche Telekom, making T-Mobile the parent company. Softbank held 24% of the new T-Mobile's shares as a result of the merger.

May 2020: Jack Ma Resigns from SoftBank's Board

In May 2020, Alibaba's co-founder and former CEO Jack Ma resigned from SoftBank's board, marking a significant change in the company's leadership structure.

July 2020: SoftBank Considers Selling or IPOing Arm Holdings

In July 2020, SoftBank announced it was considering selling or IPOing British chip designer Arm Holdings, amidst a dispute with Chinese entities over control of its local subsidiary. In July 2020, for Q2, the company's revenues were $12 billion, and the firm announced a new $555 million investment fund.

September 2020: SoftBank Ownership

As of September 2020, SoftBank ownership is as follows.

September 2020: SoftBank Vision Fund 2 Leads Series C Round in Biofourmis

In September 2020, SoftBank Vision Fund 2 led a $100 million Series C round in Biofourmis, demonstrating its continued investment in health technology. Also in September 2020, Softbank was identified as the Nasdaq whale, where it bought stock options valued in the billions, betting on higher prices for the biggest technology companies. That month, SoftBank sold Brightstar Corporation to Brightstar Capital Partners for an undisclosed amount.

September 2020: Nvidia Plans to Acquire ARM from SoftBank

On 13 September 2020, American chip design company Nvidia announced plans to acquire ARM from SoftBank, pending regulatory approval, for $40 billion in stock and cash, becoming the largest semiconductor acquisition to date. SoftBank Group would retain a 10% share in the company, while ARM would maintain its headquarters in Cambridge. However, this deal later collapsed due to regulatory hurdles.

December 2020: Hyundai Motor Group Acquires Stake in Boston Dynamics from SoftBank

In December 2020, Hyundai Motor Group acquired an 80% stake of Boston Dynamics from SoftBank for approximately $880 million, with SoftBank retaining about 20% through an affiliate.

January 2021: SoftBank Sells Uber Technologies Shares

In January 2021, SoftBank sold $2 billion in Uber Technologies shares through its affiliate firm SB Cayman, marking a move in its investment portfolio.

March 2021: SoftBank Corporation Subscriber Count

As of March 2021, SoftBank Corporation, a spun-out affiliate of SoftBank Group and a major wireless carrier in Japan, had 45.621 million subscribers.

March 2021: SBVA Creates Future Innovation Fund

In March 2021, SBVA created a $160M ‘future innovation fund’, focusing on AI start-ups.

March 2021: SoftBank Makes Record Profit from Vision Fund and Coupang Debut

In March 2021, SoftBank made a record $36.99 billion profit from its Vision Fund unit and investment gains via the public market debut of Coupang. The SoftBank Group's net profit was $45.88 billion (¥4.99 trillion), the largest recorded annual profit by a Japanese company in history. The same month, Softbank's Vision Fund 2 announced investment in the eToro SPAC merger PIPE of $650 million.

March 2021: Line Corp. and Z Holdings Closing

In March 2021, the closing of Line Corp. and Z Holdings becoming a new subsidiary under Naver Corporation and SoftBank Group was delayed until March 2021 due to COVID-19.

April 2021: Softbank Plans to Acquire Stake in AutoStore

In April 2021, Softbank announced plans to acquire a 40% stake in AutoStore for $2.8 billion, expanding its investments in automation and robotics.

May 2021: Softbank to Sell SB Energy India to Adani Green Energy

In May 2021, Softbank stated it would sell SB Energy India to Adani Green Energy, valuing the unit at $3.5 billion. The sale is speculated to mark a shift in the company's trajectory, moving away from investments in solar energy towards companies dealing with artificial intelligence. Later that month, Bloomberg reported that Vision Fund could go public via a $300 million SPAC in 2021, listing in Amsterdam.

July 2021: Softbank to Invest in Korean Hotel Booking Platform Yanolja

In July 2021, Softbank announced it would invest $870 million in the Korean hotel booking platform Yanolja, broadening its investment portfolio in the travel and technology sectors.

July 2021: Softbank Acquires Yahoo Japan Brand from Verizon Communications

In July 2021, Softbank announced that it would acquire the Yahoo Japan brand from Verizon Communications for $1.6 billion, solidifying its presence in the Japanese technology market.

August 2021: Son to Make Personal Investments Alongside Vision Fund 2

In August 2021, Softbank's Son said he would begin to make personal investments alongside Softbank Group's Vision Fund 2, indicating a closer alignment of personal and corporate investment strategies.

October 2021: SBVA Backs Over 250 Companies

By October 2021, SoftBank Ventures Asia (SBVA) had backed more than 250 companies in 10 countries with US$1.3 billion fund under management.

July 2022: Softbank Sells Entire Uber Holdings

In July 2022, Softbank announced that it had sold its entire Uber holdings between April and July 2022. It was also reported that Softbank exited Opendoor in that quarter.

August 2022: Softbank Sells Entire Uber Holdings

In August 2022, Softbank announced that it had sold its entire Uber holdings between April and July 2022. It was also reported that Softbank exited Opendoor in that quarter.

December 2022: Masayoshi Son's Stake in SoftBank Rises

By December 2022, Masayoshi Son’s stake in the company he founded had risen to 34.2% from 32.2% as of the end of September.

February 2023: Toyota Tsusho Buys Controlling Interest in SB Energy

In February 2023, Toyota Tsusho announced it had bought the controlling interest in SB Energy, which would become a subsidiary alongside Toyota Tsusho subsidiary Eurus Energy.

April 2023: SoftBank Sells Venture Capital Arm in Korea

In April 2023, SoftBank Group Corp. announced it was selling its Korea-based early-stage venture capital arm SoftBank Ventures Asia Corp. to a Singapore-based company run by Masayoshi Son’s youngest brother, following billions of dollars in losses from failed startup bets.

April 2023: SoftBank Group to Sell SBVA

In April 2023, it was known that Masayoshi Son's SoftBank Group would sell its early-stage venture capital arm SoftBank Ventures Asia to Singapore-based The Edgeof.

May 2023: SoftBank Vision Fund Losses Widen to Record $32 Billion

In May 2023, the SoftBank Group announced that losses from the SoftBank Vision Fund had widened 70 percent to a record $32 billion from a year ago. In another divestiture of assets, SoftBank Group also sold its stake in Fortress Investment Group to Mubadala and Fortress' management.

August 2023: SoftBank Buys Back Stake in Arm from Vision Fund

In August 2023, SoftBank Group's Arm filed for an IPO on the Nasdaq, and a few days earlier, SoftBank bought back the 25% stake from Vision Fund for around $16 billion, valuing Arm at over $64 billion, paving the way for the IPO.

September 2023: Arm Goes Public in IPO

In September 2023, Arm went public on the Nasdaq, raising $4.87 billion at a $54.5 billion valuation, with SoftBank continuing to own 90.6% of the company following the offering.

December 2023: SoftBank Corp Pays $513 Million for Controlling Stake in Cubic Telecom

In December 2023, telecommunication and networking company SoftBank Corp, a subsidiary of SoftBank Group Corp, paid $513 million for a controlling stake in Irish technology company Cubic Telecom, in a deal that will net the company’s founders and its private backers a multimillion-euro payout.

2023: Dismal performance of SoftBank’s Vision Funds

By 2023, after the launch of Vision Fund 1 and 2, the dismal performance of SoftBank’s funds had cast a shadow over the initial exuberance of both Masayoshi Son and his company.

May 2024: Softbank Launches Joint Venture with Tempus AI

In May 2024, Softbank launched a joint venture with healthcare technology company Tempus AI. The aim of the venture was to provide precision medical services in Japan by utilising AI.

June 2024: SoftBank Invests in Perplexity AI

On 27 June 2024, it was reported that SoftBank has invested in the AI search startup Perplexity AI, valuing the company at $3 billion. Perplexity AI, known for its advanced artificial intelligence technology, aims to revolutionize online search experiences. This investment aligns with SoftBank's ongoing strategy to support innovative AI companies.

December 2024: Softbank Plans $100 Billion Investment in US

In December 2024, it was reported by CNBC that Softbank plans to invest $100 billion in the US over the next 4 years, with funding coming from various sources controlled by Softbank, including the Vision Fund, capital projects or chipmaker Arm Holdings. The investment is said to create 100,000 jobs focused on artificial intelligence and related infrastructure.

2024: Forbes Global 2000 Rank

In 2024, SoftBank was ranked 461st in the Forbes Global 2000 list of the world's largest public companies.

January 21, 2025: Announcement of Stargate AI Infrastructure System

On January 21, 2025, SoftBank, along with OpenAI and Oracle, announced the launch of Stargate, an artificial intelligence infrastructure system in conjunction with the US government, estimated to cost $500 billion and funded over four years.

February 2025: SoftBank Announces Joint Venture with OpenAI

In February 2025, SoftBank announced a joint venture with OpenAI called SB OpenAI Japan which would develop "Advanced Enterprise AI" called "Cristal intelligence." SoftBank would spend $3 billion annually to deploy OpenAI solutions across SoftBank companies. OpenAI and SoftBank also agreed to establish a joint venture with 50:50 ownership called SB OpenAI Japan which would "serve as a springboard for introducing AI agents tailored to the unique needs of Japanese enterprises."

History of SoftBank Group in Timeline