Billionaire Masayoshi Son has a vision for an AI-powered utopia where machines control how we live—and he’s spending hundreds of billions of dollars to realize it. Are you ready to live in Masa World?
It’s a bright September morning in San Carlos, California, and Masayoshi Son, chairman of SoftBank, is throwing me off schedule. I’d come, as he had, to meet with the people he’s tapped to run the Vision Fund, his $100 billion bet on the future of, well, everything. After almost four decades of building SoftBank into a telecom conglomerate, Son, an inveterate dealmaker, launched this unprecedented venture two years ago to back startups that he believes are driving a new wave of digital upheaval. He has staked everything on its success—his company, his reputation, his fortune. We’d both arrived with the same basic question: Where is this massive vehicle heading? But because I wasn’t the one footing the 12-figure allowance, I understood that I’d be the one to wait.
In the hubbub of Son’s visit, my 9 a.m. meeting gets rescheduled multiple times until it’s set for 4:30 p.m. When I finally arrive at the Vision Fund’s offices, just off California’s Highway 101, I’m struck by how mundane they are. Son is known for big, showy statements. He reportedly paid $117 million for a home in Woodside in 2013, the highest price ever in the U.S. This glass and concrete building, on the other hand, could be found in any part of suburban America.
The room where I wait is spartan. There is an empty desk in one corner, and a conference table with a fake wood veneer. I try to read the pale gray scribbles on a whiteboard, hoping they might shed light on what happens in this place, but the surface has been too well scrubbed. The interior glass walls of the conference room have been lined with a white, papery substance that turns anyone on the other side into apparitions.
Denne historien er fra February 2019-utgaven av Fast Company.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra February 2019-utgaven av Fast Company.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Campus Radicals
Welcome to UATX, Austin's new well-funded and controversial anti-woke university.
What Went Wrong at 23 and Me
The company's DNA spit tests were going to remake healthcare. The science proved more complicated.
Toxic-Workplace Avenger
Her landmark lawsuit helped ignite the Me Too movement. Gretchen Carlson is now on a crusade to protect all workers.
A Lousy Bet
Sportsbooks, leagues, and networks: the new unholy alliance to promote legal gambling.
CAN'T STOP ROLLING
MOBILE GAME MAKER SCOPELY TOOK IN $2 BILLION IN JUST 10 MONTHS FROM ITS HIT GAME MONOPOLY GO. PLAYERS, IT SEEMS, ARE ADDICTED TO THE FUN.
A minimum hourly wage law for NYC delivery workers has boosted their pay-but not everyone is reaping the benefits.
$19.56, the hard way
IT'S A TOUGH JOB BUT GENZ NEEDS TO DO IT
HOW DAVID HOGG IS RALLYING YOUNG PEOPLE TO PURSUE ONE OF THE TOUGHEST AND MOST IMPORTANT CAREERS IN AMERICA: POLITICS.
INNOVATION BY DESIGN
For 13 years, our Innovation by Design Awards have been shining a light on stunning creations. The following pages highlight 20 of this year's winning projects, from an app that helps resettle political refugees to a massive restoration project in Detroit. Plus, a list of winners and finalists in all 50 categories.
How's This for a Cliffhanger?
That poor henchman over there has a hammer stuck in his forehead.
CREATOR ECONOMY
Carpe DM New platforms monetize intimate\" bonds between creators and their fans.