Who We Are — SoftBank Group Report 2023

Information Revolution—Happiness for everyone

SBG has always remained true to its goal of making the world a happier place through the Information Revolution.

Just what is happiness?

Some might say happiness is to love and be loved in return, or to make the most of each day. Others might derive happiness from self-expression. Still others might find happiness in something as simple as a smile. Above all, SBG equates happiness with inspiration. Through our business, we strive to bring emotional meaning and happiness to lives. In everything we do, we aim to drive the Information Revolution and build a more connected, empowered, and joyful world. This unchanging kokorozashi (mission) is encapsulated in our philosophy, Information Revolution—Happiness for everyone.

Humankind stands on the cusp of the digital Big Bang. Computing performance is increasing dramatically, and we are getting ever closer to an age of superintelligent machines that will surpass the human brain. Our mission is to harness the raw, unlimited power of the Information Revolution and channel it in a direction that makes people happier. This aspiration will continue to drive our organization toward further growth for many years to come.

Imagine a group of visionaries who share the same unshakable spirit (kokorozashi). They act with one mind to achieve their ideals, braving all dangers to usher in a new era amid upheaval. SBG draws inspiration from one such group—the Kaientai, an enterprising shipping company founded in 1865 by the visionary Sakamoto Ryoma. Supplied with the best intelligence and possessing abundant knowledge and wisdom, the Kaientai and its founder rejected age-worn feudalistic values in favor of free thinking and bold action.

In this way, they led a revolution that resulted in the modernization of Japan. Our corporate logo derives from the Kaientai’s flag. It represents our admiration for, and belief in, the Kaientai’s single-minded pursuit of their vision, which imagined a Japan 100 years in the future.

SBG is a fleet of similar visionaries. Our vessels fly the banner of the 21st-century Kaientai, symbolizing our own single-minded pursuit of a vision: Information Revolution—Happiness for everyone.

To realize our core philosophy and vision, we invest in the Information Revolution.

The Information Revolution has entered a new stage with the use of AI. AI has the potential to create a safer, more prosperous, and all-round better future by addressing social and environmental challenges, including climate change, the education gap, and economic inequality.

SBG accelerates the Information Revolution, and in this role we are helping to realize the world we have always envisaged since our foundation.

SBG describes itself as a Vision Capitalist for the Information Revolution. What exactly does this mean? It means providing capital to unicorns that will contribute to the Information Revolution and a happy future for all.

Our unicorn partners have innovative ideas for truly world-changing goods and services. These ideas can solve social issues and make people happier.

By providing them with capital, we accelerate their business growth and unleash the potential of our core philosophy and vision: Information Revolution—Happiness for everyone.

Our Cluster of No. 1 strategy is designed to build a strategically synergized ecosystem of companies. The strategy envisages this group as a symbiotic ecosystem of companies with industry-leading technologies and business models.

In this ecosystem, we work with visionary entrepreneurs who pioneer new industries.

Although we help these business leaders in their decision-making, we respect their autonomy and see no reason to hold a majority stake in their companies. However, we do encourage our members to identify with our core philosophy and vision and to work with us in unlocking synergistic growth.

Under this strategy, we have developed an ecosystem of entrepreneurial leaders in AI. These include nearly 500 portfolio companies within the SoftBank Vision Funds and other funds. They also include companies in which we have invested directly. Arm is one such company.

When a company invests capital into business activities, the resulting value is expected to exceed the initial capital commitment. The company will then reinvest that capital for an even higher return. When this cycle occurs on an ever greater scale, capital will keep accumulating, generating sustainable growth.

We have three key sources of capital: an ecosystem of portfolio companies, financial capital, and human capital.

This capital is both an input and an output. In implementing our business model, we “input” capital, and this capital is then “output” back to us in an amount larger than the initial input.

Our story begins in 1981, when Masayoshi Son founded SOFTBANK Japan. He envisaged the company as a “software bank” that would build infrastructure for the information-driven society. At the time, PC software led the Information Revolution, but the focus eventually shifted to the Internet, then to broadband, and then to smartphones. We have always stood on the frontlines of such shifts. Adjusting swiftly to market or industry changes, we have always partnered with the paradigm-defining companies of the time and redeployed capital into new investment areas.

The Information Revolution has now entered another new phase, with AI completely redefining every industry. We invest in AI businesses with world-changing ideas. The aim of such investments is to accelerate groundbreaking technological innovations that can build a more connected, empowered, and joyful world.

Believing that the next few decades of AI innovation will surpass all the technological progress of the last three centuries, we work with entrepreneurs around the world who share our aspiration to forge this exciting future.