SoftBank's investment arm, SB Northstar, made risky multibillion-dollar bets on tech stocks in 2020 that led to $2.7 billion in derivatives losses.

Hello, and welcome to this Wednesday’s edition of the Insider Tech newsletter, where we break down the biggest news in tech. I’m your host Alexei Oreskovic. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Get Insider Tech straight in your inbox by subscribing here. Soundtrack: This week’s newsletter has been specially […]

Alibaba founder Jack Ma and Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son send each other drawings to keep in touch. Their friendship stretches back years, and both have served on the board of each other’s companies. Son said they have kept in contact amid Ma’s Ant Group IPO bust and subsequent rumoured disappearance. […]

Uber stock is surging Tuesday, up over 7% on strong volume as investors are betting on a ride-share recovery in 2021. SoftBank Group Corp.’s Vision Fund announced that it sold about $US2 billion in Uber stock on January 7 at an average price of $US53.46 per share. Uber also recently […]

David Gibson of Astris Advisory Japan told CNBC on Thursday Softbank will reap a roughly $US10 billion profit from its investment in DoorDash’s IPO . “That offsets the disaster of WeWork only a few quarters ago,” the chief investment advisor said. Softbank lost at least $US4.7 billion last year by […]

SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son said he “doesn’t understand” bitcoin, even after he invested $US200 million in the past. After checking the prices became too much of a distraction, Son sold his stake, losing close to $US130 million, according to an earlier report. Son still believes that digital currency will be […]

Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son spoke at the New York Times DealBook Conference. Softbank reportedly invested over $US18 billion in WeWork. Despite ousting him, Son said he still respects and loves Neumann. Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories. Investing giant SoftBank reportedly invested more than $US18 billion into coworking startup […]

Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son spoke at The New York Times’ DealBook Conference on Tuesday. Softbank has invested in tech giants including Google, Amazon, and Microsoft. Son said he regrets previous chances to invest in Amazon and Tesla early on. Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories. Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son […]

SoftBank’s new trading arm, SB Northstar, posted $US3.7 billion in losses as bearish derivatives bets on tech stocks floundered, the Financial Times reported Wednesday. The arm was mostly kept secret until the FT revealed it was making multibillion-dollar bets on tech giants through the summer’s market rally. SoftBank CEO Masayoshi […]

SoftBank has made a $US4 billion gain on US tech stocks in a matter of months, the Financial Times reported on Monday. The Japanese conglomerate was revealed last week to be the “Nasdaq whale” responsible for snapping up vast amounts of options tied to US tech stocks recently. The news […]

SoftBank’s new asset management unit sank nearly $US3.9 billion into some of the world’s most popular tech stocks, according to an SEC filing published Monday. The Japanese conglomerate opened a $US1.04 billion stake in Amazon, a $US475 million position in Alphabet, and a $US189 million stake in Netflix, among other […]

SoftBank on Tuesday reported a $US12 billion quarterly profit. The results buck a trend of heavy losses at the prolific Japanese tech conglomerate, which declined to disclose a key financial metric. CEO Masayoshi Son told investors the company was now in “defence mode” and hoarding cash. As typical of his […]

Japan delayed its Nippon Professional Baseball season because of the coronavirus. After the state of emergency was lifted in the country, games began again on June 19. Without fans in the stadium, one team put Pepper robots in the stands instead. Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories. The coronavirus […]

SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son is stepping down from the board of Alibaba, he announced in a shareholder call on Wednesday. Son was one of Alibaba’s earliest backers, making a $US20 million investment in the company two decades ago that was worth $US60 billion by 2014. He said he will remain a […]

Japanese tech conglomerate SoftBank is launching a new $US100 million “Opportunity Growth Fund” to invest in companies led by black Americans and people of colour, the company announced Wednesday. The fund is meant to encourage diversity in the overwhelmingly-white world of venture capital and startups, and its creation comes amid […]

In a presentation on Monday, SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son discussed the impact of the coronavirus on the company’s investments. Using ominous backgrounds and illustrations of horses, unicorns, and valleys, Son illustrated the risks from the pandemic but also how the company could end up alright. SoftBank has previously used unique […]

SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son compared himself to Jesus in an investor call on Monday, according to a report by the Financial Times. Son said that, just like Jesus, he is misunderstood, according to three people on the call cited in the report. SoftBank’s Vision Fund has suffered billions in losses, […]