41:I[58016,["/_next/static/chunks/0e29vbidvogc6.js","/_next/static/chunks/09md0.811p4qk.js","/_next/static/chunks/0jjo8hz~ewue4.js","/_next/static/chunks/084k0pvimg.lq.js","/_next/static/chunks/0a~e7k..h6jfc.js","/_next/static/chunks/0d1e9m2ig9v3v.js","/_next/static/chunks/0dzini03ngxm2.js","/_next/static/chunks/0rizq9ux3s1w3.js","/_next/static/chunks/139o5utivfajl.js","/_next/static/chunks/0i-f~c821e7uk.js","/_next/static/chunks/0z7avafhgjcyr.js"],"ProcessEpisodeButton"] 45:I[45269,["/_next/static/chunks/0e29vbidvogc6.js","/_next/static/chunks/09md0.811p4qk.js","/_next/static/chunks/0jjo8hz~ewue4.js","/_next/static/chunks/084k0pvimg.lq.js","/_next/static/chunks/0a~e7k..h6jfc.js","/_next/static/chunks/0d1e9m2ig9v3v.js","/_next/static/chunks/0dzini03ngxm2.js","/_next/static/chunks/0rizq9ux3s1w3.js","/_next/static/chunks/139o5utivfajl.js","/_next/static/chunks/0i-f~c821e7uk.js","/_next/static/chunks/0z7avafhgjcyr.js"],"SignupCTA"] 47:I[56939,["/_next/static/chunks/0e29vbidvogc6.js","/_next/static/chunks/09md0.811p4qk.js","/_next/static/chunks/0jjo8hz~ewue4.js","/_next/static/chunks/084k0pvimg.lq.js","/_next/static/chunks/0a~e7k..h6jfc.js","/_next/static/chunks/0d1e9m2ig9v3v.js","/_next/static/chunks/0dzini03ngxm2.js","/_next/static/chunks/0rizq9ux3s1w3.js","/_next/static/chunks/139o5utivfajl.js","/_next/static/chunks/0i-f~c821e7uk.js","/_next/static/chunks/0z7avafhgjcyr.js"],"EpisodeTranscript"] 3b:["$","div",null,{"className":"flex flex-col gap-2 text-sm text-muted-foreground","children":[["$","span",null,{"className":"inline-flex items-center gap-2 bg-secondary/50 px-3 py-1 rounded-full","children":[["$","svg",null,{"className":"w-4 h-4","fill":"none","stroke":"currentColor","viewBox":"0 0 24 24","children":["$","path",null,{"strokeLinecap":"round","strokeLinejoin":"round","strokeWidth":2,"d":"M8 7V3m8 4V3m-9 8h10M5 21h14a2 2 0 002-2V7a2 2 0 00-2-2H5a2 2 0 00-2 2v12a2 2 0 002 2z"}]}],["$","time",null,{"dateTime":"2024-10-16T05:00:00.000Z","children":"Wed Oct 16 2024"}]]}],["$","p",null,{"className":"text-base text-foreground/80 leading-relaxed","children":"A new, unauthorised biography tells the story of Softbank founder Masayoshi Son, who came from humble beginnings to become one of the world’s most influential businessmen."}]]}] 42:T534,

For a few days in the early 2000s, Masayoshi Son — nicknamed Masa — was the richest man in the world. A few days later, it all came tumbling down. The founder and CEO of the Japanese investment conglomerate SoftBank had failed to predict the future — an intuitive gift that first made his name as an investor, and his first billions. But even the most catastrophic losses wouldn’t stop his gambling habits, betting big on start-ups from Alibaba to WeWork over the next 20 years — all on a journey to becoming one of the most controversial venture capitalists of all time. In this week’s episode of Whale Hunting, Bradley sits down with the former Financial Times editor Lionel Barber to discuss Masa: the man behind the billions, how he calculates his bets, and why he likes to compare himself to Napoleon.

Mentioned in this week’s episode:

Lionel’s new biography of Masa: Gambling Man: The Wild Ride of Japan’s Masayoshi Son

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43:T486,This is WHALE HUNTING, a weekly podcast that pulls back the curtain on the hidden worlds of money and power, hosted by investigative journalists Tom Wright and Bradley Hope. Previously long-time reporters for the Wall Street Journal, Tom and Bradley now run Project Brazen, a journalism studio that’s published stories on everything from US Navy corruption to spycraft in Silicon Valley and embezzlement at the heart of Spain’s royal family. Now, on the Whale Hunting

Is Masayoshi Son the richest man you’ve never heard of?