OPINION

SoftBank Makes the Whole World Fat

This monopoly-oriented strategy is a recipe for disaster

When we look back at the timeline of SoftBank Group, spanning over the last four decades, we see a history of ups and downs. Interestingly, however, the free-spending venture capital firm has always recovered from debacles in the past, boosting their confidence to carry on with their questionable investment strategy.

This time around, though, it seems that Masayoshi Son may have used his credit card just a little over its limit. Crippling credit card debt has ruined many a spendthrift in this consumer culture, and Son probably knows how it feels to stand in one of their shoes now. While Son himself may still be very far from bankruptcy even after losing his company 8.9 billion dollars from a single investment, his Vision Fund is looking like it’s gone above the rails.

Why, you may ask?

I’d blame it on the excessive funds it pumped into the startup space, and the gaudy uselessness of it all. The funds themselves did precious little for the once-coveted startups, except for fattening their bank balance and getting to their heads, often in a way they could never recover from.

Now, much like the self-indulgent spendthrift with a maxed-out credit limit, SoftBank is having to drag itself away from new deals and fresh investments, in a desperate bid to save any more money that Son could potentially lose with his…