SoftBank's Son says he cried selling Nvidia to fund AI bets
Yahoo Finance·2025-12-01 15:03

Core Viewpoint - SoftBank's founder Masayoshi Son expressed reluctance in selling the company's entire Nvidia stake, indicating that the decision was emotionally driven by the need for cash to invest in AI opportunities [1][2]. Group 1: Financial Decisions and Implications - SoftBank sold its Nvidia stake for approximately $5.83 billion, which surprised investors and raised concerns about potential overvaluation in AI-related stocks [2]. - The company's stock has declined nearly 40% in U.S. trading since late October, reflecting investor anxiety regarding the scale of SoftBank's AI investments [3]. Group 2: AI Sector Outlook - Son countered claims of a bubble in the AI sector, asserting that the economic impact of advanced AI systems will justify the significant investments being made [3]. - Despite the optimism, concerns have been raised by short-seller Jim Chanos regarding the sustainability of business models in the AI cloud computing space, highlighting that many AI companies are currently loss-making [4][5]. Group 3: Investment Focus - Much of SoftBank's AI spending is directed towards ambitious hardware and infrastructure projects, including the "Stargate" data-center initiative and in-house chip design through Ampere Computing, which require substantial capital investments before yielding returns [4].