How a Pig Farmer Became The World's Richest Man... (For a Few Days)

Get a 7-day free trial and 70% off Blinkist Annual Premium by clicking bit.ly/HowHist... or by scanning the QR code.
------
Sign up for my FREE newsletter! - www.compounded...
------
#business #History #entrepreneur
Link To Our Other Channel: / howmoneyworks
Written By: Sam
Video Created By:
Svibe Multimedia Studio
Editor: Cardan
Media Gatherer: Andrea Rivas
Footage Courtesy of: Getty Images
Music Provided By: Epidemic Sound
For sponsorship inquiries, please contact [e-mail]
-----
Masayoshi Son is the billionaire CEO of ‘SoftBank’, a technology investment firm with such a… unique… way of operating that it has reshaped business, not only in Japan but across the world.
Its portfolio includes over 80 companies, including the likes of Uber, NVIDIA and Boston Dynamics. [2]
Anytime ‘SoftBank’ appears on a start-ups board of investors, you know it’s going to be big one day, whether it really deserves it or not…
Today Masayoshi Son is unfortunately best known for the humiliating downfall of ‘WeWork’. Something that his critics say is proof that Masayoshi Son’s talent for spotting innovation is obsolete.
But the man behind one of the most influential investment funds in the world, worked his way up from the most humble of origins.
His family was dirt poor in a county that didn’t even recognize him as a citizen until he was a massively successful businessman.
You don’t go from a pig farmer living on the fringes of the law, to one of the world’s most influential billionaires without at least a few tricks that are worth learning something from.
He once raised $45B worth of investment in a single meeting. But is that skill so impressive when you blow it on risky investments like pizza-making robots and experimental kindergartens?
Masayoshi was only 16, yet was captivated by the wisdom inside. He was desperate to meet the genius author so he did everything he could to meet him. [6]
He must have called the guy’s assistants a hundred times. All he got was a firm no and a lengthy telephone bill.
So he changed plan.
The young buck flew into Tokyo to prove that he was serious about meeting him.
Finally, he got 15 whole minutes with the busy businessman, which ended up being one of the most defining moments in Masayoshi Son’s entire career.
He asked the McDonald’s master what business a young man like him should get into.
The answer? Don’t look to the past. Look to future industries. Look for the place where there is growth.
Go into computer technology.
So he did. It’s time to learn how history works as we track the rise and falls of ‘the life story of Masayoshi Son’.
- Sources -
1. www.forbes.com...
2. visionfund.com...
3. www.asianstudi...
4. www.britannica...
5. • The David Rubenstein S...
6. www.bloomberg....
8. studyinternati...
9. group.softbank...
10. www.usg.edu/ga...
11. www.investoped...
12. www.businessin...
13. www.cnbc.com/2...
14. www.indiatimes...
15. www.restaurant...
16. www.theverge.c...
17. www.curbed.com...
18. fortune.com/20...
19. www.cbc.ca/new....

[@HowHistoryWorks]

Get a 7-day free trial and 70% off Blinkist Annual Premium by clicking bit.ly/HowHistoryWorksMay24 or by scanning the QR code.

[@ahmadkhatoun7398]

13:13 You need to retract this. New York City's public school budget alone is about $40 Billion Dollars a year and the US federal government's department of education budget is at least $70 Billion Dollars. This isn't even considering all of the other cities in the USA

[@ahmadkhatoun7398]

13:13 Last I checked, the NCES (national center of education statistics) had estimated the total combined education spending at around $800 Billion Dollars. That was several years ago

[@HowHistoryWorks]

@@ahmadkhatoun7398 You're right. Silly mistake. We have fixed that mistake now thank you.

[@BigAl4244]

Wild a how a korean descended man created one of the most successful Japanese banks/funds which then invested into one the most successful Chinese corporations (Alibaba). Also Very surprising that Alibaba benefits Japanese benefactors considering the history between the two countries. Love these history videos, so insightful

[@dewaeryadi7776]

business is business after all

[@greatestever8169]

What’s more wild is how Japan is upping its war budget. Taiwan is really close to neighboring islands of Japan! 🇯🇵 not addressed in this video, but bringing up the history of China and Japan made me think of this. 😅

[@noco-pf3vj]

Masayoshi Son is just a lucky man, but then he gambled his luck on We (don't) Work.

[@dorianodet8064]

Indeed, at no part of the video was it ever mentionned that he had some intelligent decision making strategy. Just "I liked that guy" kind of luck.

[@Brodragon2225]

@@dorianodet8064 you know most companies can go big if they take so much money and atleast survive till ipo

[@AshleyKeith-vw7ws]

The Asian bling or display of wealth seems to be the most elaborate of all races. It's mind-blowing sometimes the extent they get to.

[@ChloeCarter-kd7gz]

Absolutely! I mean, have you seen some of those mega yachts and private islands they own? It's like they're living in a whole different world.

[@LeahLewis-ny9iu]

And don't even get me started on their custom-made supercars and designer wardrobes. They definitely know how to flaunt their wealth.

[@HRMColoniallifeinsurance]

Yeah, it's pretty impressive. But you know what's even more interesting? Most of these wealthy Asians have someone like Desiree Ruth Hoffman managing their portfolios.

[@EricaWaters-lr6zw]

Desiree Ruth Hoffman? Who's that?

[@HRMColoniallifeinsurance]

DESIREE RUTH HOFFMAN she’s known for her assortment manager and holistic approach to financial planning of high-net-worth individuals , considering factors like income, expenses, and long-term goals. she's been making some serious waves in the industry

[@heiskanbuscadordelaverdad8709]

The market is like a casino you simply can't reliably hit big several times either you get out when you hit big or you lose everything sooner or later

[@g.starkiller6354]

Lol, no, most just can't get risk management right. Many companies keep growing for decades, and it's not very hard to find them

[@sznikers]

You dont have to be always right, nobody is, you just need to be right more often than not and avoid obvious scams/hype bubbles. Wework was valued at 20 billion when softbank aproached them, that was already absurd for real estate company and softbank just dropped billions on it increasing valuation to over 40b... Thats not investing thats blowing money away.

[@jovsta]

When you have money to spray everywhere, something will eventually stick.

[@alexanderveritas]

Some people are destined for _greatness,_ some are destined for _mediocrity_ and some are destined for _failure._ *Masayoshi Son* is a _successful_ man, with his _flaws,_ but a successful man nonetheless.

[@HowHistoryWorks]

Masayoshi was somehow destined for but massive success and massive failure at the same time.

[@Myko349]

@@HowHistoryWorks as long as he is not dead, the bigger success could still be on its way, do not give him a hard pass just yet😂

[@stevebezfamilnii2069]

Pff, u understand that most markets will crumble in near future? And most of billionaires would have more debt than networth. Only way to postpone it is through massive emissions and it won't buy much time.

[@renerene852]

My father never really spoke to me and when he did he made sure to make me understand that I was a mistake and he had no use for a 2 legged donkey like me in his life . How different life would be if we all had a dad like mr Son

[@Joe-Mama978]

Amazing, Well-edited content 👏. Bravo sir. You are a master of your craft

[@HowHistoryWorks]

Thank you kindly! I will pass your compliment along to my editor.

[@sourabhmayekar3354]

The shoutout to Jonny Quest is much appreciated ❤

[@gtbkts]

Thanks for the awesome content and great video!

[@shubhamagnihotri190]

You should do podcasts for the same video, going in length about the subject, it will be very beneficial to people who want the full version

[@fremiamagus]

With all due respect, based on what has been presented here, Masayoshi is clearly nothing more than your average gambler.

[@gjd424]

I could smell we work as a scam from day one. 💯

[@HowHistoryWorks]

What's next do you think?

[@daathisone5459]

We work idea itself wasn't bad, but it was the CEO who was a scammer.

[@Nohandleentered]

I’m surprised he didn’t get tricked into some crypto crap. I wonder if one of these AI things will make a translator that can live translate speech, like the Star Trek translators

[@tomlxyz]

He wants to meet the founders in person and most crypto people tend to hide

[@scoobydoobers23]

GPT-4o does just that. Already.

[@EduardoEscarez]

He did, Softbank invested in FTX 😆

[@denvilleklockner]

FTX!

[@jmesa951]

Sounds more like a gambler

[@Nothinghere-p3e]

Imagine being The richest Man Alive for 3 days and Suddenly lose half of it

[@rockmysterio]

Yes good video about Masta Roshis son 😂

[@sourabhmayekar3354]

Nice

[@HowHistoryWorks]

So nice

[@cade8986]

Uploaded to the wrong… or right channel?

[@jimmyyu2184]

So.... Besides AliBaba, any other success stories? Or is this "Blind Squirrel" finding One Nut? Perhaps future will tell.

[@daathisone5459]

I am from India and I can tell u some of their investments like Flipkart, oyo, Ola, zomato, cred are all billion dollar companies where softbank has invested their money.

[@daikansanchez7674]

The biggest issue with "rapid growth" is its speed. When you grow something at a rapid pace, you are just inflating it. But as soon as you can no longer sustain that level of growth, that which you grew begins deflating because there isn't enough force/momentum/capital/energy to maintain the inflated state. Exactly what happens with balloons over time. And the whole problem is that these psychos' intention is to cash out when the thing they have been inflating reaches its maximum potential, and then sell it to the suckers. All of these with the collateral damages that come with the inflation and bursting problem.

[@ajseb3571]

He has already make it up for the vision fund loss by his ARM investment

[@finefeeling4825]

45b$ in a 45min meeting. A billion a minute ;)

[@commander630]

Dark Souls 2 catching strays 💀

[@alhaythum]

The setup of PN is good & the content. Just the new logo is not.

[@zurielsss]

He use to the hailed a genius for spotting investment opportunities 😂

[@EcomCarl]

Masayoshi story is a brilliant example of visionary leadership in action. His ability to bounce back from setbacks, like the WeWork incident, and continuously innovate in the tech industry is truly inspiring. 🌟

[@jzthegreat]

What has he innovated since we work?

[@Thelads517]

@@jzthegreat most notably arm ltd worth currently 120 billion they basically design most and license it out to firms like AMD , apple ext although he did the deal back in 2016 bit earlier than wework and did ipo 2023

[@squidsleap]

Right time, with resources, doest produce long term. Investing "because of his eyes" is just a loose cannon with loads of other peoples money. Accepting 45 billion from someone who has the psyche and the means to remove you is also very very risky.

[@Zuranthus]

unfortunately BS does talk in the world we live in

[@Banditxam4]

Don't mess with Saudis money... They are too particular about it... And he took money from the 2 Arab nations and blew them on wework 😂😂

[@Nope_handlesaretrash]

Let's be honest, not a single investor cares about Kashoggi being turned into dog food.

[@hrushikeshghanekar]

well his history seems like a made up one.

[@Focus293]

One things I've learned is that most billionaires have made up histories to Garner the sympathy and relativeness from their target market. They feel that the more they appear like they came from humble beginnings the more people will like them and in turn do more business with them. It's a PR marketing strategy. It's cool that you caught on 👍🏿

[@snaackytutx7648]

"Streaming yourself playing video games in a bathtub" This sure has aged well

[@Hello46446]

trust fr

[@screenwriterjohn]

He might be too rich to whack, or whack-off.

[@Manx123]

"worst investor ever" I saw that clickbait shit. Disliked.

[@rhythmandacoustics]

Gambler like Bill Hwang.

[@blackjew6827]

Rich father, make rich son.

[@HowHistoryWorks]

In many cases yes, but not here.

[@gjd424]

Nepo baby😅

[@bagussriyono874]

​@@HowHistoryWorkstbf "poor" is relative, I will even say he is considerably rich compare to other in his area at the time. Now, I'm not saying he got it easy cause it by no means easy. But his upbringing is great, surrounded by ambitious parent with enough fund and connection to be able to move to the US. Its not surprising that rag to riches like this rise from "pig farmer son" is exaggerated. No ordinary pig farmer will have the mindset to do what his parents did, they clearly educated. I'm guessing he also have a rich family history that his parents might be forced to leave behind in Korea.

[@princemc35]

​@@bagussriyono874Blud He wasn't rich either

[@princemc35]

Masayoshi didn't have rich parents Moving to another country doesn't make you rich