A Tale of Missed Fortunes and New Frontiers Jensen Huang and Masayoshi Son Reflect and Innovate at NVIDIA Japan Summit
1min read At the NVIDIA Japan Summit held on November 13, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang and SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son shared the stage in an engaging discussion that highlighted a pivotal yet regretful moment in SoftBank's investment history. Huang, in a moment of lighthearted banter, praised Son's past achievements, including bringing the iPhone to Japan, before revealing that Son was once NVIDIA's largest shareholder.
Son humorously feigned tears upon hearing Huang's compliment, sparking laughter from the audience. This exchange touched on a significant misstep in Son's investment journey. Back in 2017, SoftBank's Vision Fund acquired roughly 4.9% of NVIDIA's stock for around $4 billion, positioning itself as a major shareholder. However, by early 2019, SoftBank had begun divesting its shares, which would have now grown exponentially in value.
For Son, renowned for his visionary investment acumen, the decision to sell off NVIDIA shares marked a rare oversight. Not many would have predicted NVIDIA's meteoric rise to its current market valuation. Yet, Son was not the only one regretting missed opportunities. Huang himself confessed to turning down Son's proposal a decade ago, which involved taking NVIDIA private.
Despite these past missteps, the two executives are now collaboratively forging ahead. SoftBank is leveraging NVIDIA's cutting-edge Blackwell platform to construct Japan's most powerful AI supercomputer. This initiative is set to transform telecommunications further as the companies plan to integrate AI and 5G technologies, establishing a pioneering AI and 5G telecom network globally.
