Masayoshi Son’s Personal Stake in SoftBank Trading Unit Draws Fire

SoftBank poured about $20 billion into stocks and derivatives
Son owns one third of the unit responsible for trading

Masayoshi Son has been on a selling spree, unloading $53 billion of assets in a move originally meant to help reduce debt and fund buybacks. — Masayoshi Son has been on a selling spree, unloading $53 billion of assets in a move originally meant to help reduce debt and fund buybacks.
Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg

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By Pavel Alpeyev

November 10, 2020 at 9:44 AM UTC

Updated on

November 10, 2020 at 11:58 PM UTC

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SoftBank Group Corp.’s already controversial stock and options trading program is drawing fresh fire from investors because of Masayoshi Son’s personal stake in the trading.

Son faced a barrage of questions about the transactions on a late-evening call with analysts and fund managers after an earnings announcement Monday, according to people who took part in the briefing. SoftBank has poured about $20 billion into tech stocks and derivatives through a unit in which the billionaire personally holds a one-third stake.