https://wccftech.com/is-softbank-destroying-the-successful-tech-ipo-through-overvaluation/

SoftBank (TYO:9984) has been coming more into the consciousness of Western tech enthusiasts in recent years. Not long ago a relative unknown in the in the West, it was a Japanese telecoms provider but that all changed with a small investment of $25 million 20 years ago during the formative stages of Alibaba (NYSE:BABA). Fast forward to earlier this year and SoftBank booked an $11 billion profit on its stake in Alibaba by selling some of its holdings in what is undoubtedly one of the biggest success stories of the Chinese tech industry. If you’re interested, you may wish to read more of the background about SoftBank’s transition from a telco to a structured finance house here.

Since then, Masayoshi Son has pivoted his focus from the telco business to tech investing with the huge Vision Fund, a $100 billion, heavily Middle-East backed investment fund aimed at identifying and investing in the tech industry across a range of sectors. Previous comments from SoftBank have indicated that it is heavily focused on investing in the area of AI (read our coverage here) but that hasn’t stopped its roving eye from investing in everything from WeWork (effectively a serviced office space company) to Uber (NYSE:UBER), Slack (workplace messaging NYSE:WORK) and Wag (a dog walking app).