SoftBank’s Son ‘Cried’ Over Sale of Entire Nvidia Stake
SoftBank Group announced in November that it sold its entire stake in Nvidia, which is about 32.1 million shares, reaping approximately $5.83 billion.
At the FII Priority Asia forum in Tokyo on December 1, 2025, SoftBank’s founder and CEO Masayoshi Son addressed the sale for the first time.
He expressed deep reluctance about the move:
“I don’t want to sell a single share,” he said. “I just had more need for money to invest in OpenAI and other projects. I was crying to sell Nvidia shares.”
Son said the decision was driven by a requirement to raise capital for a range of upcoming AI-related initiatives, including data-centre development, acquisition of a U.S. semiconductor design firm, and further investments in OpenAI.
He defended the decision against accusations of contributing to an AI bubble.
According to Son, if artificial intelligence reaches a scale where it accounts for 10% of global GDP in the long term, this level of investment could be justified.
He challenged critics by asking:
“Where is the bubble here?”
The sale marks a clear strategic shift for SoftBank, as the firm reallocates capital from hardware via Nvidia to broader infrastructure and software bets in the AI domain.
