Lionel Barber and Zanny Minton Beddoes on the Story of the World’s Wildest Investor, Part One

Intelligence Squared

Japan’s Masayoshi Son has purportedly invested or controlled assets worth $1trn in the past two decades through his media-tech giant, SoftBank. He bankrolled Alibaba, China’s internet colossus, before the world had heard about it. He plotted with Steve Jobs to turn the iPhone into a miracle product and he invested in hundreds of tech start-ups, helping to fuel the biggest boom Silicon Valley has ever seen. The business magnate is the focus of former FT Editor Lionel Barber's new book, Gambling Man: The Wild Ride of Japan's Masayoshi Son. In this episode, Barber joins Editor-in-Chief of The Economist Zanny Minton Beddoes live onstage to discuss what we can learn from Son’s remarkable story.

This is the first instalment of a three-part episode. If you'd like to become a Member and get access to the full conversation immediately as an early access subscriber, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more.

For £4.99 per month you'll also receive:

- Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts

- Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series

- 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events

...

Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99:

- Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts

- Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series

...

Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content and early access.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices