Masayoshi Son

“Robots have already surpassed human beings in calculation and memory, but I have no doubt that the time will come when they will surpass in wisdom as well.”

“Our aim is to develop affectionate robots that can make people smile.”

“I am actually better at predicting or talking about 30 years later than three years.”

“SoftBank has had a lot of businesses, but they've always ranked, say, third in Japan or fourth in the U.S.”

“My belief is that we should never become overconfident.”

“My philosophy is that the digital revolution will make mankind happier and more productive, and that won't change over the next 300 years. If you don't stick to that original philosophy, even perfect control of a bunch of companies isn't going to do you any good.”

“I believe this artificial intelligence is going to be our partner. If we misuse it, it will be a risk. If we use it right, it can be our partner.”

“I'm the king of debt.”

“It's actually sad to be rich.”

“The autonomous car is definitely coming, and when that stage comes, this ride-share business becomes even more important.”

“I think I became an entrepreneur because I have my way of doing business... to do that, you have to have your own company. But if you have your own company, you're an outsider in the Japanese business world. It's difficult. But that's life.”

“I use the iPhone and iPad every day, and I no longer touch PCs at all.”

“Best thing for a government to do is to eliminate obstacles like filing registrations, getting licences, and so on... tedious steps slow everything down.”

“It would take enormous expertise for Amazon to win in every category. Do you think McDonald's could be number one in hamburgers, seafood, and Chinese food?”

“To have real success and roots in a society, there has to be a local champion, and hence we believe in identifying a local entrepreneur.”

“Just like I gave Jack Ma and Alibaba the luxury of staying private for longer, I am now giving Arm the gift of being private. My only message to them now is take my investment and let's go, go, go.”

“I said from the very beginning, 'Yahoo should position itself as a technology innovation company, not as a media company.'”

“If you live in the States, you see the windmill signal on your smartphone all the time. It's like living in Beijing air. You have to remember the blue sky.”

“We are not experts on everything. We are not capable of doing everything by ourselves. There are a bunch of other smarter people around the world.”

“I don't like accidental success. It's what Bill Gates calls 'random,' a term he uses with the opposite of respect.”