I’m not much of a risk taker, but I like reading about them. It gives me a sort of gentle queasiness, like being in a very tall building and peering over the edge. That was my impression of reading Lionel Barber’s new biography of Masayoshi Son, Gambling Man.

Maybe you know Son’s name from the WeWork debacle (I can call it that, I still own that garbage stock) or from other Softbank Vision Fund investments. True confession: Until reading this book, I never even stopped to consider if Softbank was a bank (it isn’t). I knew Masayoshi Son from the headlines but there’s so much more to understand.

Given his role in technology, and especially with what’s next in the AI space, it’s important to know the man behind the big moves. What I like about Masa is you can never count him out. He takes the kind of risks that would doom most of us but his belief in himself remains unshakeable. That type of personality tends to cut both ways and Barber gives a very balanced view of what it takes to be Masa and what that ruthlessness brings out in other people.

Lionel Barber had incredible access for this book, interviewing Masa and other key players multiple times. It’s one of those times when the right writer finds the perfect subject. You need someone with Barber’s journalistic chops to put it all together. He’s also a very charming interview. I really enjoyed talking to him and hearing the stories as only he can tell them…

This interview was done as part of the New Books Network, a fantastic podcast platform that features dozens of author interviews with leading academics and thoughtleaders each week.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC to this book in exchange for an honest review.

The timing of this book is very interesting as Softbank has come to the forefront of the news as a primary part of the Stargate program and Softbank is synonymous with their founder, Masayoshi Son. He seems to be tech visionary, opportunistic gambler, a little PT Barnum, and most definitely a man willing to go against the norms of society. I thought this was a very interesting portrait of a complex man, and in some ways, I do not think the book explores enough his motivations, etc. Bottomline though, this was a very interesting book about a man who globally continues to play a primary role as tech investor and tech direction influencer, yet it seems those of us in the West know very little about. 4-stars

Gambling Man is the first Western biography of SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son. This book goes back a couple generations so we can learn what world Son comes from. He is the son of a pachinko kingpin who grew up in a slum in Japan.
Honestly, I didn’t know who Masayoshi Son and reading a biography on him was a complete learning experience. Thank you Atria and NetGalley for an ARC. #NetGalley #GamblingMan

Oof. Marketers, I beg of you: please don't sell a book as being "unputdownable," as it's soooo subjective and creates unrealistic expectations that are often dashed. Because I picked this up and read a bit of it a few times, but every time I put down my Kindle, I never felt the urge to pick it back up again... until, one day, that stuck.

Oh, it's not a *bad* book. Barber's prose is very stylish, sometimes unbelievably so; at times I wondered if he wasn't perhaps taking TOO many creative liberties with assuming that he knew what people were thinking or feeling.

I was okay with this at first, especially coupled with learning that Son's family are zainichi--ethnic Koreans living in Japan--who I first learned about in Min Jin Lee's Pachinko. It added a layer of intrigue to Son that I hadn't expected.

But when the business stuff started, the more I tried to read, the more confused I got. The book never really seemed to adequately explain what, exactly, Son's business is in. Software? Just... making money? I don't have a head for any of these things, and I wished the book had stepped back from its stylistic choices a bit to give readers a bit more straightforward information about what it is that Son did to make money.

After the book started to move into Son's cycles of making maverick amounts of money and then losing almost the same amount due to risky (stupid?) business behavior, I felt lost and disinterested. I wanted more of the "human" side and less of the "business".

Fascinating. I'd not heard of Masayoshi - Masa- Son and thus came fresh to this biography which is focused on his rise to financial power and philanthropy. And what a roller coaster it was! It was interesting to see the connections between Son and others as well as how influential his empire is. If I have a quibble- and it's a big one- it's that he remains an enigma on a personal level. That's not Barber's fault it's that Son clearly holds back. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. For fans of the financial pages and of biographies.

This book is most impressive of a philanthropist, risk taker and big investor: Masayoshi (Masa) Son. In 1981, he created SoftBank, Japan’s leading PC software distributor; a net worth of $82.77 billion (as of November 25, 2024). This book captures a vivid image of Masa and how he built a business like no other. He made it with impressive results and some would say he acquired a powerful sense of greatness.

Who is this man that benefitted from the fast-moving digital age? Masa somehow was able to find the profitable deals as if he was playing an advanced game of chess. He visualized the future and gambled with huge sums of money. He was right on top of the financial game with his private jets to meet with top tech leaders and potential start-up companies.

The book was engaging with conversations Lionel Barber tracked down from an extensive amount of research and interviews. He was able to get into the head of Masa and how he had a deep desire to be wealthy and more powerful than any other man. The book showcased the rapidly moving innovations in the tech world.

It’s well written and brings back memories of pinball machines, floppy discs, dial-up connections and the long lines for the first Apple iPhones. Barber ended the book with Masa’s imagination and thoughts on what’s next.

While reading about the billions of funds controlled by people like Masayoshi Son, Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Elon Musk and others, it’s a natural response to think of what more they could be doing for climate change, poverty and peace in our world. Much of the book reminds readers of what has happened with technology and misleading information. It makes us wonder if it has made our world a better place. This book would make an excellent one for discussions.

My thanks to Atria and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of January 21, 2025.