Tokyo, September 19, 2025 — SoftBank Group’s Vision Fund is preparing to lay off about 20% of its workforce as founder Masayoshi Son doubles down on bold bets in artificial intelligence, according to multiple reports.
Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter, said the job cuts would affect more than 50 employees at the Vision Fund unit, which had 282 staff at the end of March 2025. At its peak in 2020, the fund employed as many as 474 people, but its workforce has already shrunk by about 40% over the past five years.
A spokesperson for the Vision Fund confirmed the layoffs, stating: “We continually adjust the organization to best execute our long-term strategy—making bold, high-conviction investments in AI and breakthrough technologies.”
Shift Toward AI
The layoffs underscore how the once-sprawling Vision Fund has lost prominence amid Son’s push into AI. Once celebrated for its $100 billion-plus portfolio of high-profile technology bets, the unit has been gradually scaled back as SoftBank narrows its focus on a handful of large, high-stakes investments.
Among Son’s major AI initiatives:
- Around $30 billion earmarked for OpenAI, with nearly $10 billion already invested.
- A $6.5 billion acquisition of chipmaker Ampere Computing, now under regulatory review.
- A $500 billion “Stargate” project, launched with OpenAI and Oracle, to build AI data centers across the US.
- Early plans for a $1 trillion AI industrial park, with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) as a potential partner.
As SoftBank consolidates around these mega-deals, the Vision Fund no longer requires a large team of investment advisers to oversee smaller or legacy transactions.
From De-Risking to High Stakes
The restructuring signals a return to Son’s hallmark high-risk, high-reward strategy. The Vision Fund, which once sought to spread capital across hundreds of startups, has been in retreat since high-profile losses — most notably its disastrous bet on WeWork — forced the group to sell assets, cut costs, and rebuild credibility.
Now, Son is steering SoftBank back toward concentrated wagers in AI, marking what could be the next defining chapter of the group’s investment journey.
Summary
- SoftBank’s Vision Fund will cut about 20% of staff (50+ roles), shrinking further from its 2020 peak.
- The layoffs reflect Masayoshi Son’s pivot from venture-style investments to massive AI bets.
- Key AI moves include $30B in OpenAI, $6.5B for Ampere, a $500B Stargate data center project, and a proposed $1T AI industrial park.
- The Vision Fund, once central to SoftBank’s strategy, has been downsized as Son returns to concentrated, high-stakes wagers.
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