SoftBank's Masayoshi Son Sells $5.8B Nvidia Stake to Fund OpenAI, Calls Move 'Painful Necessity'

Masayoshi Son, CEO of SoftBank Group, revealed at the FII Priority Asia forum in Tokyo that the company sold its entire $5.8 billion stake in Nvidia in October 2025 to secure capital for investments in OpenAI and AI infrastructure projects.

Son emotionally admitted, "I was crying to sell Nvidia shares," emphasizing that he did not want to sell a single share but needed the funds for larger ventures. SoftBank has committed an initial $7.5 billion to OpenAI in early 2025, with plans to invest up to $40 billion total, including a $22.5 billion installment contingent on OpenAI's business restructuring.

The sale contributed to SoftBank's record quarterly profits of 2.5 trillion yen ($16.6 billion), bolstered by paper gains from its OpenAI investment. Historically, SoftBank sold a $3.3 billion Nvidia stake in 2019, which would now be valued at over $150 billion if held, a point Son referenced with regret.

Son defended the massive AI spending, predicting that AI and robotics will account for 10% of global GDP, worth around $20 trillion annually, within a decade. He dismissed concerns about an AI bubble, stating critics are "not smart enough."

To fund these investments, SoftBank also divested $9.17 billion in T-Mobile stock and utilized various financial instruments, including bonds and loans backed by Arm Holdings shares. The Stargate data-center project, part of the infrastructure push, has faced delays in partner alignment.