The Next 500 Years: Japan’s Masayoshi Son Goes Darwin
Masayoshi Son laid out in Darwinian episteme a 300-year business plan that would ensure his Tokyo-based Softbank would tower. But first, in his comparison of business to living species, he vowed that Softbank would continue to exist after the next 30 years, during which 99.98 percent of companies would cease to exist in their current composition.
What are some the US’s keystone companies doing to ensure their survival over the long term? Well taking annual doses of taxpayer money, depending on a growing US state and continuing US imperialism. It was the dope they’ve been smoking for essentially the last 100 years, and its a high US business hopes to enjoy for probably the next 100 years.
Son has become Japan’s second richest man, with approximately $9.3 billion in wealth, according to Bloomberg Billionaire’s Index. He owns stakes in Yahoo Inc., Alibaba Group and Zynga Inc. In his biggest deal, he purchased Vodafone Group’s mobile-phone business in Japan. He now aims to expand his controlling stake in Sprint Nextel Inc. and other US-based corporations.
His 300 year plan calls for his investment in 5,000 companies by 2040. This he feels will give all of his unborn successors a base to build on. Softbank was the first carrier of Apple Inc.’s iPhone and iPad in Japan, helping the company boost earnings seven-fold over four years to a record 314 billion yen in net income. Shares haven climbed 27 percent this year, sending the company to a market value of 3.2 trillion yen. Son aims to raise that figure to 200 trillion yen by 2040.
“A person’s life is over in 50, 100 years,” said Son. “But a company lives on through the people it is composed of and Softbank group has to survive even after I’m gone.”
It took 500 years for western civilization to span the globe totally through overt financial manipulation and traditional war. The next 500 years belongs to whichever businesses and corporations are the most innovative – no matter how extreme, radical or immoral – and proactive in implementing their long-term business plans. Those without centuries in mind, will wither in decades.