SoftBank chief Masayoshi Son pitches a new path for self-driving cars
Masayoshi Son has long prided himself on his ability to detect big shifts in technology early on. During his four decades leading SoftBank, a free-spending Japanese investment group, the billionaire has made some spectacularly successful investments. And some epic flops.
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In recent months, Son has been laying out plans for a new big bet: self-driving cars.
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Offering CollegeCourseWebsiteIndian School of BusinessProfessional Certificate in Product ManagementVisitIIT DelhiCertificate Programme in Data Science & Machine LearningVisitMIT xPROMIT Technology Leadership and InnovationVisit Befitting his maverick approach, Son's pitch does not resemble other efforts to develop autonomous vehicles. He is trying to persuade automakers from around the world, rivals under most scenarios, to work together to use artificial intelligence to accelerate autonomous driving advances. That way, the thinking goes, they will be able to overcome the challenges that have led some to abandon self-driving car efforts.
In recent months, Son, 66, has summoned automotive executives to a tatami-mat-floored room at the top of a skyscraper in Tokyo Bay to discuss the idea, including the CEOs and autonomous-driving leaders of Honda Motor and Nissan Motor. He has also spoken with the CEO of Uber.
Son's vision is to assemble a
