Masayoshi Son's failed investment in Bitcoin: a lesson from a billionaire

Even the most successful investors in the world can make mistakes. Masayoshi Son, founder of SoftBank and one of the most influential tech magnates, experienced this reality firsthand when he lost over 130 million dollars in Bitcoin.

What happened?

After acquiring Fortress Investment in 2017, an asset management firm whose holdings in cryptocurrencies were around 150 million dollars, Son was pushed by Peter Briger, co-chairman of Fortress and vocal advocate for Bitcoin, to enter the market. The timing was disastrous: he bought at the speculative peak of late 2017 and closed his positions in early 2018, just as the market collapsed.

The Lesson Behind Failure

The interesting thing is not just the lost figure ( for a man like Son, it's pocket change ), but his subsequent reflection. He publicly acknowledged that after seeing the price of Bitcoin rise without apparent logic, he realized he did not want to be someone obsessed with fluctuating figures day by day.

Your conclusion: there are more valuable things in life that deserve attention. Although it sounds like billionaire philosophy, it touches on a valid point about the difference between informed investing and pure speculation.

Market Context

This anecdote is emblematic of the 2017-2018 cycle: even sophisticated institutional investors were caught up in the speculative frenzy. Bitcoin nearly hit $20,000 before dropping more than 80%, and many who bought near the peak took years to recover.

The case of Son illustrates that recognizing mistakes, even among the wealthiest, is part of the game. The difference is that he could afford to learn the lesson for 130 million dollars.