SoftBank Vision Fund Plans 20% Job Cuts Amid AI Strategy Shift

SoftBank Group's Vision Fund is laying off about 20% of its workforce as part of a strategic shift to focus on founder Masayoshi Son's ambitious artificial intelligence investments, particularly in the United States. The fund, currently employing around 44 to 282 people depending on sources, is reallocating resources toward large-scale AI projects such as the $500 billion Stargate initiative in partnership with OpenAI. This marks the third round of layoffs since 2022 and represents a move away from a broad venture capital portfolio toward more concentrated, high-conviction bets on AI and breakthrough technologies. Despite recent strong quarterly performance driven by holdings like Nvidia, the Vision Fund is reducing its staff to better execute Son's long-term strategy. The restructuring reflects Son’s classic approach of making massive, focused investments, moving away from the sprawling investment model of previous years. SoftBank aims to create long-term value by dedicating more resources to capital-intensive AI infrastructure and industrial projects.