19 | | SEPETEMBER 2026societal progress, advocating sustained investment in research and development to prepare the industry for the challenges ahead.Under her leadership, AMD evolved from an embattled chipmaker into one of the most formidable players in high-performance computing. Lisa's story offers a powerful lesson in turnaround leadership: when short-term fixes are not enough, leaders may need the courage to make difficult long-term bets, stay focused on their strengths, and keep executing until the results catch up with the vision.2. Masayoshi Son, SoftBank: Taking Bold Bets on the Next Growth WaveWhen COVID-19 sent global markets into turmoil, SoftBank found itself facing one of the darkest periods in its history. The Japanese conglomerate reported a staggering $9 billion annual loss, its worst result ever, following major investment setbacks including the WeWork fiasco and a $17 billion deficit at its $100 billion Vision Fund. For founder and CEO Masayoshi Son, the crisis put his aggressive investment strategy under intense scrutiny.The SoftBank Challenge: When Bold Bets Backfired Masayoshi moved quickly to change course. Within months, SoftBank staged a remarkable reversal, recording a $11.8 billion net profit in the April-to-July quarter, while its stock gained 34 percent during the financial year. Strategic repositioning, asset sales, tighter capital management, and a renewed focus on valuable holdings helped drive the recovery. More than a financial turnaround, SoftBank's comeback demonstrated Son's willingness to reassess, adapt, and make difficult decisions when circumstances demanded it.The first major lever was asset sales. Masayoshi began unlocking value from some of SoftBank's most prized holdings, selling stakes in Alibaba, the company's Japanese mobile telecom business, and T-Mobile in the US, among others. The strategy generated much-needed liquidity while giving SoftBank greater room to navigate the crisis. At the time, there was also persistent speculation that Son was considering selling Arm Holdings, the British chip designer he had repeatedly called one of SoftBank's most valuable and strategically important assets.The second factor was the resilience of several investments amid the chaos. While pandemic lockdowns and travel restrictions battered previously promising bets such as Uber, other SoftBank-backed companies successfully went public, delivering strong returns to the conglomerate. At the same time, shares of companies positioned to benefit from the pandemic continued to climb, further strengthening SoftBank's portfolio. Together, these developments gave Masayoshi valuable breathing room--and helped turn a moment of crisis into an opportunity to reshape the conglomerate's investment strategy.Leadership Lesson to Learn from Masayoshi Son: Know When to Change Course Forced onto the back foot by a cascade of setbacks, Masayoshi Son fought his way back by fundamentally changing course. While he initially announced plans for a second, even larger Vision Fund, Masayoshi soon shifted away from aggressive acquisitions and partnerships. Instead, SoftBank focused on selling assets, building a substantial cash cushion, and investing with greater caution. It was a striking departure from the bold, high-risk strategy that had defined the conglomerate for years.The gamble paid off. SoftBank's share price rebounded to nearly twice its level during the dark days of March, turning what had looked like a potential collapse into a remarkable recovery. 3. Lee Jae-yong, Samsung: Preparing for the Next Technology CycleSamsung Electronics once relied on its Future Strategy Office to drive synergy across major affiliates, identify new business opportunities, and shape the group's long-term direction. But the organization came under intense scrutiny after Samsung Chairman Lee Jae-yong became embroiled in legal proceedings over allegations linked to political intervention and the controversial merger of Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries.In its aftermath, Samsung adopted a more streamlined alternative: the Business Support Task Force, often described as a "mini­Future Strategy Office." The new structure sought to preserve some of the coordination and strategic oversight of its predecessor while operating under greater scrutiny and a more cautious governance framework.In the language of the pandemic-era markets, SoftBank's resurgence was unmistakably V-shaped--and a testament to Masayoshi's willingness to abandon old playbooks when the circumstances demanded itScan the QR code to read the full Article
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