SoftBank’s AI Gamble Pays Off: Annual Profit Quadruples to $32 Billion on OpenAI Valuation Surge
SoftBank Group Corp. has reported a staggering net profit of 5 trillion yen ($32 billion) for the fiscal year ending March 2026, marking a complete turnaround for the Japanese tech giant. The performance was largely driven by a massive $45 billion gain within its Vision Fund, tied almost exclusively to the skyrocketing valuation of its stake in OpenAI. In the final quarter alone (Jan–March), the group booked a net profit of $11.6 billion, crushing market estimates by more than six-fold as OpenAI’s valuation hit an estimated $852 billion following its latest funding round.
Founder and CEO Masayoshi Son is doubling down on this momentum, executing a $30 billion follow-on investment in OpenAI throughout 2026. This move will bring SoftBank’s total commitment to $64.6 billion, securing a roughly 13% stake in the ChatGPT creator. To fund this ambitious expansion, SoftBank has strategically divested shares in Nvidia and T-Mobile, while leveraging its holdings in chip designer Arm. Despite warnings from credit agencies regarding loan-to-value ratios, Son remains undeterred, positioning SoftBank as the central pillar of the global AI infrastructure.