About 10 years ago, SoftBank released a slideshow presentation on the company’s 300-year plan. “Unknown virus” got one reference, on slide 69 of 133.
Perhaps coronavirus will just be a blip in the company’s long-term plan for world domination. Perhaps SoftBank’s vision of investing in artificial intelligence and other dominant technology companies will pay off in the long run, just as billionaire CEO Masayoshi Son envisioned when he kicked off the Vision Fund, the unprecedented $100 billion private equity fund that has invested in about 90 companies over the past three years.