In this episode of The Coral Capital Podcast former Financial Times editor and author of Gambling Man, joins Tiffany Kayo and James Riney for a conversation about one of Japan’s most enigmatic figures: Masayoshi Son.

Barber shares what it was like sitting across from Masa, why his story is more than a business saga, and how SoftBank’s founder became a symbol of Japan’s global ambitions and contradictions.

We get into:

• The early years: Pachinko, pseudonyms, and SoftBank before Silicon Valley

• Behind-the-scenes stories of his deal with Donald Trump

• The $500B Stargate Project with Sam Altman and Larry Ellison of OpenAI

• Personal stories from Lionel’s interviews with Masa, his family, and the unlikely figures who shaped his journey—including Steve Jobs

Lionel’s book: https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/Gambling-Man-Wild-Japan’s-Masayoshi/dp/0241582725 

The Japanese edition of the book will be launched soon.

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Connect with Lionel:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lionel-barber-473826135/

X: https://x.com/lionelbarber

Connect with James:

X: https://x.com/james_riney

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesriney

Connect with Tiffany:

X: https://x.com/tiffanykayo

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffanykayo/