「ステビ・ジョブズとの握手に基づく170億ドルの賭け」

A fascinating week in Apple history continues with a new article about SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son's story of betting $17 billion on a gentleman's agreement with Steve Jobs.

Masa, known as the world's richest man and a Japanese businessman, had already become aware that Apple was developing a mobile phone two and a half years ago.

While not household names in America, Masa became the world's richest person for three days before the dot-com bubble burst at the beginning of 2000.

Even after losing most of his wealth, the iPhone played an important role in his financial recovery. Now, he is one of the world's largest investors, conducting over a trillion dollar transactions in the past 20 years.

In his new autobiography, Masa reveals that he noticed Apple was developing a mobile phone and took risks based on an unspoken agreement with Jobs. The author, Romain Barba, tells this story.

When California visited him in summer 2005, he showed Jobs a sketch of his iPod with mobile functionality. He thought the new device could handle data and images. However, Jobs rejected the idea but couldn't miss the hint about the iPhone.

Work: "Masayoshi, don't show me your dirty drawing. I have my own."

Masa: "But I don't need to give you my dirty paper. As soon as your product is ready, I'll bring it to Japan."

The work didn't reveal further details, but Masa found a smile in Alibaba's CEO's face. When he pressed him further, Masa asked Jobs for additional meetings to discuss a tudor-style rural house meeting in Palo Alto. At that meeting, Masa says that Jobs agreed in principle to give SoftBank exclusive distribution rights of the iPhone in Japan. "I understand, Masayoshi. You're crazy. Although you haven't been talking to anyone, you were the first to look for me. Give it to me."

Just Steve's words alone made Masa buy Frequent Flyer Japan from SoftBank for $17 billion. This allowed SoftBank to gain exclusive distribution rights of the iPhone 3G model, which was compatible with local networks, in Japan. The transaction actually took place, and of course, the bet was very large.

Masa has a reputation for colorful stories, but the facts largely align with his account. And it's possible that Steve's praise for his vision and courage played an important role.

Photo: Apple