Re:SoftBank’s Vision Fund Loses $17.7B on WeWork, Uber
by malandrew on Monday May 18, 2020 @06:23PM
(#23229095)
> The mistake SoftBank made wasn’t investing in them...
The mistake Softbank made was investing in direct competitors without enough control to make those competitors play nicely.
Instead you get companies both buying marketshare using softbank's money that are forced to do so because the other has softbank's money. That's just lighting money on fire. The majority of the investment should have gone to R&D and developing durable assets that bring value in perpetuity. Buying marketshare through promotions is the opposite of that.
The mistake Softbank made was investing in direct competitors without enough control to make those competitors play nicely.
Instead you get companies both buying marketshare using softbank's money that are forced to do so because the other has softbank's money. That's just lighting money on fire. The majority of the investment should have gone to R&D and developing durable assets that bring value in perpetuity. Buying marketshare through promotions is the opposite of that.