A tech fortune dating from the dotcom boom. A multi-billionaire founder trying to work out his company’s next act. An ambitious manager waiting in the wings.
Nikesh Arora, who has just stepped down as president of SoftBank and heir apparent to the legendary Masayoshi Son, must feel as though he has seen it all before.
Before decamping to the Japanese company two years ago, the former telecom executive spent a decade at Google, rising to become its chief business officer. He faced much the same situation there: two hugely wealthy founders were grappling with the question of how to find a new lease of life for one of the great internet empires, and showing no inclination to hand over the reins.