The Untold Story of Japan’s Boldest Billionaire with Lionel Barber episode artwork

EPISODE · Jul 8, 2025 · 35 MIN

The Untold Story of Japan’s Boldest Billionaire with Lionel Barber

from The Coral Capital Podcast · host Coral Capital

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.If you're working on something ambitious, we’d love to hear from you at Coral Capital!Get in touch with us here: bit.ly/contactcoralConnect with Lionel: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lionel-barber-473826135/X: https://x.com/lionelbarberConnect with James:X: https://x.com/james_rineyLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesrineyConnect with Tiffany:X: https://x.com/tiffanykayoLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffanykayo/

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.If you're working on something ambitious, we’d love to hear from you at Coral Capital!Get in touch with us here: bit.ly/contactcoralConnect with Lionel: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lionel-barber-473826135/X: https://x.com/lionelbarberConnect with James:X: https://x.com/james_rineyLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesrineyConnect with Tiffany:X: https://x.com/tiffanykayoLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffanykayo/

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The Untold Story of Japan’s Boldest Billionaire with Lionel Barber

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This episode was published on July 8, 2025.

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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...

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