6. SoftBank Buys ARM
In 2016, SoftBank stunned the tech world by spending $32 billion in cash to buy the British chip designer ARM. Just weeks after Brexit had shaken the U.K., Masayoshi Son jumped in with what many called a “paradigm-shift” bet on the future of connected devices. From smartphones to driverless cars, ARM’s tiny chip designs were everywhere; and SoftBank was determined to own the brainpower behind the world’s technology.