Softbank Company News & Analysis — The Information

Recent Articles about Softbank

Sam Altman, left, and Sundar Pichai. Photos by Getty Images

ChatGPT Nears 900 Million Weekly Active Users But Gemini is Catching Up

By Sri Muppidi · Dec 9, 2025 7:00am PST · 1 comment

The competition between AI chatbots has been heating up, with Google’s Gemini nipping at OpenAI’s heels. On Monday, I wrote about how Gemini’s share of weekly mobile app downloads increased in late November following the release of Gemini 3, according to data from research firm Sensor Tower, which says it tracks 5 million consumers... The competition between AI chatbots has been heating up, with Google’s Gemini nipping at OpenAI’s...

Aidan Gomez, CEO of Cohere. Chris J. Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Cohere CEO Says His Gross Profit Margins Are Great; Takeaways From NeurIPS

By Aaron Holmes and Stephanie Palazzolo · Dec 8, 2025 7:00am PST

Before we get to today’s column, check out this story about last week’s Neural Information Processing Systems conference, where a number of researchers cast doubt on some of today’s most popular techniques for improving AI. Some researchers, including at OpenAI, have ideas for new techniques that could produce better results.Other researchers... Before we get to today’s column, check out this story about last week’s Neural Information...

Larry Ellison, Hock Tan Take the Stage This Week

Larry Ellison, Hock Tan Take the Stage This Week

By Martin Peers · Dec 7, 2025 3:00pm PST

Step aside, young folks of tech. This week we hear from the industry’s, ah, elder statesmen—specifically Larry Ellison at Oracle and Hock Tan from Broadcom, whose combined age is about 150. Oracle and Broadcom are each reporting their latest quarterly earnings this week, when the status of their newish AI businesses will be in the spotlight. In... Step aside, young folks of tech. This week we hear from the industry’s, ah, elder statesmen—...

Ivan Zhao, CEO of Notion, and Jane Dunlevie, chief operating officer of tech investment banking at Goldman Sachs

In Las Vegas, Kalshi Is King

By Cory Weinberg · Nov 20, 2025 3:43pm PST · 1 comment

Ivan Zhao, CEO of Notion, and Jane Dunlevie, chief operating officer of tech investment banking at Goldman Sachs

In Las Vegas, Kalshi Is King

By Cory Weinberg · Nov 20, 2025 3:43pm PST · 1 comment

For 15 years, Goldman Sachs’ private tech conference in Las Vegas has been the event for taking the pulse of startup dealmaking. Years ago, it was possible to run into founders such as Uber’s Travis Kalanick and Instagram’s Kevin Systrom raising money for their then-small startups. The conference is much bigger now (which makes some investors... For 15 years, Goldman Sachs’ private tech conference in Las Vegas has been the event for taking...

President Donald Trump, left, and White House AI "czar" David Sacks. Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images.

What’s Next for State AI Laws After Trump Order

By Rocket Drew · Nov 20, 2025 7:00am PST · 1 comment

The White House plans an executive order to block states from passing laws regulating AI, as we reported Wednesday. Instead of state laws, the order suggests there should be a federal law governing the information that AI companies have to disclose and how they handle potential bias in models. Specifically, it directs White House AI “czar”... The White House plans an executive order to block states from passing laws regulating AI, as we...

The former General Motors and Foxconn factory in Lordstown, Ohio. New owner SoftBank plans to remodel the EV factory to produce data center components for OpenAI. Photo by Getty Images.

SoftBank to Invest Up to $3 Billion in Factory for OpenAI Data Centers

By Sri Muppidi · Nov 20, 2025 6:00am PST · 1 comment

SoftBank plans to invest up to $3 billion to remodel an electric vehicle plant in Lordstown, Ohio, that will produce equipment for OpenAI’s forthcoming data centers, according to two people with knowledge of the plans. The Japanese conglomerate, one of the largest investors in OpenAI, will use the factory to supply data center sites in Texas and... SoftBank plans to invest up to $3 billion to remodel an electric vehicle plant in Lordstown,...

Photos by Getty Images. Art by Mike Sullivan.

Artificial Intelligence

Elon Musk’s Lawsuit Could Cost OpenAI More Than $1 Billion

By Rocket Drew · Nov 19, 2025 9:30am PST · 1 comment

When OpenAI announced that it had completed its corporate restructuring last month, it became less likely that Elon Musk’s federal lawsuit against the company would foil OpenAI’s plans. Musk hasn’t given up, but even if he wins the case, he is unlikely to inflict any meaningful damage on OpenAI. There’s a decent chance that the case will go to... When OpenAI announced that it had completed its corporate restructuring last month, it became...

Art by Clark Miller

It’s too Soon to Call an End to the AI Boom

By Ken Brown · Nov 19, 2025 8:00am PST · 3 comments

Art by Clark Miller

The Information Finance

It’s too Soon to Call an End to the AI Boom

By Ken Brown · Nov 19, 2025 8:00am PST · 3 comments

I’m the senior finance editor here at The Information. I’ll be writing this new column on money, dealmaking and bubbles of all sorts every Wednesday. If you have any feedback or suggestions on topics I should explore, feel free to reply directly with your feedback.We’re launching this newsletter to cover the increasing role finance is... I’m the senior finance editor here at The Information. I’ll be writing this new column on money,...

Kabir Barday, founder and CEO of OneTrust. Photo by Getty Images

OneTrust, Privacy Startup Last Valued at $4.5 Billion, Discusses Private Equity Sale

By Valida Pau and Cory Weinberg · Nov 13, 2025 3:13pm PST · 1 comment

OneTrust, a nine-year-old startup that benefited from a wave of European and U.S. laws regulating how companies collect and share website data, is exploring a sale—possibly to private equity buyers, according to people familiar with the discussions. The Atlanta-based startup, which sells privacy and compliance software, is the latest... OneTrust, a nine-year-old startup that benefited from a wave of European and U.S. laws regulating...

Art by Clark Miller.

2026 Watch List: The Candidates, the Wildcard, and the IPO Market’s Tunnel Vision

By The Information Staff · Nov 12, 2025 11:42am PST · 1 comment

The 2025 initial public offering market was defined by a stark divergence: a welcome comeback year for new listings that instantly created clear winners and losers. While investors rewarded companies with an artificial intelligence or cryptocurrency narrative, stocks of consumer facing companies and software firms that couldn’t articulate an... The 2025 initial public offering market was defined by a stark divergence: a welcome comeback...

Andy Rubin. Getty Images

Android Creator Andy Rubin Launches Robotics Startup in Tokyo

By Juro Osawa · Nov 12, 2025 10:02am PST

Andy Rubin, creator of Android and a former Google executive, has launched a new startup focused on humanoid robots, said a person with direct knowledge of the venture. His venture is the latest addition to the red-hot and frothy humanoid space, crowded with companies ranging from Tesla to startups such as Figure AI. Rubin’s startup, Genki... Andy Rubin, creator of Android and a former Google executive, has launched a new startup focused...

Art by Getty Images

Robotics Data Startup Raises $40 Million Led By Bessemer

By Rocket Drew · Nov 12, 2025 8:12am PST

Art by Getty Images

Robotics Data Startup Raises $40 Million Led By Bessemer

By Rocket Drew · Nov 12, 2025 8:12am PST

Before we get to today’s column, Steph and Sri broke news Tuesday night about a flurry of investments VCs are making in so-called “neolabs,” or new labs hoping to exploit approaches to developing AI models and research they say major developers like OpenAI and Anthropic may have overlooked.These include companies like agent startup Isara, which... Before we get to today’s column, Steph and Sri broke news Tuesday night about a flurry of...

SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son. Getty Images.

SoftBank Hunts for Pennies to Meet Its OpenAI Commitment

By Martin Peers · Nov 11, 2025 5:02pm PST

Would you trade shares in Nvidia for stock in OpenAI? That’s what SoftBank just did, selling $5.8 billion worth of shares in the AI chip giant to finance a commitment to invest $22.5 billion in the ChatGPT maker. On the surface, it might seem a logical trade, given that chip companies purporting to compete with Nvidia have proliferated like... Would you trade shares in Nvidia for stock in OpenAI? That’s what SoftBank just did, selling $5.8...

Photo by Getty Images

An End to the IPO Shutdown

By Katie Roof · Nov 11, 2025 3:26pm PST

For the last 42 days, any startup seeking approval for an initial public offering from the Securities and Exchange Commission was in limbo, thanks to the government shutdown that had sent SEC staff home, preventing them from reviewing and approving IPO prospectuses.The securities agency could be back to work soon. Late Monday, the Senate passed... For the last 42 days, any startup seeking approval for an initial public offering from the...

Sunday Insights

AI and Crypto Companies Dominated IPO Winners in 2025

By Valida Pau · Nov 9, 2025 8:00am PST

The drought in initial public offerings ended this year, led by big winners in AI and crypto, but gains were rare for companies outside those industries. Bankers expect those trends to hold in 2026. Booms in AI and crypto delivered two of the biggest winners of the year: data center developer CoreWeave and stablecoin issuer Circle. The losers... The drought in initial public offerings ended this year, led by big winners in AI and crypto, but...

Ion Stoica. YouTube/Opaque Systems

Why OpenAI CFO Said Uncle Sam Should Backstop Chip Financing; Databricks Co-Founder Responds to Benchmark Critics

By Rocket Drew and Amir Efrati · Nov 6, 2025 7:00am PST

Ion Stoica. YouTube/Opaque Systems

Why OpenAI CFO Said Uncle Sam Should Backstop Chip Financing; Databricks Co-Founder Responds to Benchmark Critics

By Rocket Drew and Amir Efrati · Nov 6, 2025 7:00am PST

It’s not every day one of the world’s most valuable companies asks the U.S. government for assistance, but these aren’t ordinary days. On Wednesday, OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar suggested at a Wall Street Journal event that the federal government ought to guarantee the financing of AI chips. Come again?“We’re looking for an ecosystem of banks,... It’s not every day one of the world’s most valuable companies asks the U.S. government for...