Masayoshi Son, the founder of SoftBank (SFTBY) and often dubbed the “Warren Buffett of tech,” finally addressed the shockwaves his massive sell-off sent across Wall Street last month. Son quietly unloaded roughly $15 billion worth of stock, including his entire stake in Nvidia, the world’s most valuable company.
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Speaking at a forum in Tokyo, Son insisted the sale was not a verdict on Nvidia (NVDA) or the Artificial Intelligence boom it powers. Instead, he claimed the reason was simply a desperate need for capital. He lamented, “I don’t want to sell a single share. I just had more need for money to invest in OpenAI… I was crying to sell Nvidia shares.”
$15 Billion Sale Sent Panic through Wall Street
The surprise sale in mid-November sent a chill across the entire market. Investors had been pushing major indexes to record highs based on optimism about the AI boom, but moves like SoftBank’s massive sell-off were suddenly viewed as potential warning signs of an AI bubble about to burst.
Nvidia remains the focal point of the AI boom, making around 90% of the chips needed to run the technology and commanding a value of over $4.3 trillion. The SoftBank sale immediately caused the Nasdaq (NDAQ) to dip 0.8% and Nvidia to slip more than 3%, confirming the market’s nervous reaction.
Son Defies Bubble Warnings with New Investments
Son is actively pushing back against the “bubble” narrative, claiming that people who worry about it are “not smart enough.” He describes AI as the most important technological shift in human history.
The $15 billion generated from the sale is earmarked to bankroll SoftBank’s next phase of AI bets. This includes a major commitment to OpenAI (PC:OPAIQ) and funding a planned $500 billion network of data centers in the U.S., confirming that the money is simply being recycled into other high-stakes AI ventures.
Skeptics Amplify Market Wobbles
Despite Son’s reassurances, many investors remain worried about the recent volatility in the AI sector. The consistent swings up and down since the beginning of November have shifted Wall Street’s powerful upward momentum from the first half of the year.
This anxiety is compounded by major investment skeptics. Trader Michael Burry, famous for predicting the 2008 financial crash, recently unveiled a huge bet that AI giants like Nvidia and Palantir (PLTR) would fall. Furthermore, a report found that 95% of companies investing in generative AI are seeing “zero return,” amplifying fears that the record AI rally may be wobbling.
To sum up, the dramatic sale of $15 billion in Nvidia stock was not a strategic move against the AI boom, but a desperate financial maneuver by Masayoshi Son to fund SoftBank’s next phase of massive AI investments. This capital shift confirms the extraordinary, high-stakes funding required to compete in the race for technological dominance.
Is Nvidia a Buy, Hold, or Sell?
Analyst sentiment toward Nvidia (NVDA) is overwhelmingly positive, cementing its status as a market leader in the AI space. Wall Street currently rates the stock a Strong Buy, based on a robust consensus from 41 analysts tracked in the last three months. Of these ratings, 39 analysts call it a Buy, one says a Hold, and only one recommends a Sell.
The average 12-month NVDA price target sits at $258.10. This target implies a significant upside potential of 43.5% from the last price.
