SoftBank plans to cut 20% of its Vision Fund staff, redirecting resources towards AI investments.

Jin10 reported on September 19 that a memo shows SoftBank will cut nearly 20% of its Vision Fund team globally to shift resources towards founder Masayoshi Son's large-scale AI investments in the United States. This layoff is the third round for the Japanese investment group's flagship fund since 2022. The Vision Fund's website indicates that the fund currently has 44 employees. Unlike previous layoffs due to massive losses, this round of layoffs occurs after the fund announced its strongest quarterly performance since June 2021 last month. This move indicates that the fund is shifting away from a broad startup portfolio. Sources say that while the fund will still make new investments, the remaining employees will allocate more resources to Masayoshi Son's ambitious AI plans. A spokesperson for the Vision Fund confirmed the layoffs but did not disclose details.