Menlo Park, September 19: SoftBank Vision Fund, the venture capital arm of SoftBank Group, will reportedly reduce its workforce by 20% to focus on artificial intelligence. SoftBank Vision Fund founder Masayoshi Son will shift the focus towards AI and lay off more than 50 employees as part of the effort. The company had around 349 employees as of March-end, a spokesperson confirmed while sharing details about the job cuts.

The layoffs will be implemented globally, marking the third round of cuts by the Japanese investment giant. Previously, the division reduced its workforce as part of cost-cutting measures, impacting several employees. A Reuters report said that the Vision Fund arm had also faced losses. TCS Layoffs Continuing Beyond 12,000 Job Cuts? Report Says Over 30,000 Employees Fired So Far, Number Could Reach 1 Lakh in 2026.

Softbank Vision Fund Layoffs Due to AI Adoption

SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son is reportedly betting heavily on artificial intelligence for the Vision Fund. According to reports, the company had 474 employees in FY2020; however, repeated job cuts have reduced the headcount to fewer than 300 as of now. Reuters added that the latest round of layoffs comes even as the company reported its strongest performance since June 2021, driven by gains in public holdings like NVIDIA and Coupang. Gameskraft Layoffs: Amid Ban on Real-Money Gaming Due to Online Gaming Act 2025, Company To Lay Off 120 Employees; Here’s What CEO Prithvi Singh Said.

As per another report by News18, SoftBank’s Vision Fund has been paring down key assets to free up capital for investments in AI. Consequently, the company no longer requires the same number of investment advisers to manage fresh or existing bets. The report mentioned that SoftBank’s CEO plans to invest USD 30 billion in OpenAI and USD 6.5 billion to acquire Ampere Computing, a chip design company. In addition, SoftBank announced a partnership with OpenAI and Oracle on the USD 500 billion Stargate data centre initiative, aimed at strengthening AI infrastructure in the United States.

TruLY Score by LatestLY
Rating:3

TruLY Score 3 – Believable; Needs Further Research | On a Trust Scale of 0-5 this article has scored 3 on LatestLY, this article appears believable but may need additional verification. It is based on reporting from news websites or verified journalists (Reuters), but lacks supporting official confirmation. Readers are advised to treat the information as credible but continue to follow up for updates or confirmations

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 19, 2025 12:06 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).