The flamboyant founder of SoftBank, which is close to a $21.6 billion takeover of U.S.
firm Sprint Nextel, on Friday added a new goal to his lofty agenda: creating the world’s biggest company.
Masayoshi Son told SoftBank’s upbeat annual meeting that he is aiming to turn what is now Japan’s third-largest telecom company into a global behemoth that outpaces the likes of ExxonMobil, JPMorgan and Apple.
“We will become the world’s No. 1 company at any cost-in terms of profit, cash flows and stock value,”
the 55-year-old telecom billionaire said, pointing to a slide presentation that listed the world’s most valuable firms.
I – Word Understanding
Flamboyant – having a very noticeable quality that attracts a lot of attention
Lofty agenda – very high and impressive plan
Behemoth – something that is very big and powerful
Outpaces – to grow faster than (ExxonMobil, JPMorgan, Apple)
II – Have your say
1. According to Mr. Son, he grew up poor in southern Japan, scrounging food from his neighbors to feed to the family’s livestock. Do you know the rest of his “success” story?
2. “Boys, be ambitious”…..the famous parting words of William S. Clark of Sapporo Agricultural College (now Hokkaido University).
