We’ve all heard of “rags to riches” stories but what if we told you the opposite can happen too? Read the journey of Masayoshi Son the founder and CEO of SoftBank—a tale that has often been described as a “riches to rags” story at several points in his career. Once known as the richest man in the world Masayoshi Son surpassed even Bill Gates Jeff Bezos Mukesh Ambani Gautam Adani and other billionaires. Son has seen his fortunes fluctuate dramatically over the years. Currently Forbes estimates his net worth at around $23 billion—significantly lower than Ambanis $92 billion and Adanis $50 billion. Born in Japan as a third-generation Zainichi Korean Masayoshi Son grew up in a challenging environment with his father involved in unconventional businesses. Despite the hardships his family was the first in their town to own a car symbolizing their determination to rise. Son later moved to the U.S. to pursue higher education graduating from the University of California Berkeley in 1980 with a degree in Economics. Shortly after he ventured into entrepreneurship launching his own video game company Unison World which he sold for about $2 million. Using this capital he founded SoftBank in 1981 marking the start of his remarkable journey in the tech and investment world.