SoftBank CEO Son won’t speak at Saudi conference

SoftBank Group Corp chief executive Masayoshi Son, whose $93bn Vision Fund drew nearly half its money from Saudi Arabia, cancelled a speaking engagement at the kingdom’s investment conference this week, a person close to the matter told Reuters.

It was unclear whether Son would still attend the event which started on Tuesday, the person said on condition of anonymity.

Read: Saudi to sign deals worth $50bn at summit despite boycott

Son’s absence from the stage is in marked contrast to last year’s inaugural event, where the 61-year-old Japanese entrepreneur was a notable presence lending credence to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s efforts to attract foreign investment.

In a sign of its ongoing commitment to the Gulf kingdom, SoftBank’s representative on the opening day of the event, Vision Fund Managing Partner Saleh Romeih, reiterated the fund’s plan to open an office there.

Son’s speaking cancellation comes as pressure mounts on Riyadh over the disappearance and death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, with many high-profile company executives pulling out altogether.

SoftBank representatives did not respond to requests for comment. Son’s speaking cancellation was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

Nearly half of the more than $93bn raised last year to create SoftBank’s Vision Fund came from Saudi, giving Son the firepower to make big bets in late-stage startups such as Uber Technologies Inc and shared office space provider WeWork Cos.

Read: Saudi’s crown prince to double SoftBank investment, hopes for first NEOM town in 2019

SoftBank has repeatedly declined to comment on whether SoftBank management including Son would attend, even as executives from portfolio companies Uber and Improbable dropped out.

Arm Holdings CEO Simon Segars has pulled out of the event, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters on Monday. SoftBank acquired the chip designer in 2016.

Bloomberg reported on Monday that SoftBank chief operating officer Marcelo Claure would also not attend.

VISIONARY BUSINESSMAN

Son’s mix of visionary rhetoric and hard-headed business decisions has given him an oversized presence in the tech world.

However alarm over Saudi’s involvement in the disappearance of Khashoggi has underlined his investment juggernaut’s reliance on backers such as the kingdom at a time of rising political tensions.

Read: Saudi foreign minister says Khashoggi killing ‘grave mistake’, details not yet known

That has left SoftBank weighing its loyalty to Saudi as it eyes the shifting tides of public opinion following the death, the stance of US President Donald Trump’s administration and the attitude of the tech community.

While Trump has at times spoken of punishing Saudi Arabia he has also appeared reluctant to follow through against a close economic and security ally in the Middle East.

With the Vision Fund born in an era of cheap money and rising stock prices, Son has said he wants to raise further funds – something some analysts fret its Saudi links could make more difficult.

Read: Japan’s SoftBank to open Saudi office

“We haven’t been through a tech downturn period – it would probably be good to do that before they raise another [Vision Fund],” said Hong Kong-based Morningstar analyst Dan Baker.