Softbank’s Ted Matsumoto on his CEO and the Japan Earthquake

Ted Matsumoto, Senior Executive VP, Softbank Mobile Corp

At the Global Mobile Internet Conference last week, we had a chance to sit down with Softbank Mobile Corp’s Senior Executive Vice President.

He told us about the CEO Masayoshi Son’s efforts to setting up an energy advisory committee in the wake of the recent disaster in Japan:

He is [working on that committee] very independently from the business. It has absolutely nothing to do with the business… He is a third generation Korean Japanese, but he really loves Japan. He really wanted to do some significant contribution for Japan as a country… He is anti-nuclear power, and he really thinks new energy, safer energy should be promoted. And he wants to spend his time to develop such activities. Of course this part he can’t do it alone, so he tries to team up with others, involving the government to try to do something.

Mr Matsumoto also touched on Son’s enormous personal contribution to earthquake relief:

It’s interesting that in the management committee, he joked “Hey guys, I may become very poor because I’ve already made a promise to receive no salary. So when that happens, please help me.” He is not going to receive any pay in his lifetime from his company activities… But he’s the kind of guy that if he does something he wants to do it on a big scale.

Mr. Matsumoto also told us that Softbank is very pleased with its relationship with Apple, saying “Mr. Son shares the same philosophy with Steve Jobs,” adding that “the chemistry is very good.” But he also explained that Android holds promise as well, because realistically “100% of our users cannot be iPhone users.”

During his on-stage talk at GMIC Mr. Matsumoto boldly stated that Softbank’s target is to become the number one mobile internet service provider n the world. He said that while Docomo and Au are very strong, he thinks that Softbank is doing pretty well.