Gambling Man

A rare insight into the life of Masayoshi Son, the mysterious Korean-Japanese tech investor who has made — and lost — more money than anyone else this century… Barber sets out Son’s extraordinary backstory, details all the deals, big and small, that Son did to enrich himself and [gives] a privileged boardroom-table view of the gilded age of tech-utopianism and borderless finance [with an] eye for colour [that] is more than enough to keep the everyday reader engaged – John Arlidge * Sunday Times *Gambling Man is a pacy and highly professional telling of Son’s remarkable story, which skilfully draws out its broader historical themes – Felix Martin * Financial Times *A sure-footed account … Barber has a journalist’s eye for his subject’s telling idiosyncracies … [his] detailed biography documents a career punctuaed with attention-grabbing successes and abrupt reversals – Henry Hitchings * Spectator *Son deserves far wider recognition than has come his way, and Gambling Man is a parable that should be read by every would-be business empire builder – Martin Vander Weyer * Times Literary Supplement *

Lionel Barber, editor of the Financial Times from 2005 to 2020, is an author, broadcaster and lecturer. During four decades as an award-winning journalist, he has interviewed many world leaders and leading CEOs. He is a regular visitor to Japan.