SoftBank to Sell 25% Stake on ARM to Saudi Investment Group

[Raevenlord]

After pulling off one of the highest-value acquisitions ever in the tech world through its purchase of ARM for $31 billion in September 2016, SoftBank is now looking to sell 25% of the company to a Saudi investment group. The $8 billion stake in ARM is being sold to Vision Fund, a $100 billion technology fund created by SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son. Six months later, SoftBank is in the final-stage talks towards conclusion of the sale.

This seems like an overly fast negotiation time towards the selling of such a large stake on ARM - especially considering the companies' increasing importance in the technology sector. ARM designs power more than 90% of the world's smartphones, and recent announcements of companies such as Microsoft in increasing ARM's presence in the server space point only to increased growth of the company. A sale in this state of affairs (and with such admittedly little information) seems a little... untimely.



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[ZeppMan217]

Wasn't AMD also bailed out by Saudis?

 

[Shihab]

Well, at least the Saudis are spending on something with a future. Now if they just stopped spending a small nation's annual GDP on a single royal trip...
I wouldn't be surprised if there were some exchanges happening under the table though...

Wasn't AMD also bailed out by Saudis?

Nope. That was the Emiratis' doing.

 

[Prima.Vera]

This is sad and bad on the same time...

 

[remixedcat]

Very baaaad! The saudis are warmonger and censorship advocating corrupt entities. Saudis should be the LAST group in control of our tech industry... Look what they did to twitter. Twitter is taking a nosedive in stocks and value due to thier rampant censorship of people like Milo, Lauren Southern, Sargon, 2 of my accounts, a badeateries one, Azealia Banks, etc...

ARM's value will tank hard if the saudi's have their way on this!

 

[LFaWolf]

Hate speech is not free speech.

 

[Beertintedgoggles]

Hate speech is not free speech.

That's a very slippery slope in which you think you're firmly standing.

 

[Prima.Vera]

Hate speech is not free speech.

That's not hate speech, not even Politics, those are just facts.
A country with ZERO human rights and Religion Fascism among other things is going to be in control in one of the most prolific technologies. What gives?!

 

[LFaWolf]

That's not hate speech, not even Politics, those are just facts.
A country with ZERO human rights and Religion Fascism among other things is going to be in control in one of the most prolific technologies. What gives?!

So people like Milo, Lauren Southern, Azealia Banks did not spew hate speeches? Okay...

 

[LFaWolf]

That's a very slippery slope in which you think you're firmly standing.

My opinion, but so is yours.

 

[remixedcat]

So people like Milo, Lauren Southern, Azealia Banks did not spew hate speeches? Okay...

They just called out stupid celebs and the media twisted it.. That's all Milo did to get removed from Twitter.. Just gave a bad movie review to ghost busters and Leslie Jones got buttmad

 

[Fourstaff]

Can we go back on topic instead of debating the finer points in freedom of speech? Thanks

 

[Shihab]

That's not hate speech, not even Politics, those are just facts.
A country with ZERO human rights and Religion Fascism among other things is going to be in control in one of the most prolific technologies. What gives?!

Need I remind you that China, a country which also has a bad reputation when it comes to the so called human rights, is the de facto controller of the manufacturing of many -if not most- of these "prolific technologies"? Yet, that haven't stalled the growth of every other pointless gimmick IoT's market.

The Saudis internal social governance is irrelevant, this is a matter of economical and strategic planning. Ironically, two aspects that Saudis are proving to be failing at as well. Their corruption track record is enough an excuse to worry (which is why this deal smells fishy), their tendency to behead every neck that cranes the wrong way is not relevant.