SoftBank's CEO is interested in investing in Uber or Lyft

Masayoshi Son

SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son has said he is interested in investing in ride-hailing firms Uber and Lyft but has not made a decision.

"We are interested in discussing with Uber, we are also interested in discussing with Lyft, we have not decided which way," he told reporters and analysts on Monday after the company announced its quarterly results.

"Whether we decide to partner and invest into Uber or Lyft, I don't know what will be the end result."

Son's comments follow weeks of speculation that his firm will take a stake in Uber. A Wall Street Journal report in July suggested Uber executives were planning a stock sale to SoftBank. Another report from Recode suggested former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick was hoping to engineer a stock sale to win back some control over the company.

It's unusual for an investor to publicly mull a major investment like this, and it's possible his comments might be a bargaining tactic to pressure Uber into making a deal.

SoftBank already has a stake in Lyft, a direct competitor. It's also invested in several major ride-hailing firms around the world, including Didi Chuxung in China, Grab in Japan, and Ola in India.

You can read a running list of SoftBank's investments here.

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