Apple is to invest $1 billion in SoftBank's $100 billion technology venture capital fund, according to The Wall Street Journal, along with Foxconn Technology Group and Oracle chairman Larry Ellison. Qualcomm, among others, has already committed to the fund.
SoftBank's CEO Masayoshi Son set up the Vision Fund to help the company capitalize on emerging opportunities, especially in IoT and AI. Apple has no history of investing in VC funds and partnerships, but its investment strategy is evidently shifting to meet new market challenges. It invested $1 billion in China's own rival to Uber, Didi Chuxing last year.
Joining forces with SoftBank and other in the Vision Fund looks like a clear signal that Apple – the world's most valuable and most profitable company – sees partnering and ecosystems as key to future growth.
And so do we - collaboration is and always has been at the core of TM Forum. If you're in telecoms, you're beautifully poised – as our Deputy CEO explains in this short video.
