Son vs Zhong Shanshan

SoftBank Group and Nongfu Spring.

The differences

Forbes puts Zhong Shanshan about $0.9B ahead of Masayoshi Son.Forbes figures from 2 Sep 2026 and 9 Oct 2026.
Both started the company their money comes from.
Zhong Shanshan is about 3 years older than Masayoshi Son.
Masayoshi Son is from Japan; Zhong Shanshan is from China.

Put someone else on either side

Son

Zhong Shanshan

Net worth, Forbes: $60.4BForbes, 9 Oct 2026; $61.3BForbes, 2 Sep 2026
Net worth, Bloomberg: $41.3BBloomberg, 16 Oct 2026; $61.5BBloomberg, 14 Oct 2026
Forbes rank: No. 31Real-Time list, 9 Oct 2026; No. 31Real-Time list, 2 Sep 2026
Billionaire since: Not stated; 2020On the 2020 Forbes Billionaires List (published April 2020) at No. 1,063 with $2 billion; the earliest appearance in the cited sources, not necessarily his first

How it started: Founded itFounded Nihon SoftBank (now SoftBank Group) in 1981; Founded itFounded Nongfu Spring's predecessor in September 1996, and Yangshengtang in 1993; Forbes labels him self-made
Main source: SoftBank Group stockBloomberg: most of his wealth comes from his SoftBank Group stake; Nongfu Spring stock, then Beijing Wantai stockBloomberg: 'the majority of Zhong Shanshan's fortune is derived from his 84.5% stake in Nongfu Spring'
Companies: SoftBank Group, ArmSoftBank Group: Founder; representative director, corporate officer, chairman and CEO; Arm: Non-executive director and chairman; Nongfu SpringNongfu Spring: Founder, chairman, executive director and general manager
Biggest stake: SoftBank Group32.73% owned; Nongfu Spring84.0379% owned

Born: 11 Aug 1957Tosu, Japan; 1954Hangzhou, China
Country: JapanLives in Tokyo, Japan; ChinaLives in Hangzhou, China
Education: Bachelor's degreeBachelor's degree in economics, University of California, Berkeley; No universityLeft elementary school during the Cultural Revolution
Parents: Born to a Korean immigrant family; his father worked at fisheries, farms, restaurants and pachinko parlours; Not stated

Giving Pledge: Not a signer; Not a signer
Foundation: Masason FoundationEstablished December 2016 to support talented young people; he is its president; Zhongziyi Education FundInitiated, founded and controlled by Zhong, per Nongfu Spring's listing document; it funds private universities and schools
Lifetime giving: Not stated; Not stated

Role now: Runs the companyChairman and CEO of SoftBank Group; chairman of Arm; Runs the companyChairman and general manager of Nongfu Spring; chairman of Yangshengtang
Successor: Not stated; None namedHis son Zhong Shu Zi is a non-executive director of Nongfu Spring and has been assistant to the general manager since March 2026
Public office: None found; None found
Legal record: None found; None found