SoftBank President Nikesh Arora Leaves Company Abruptly
TOKYO— Nikesh Arora abruptly departed SoftBank Group Corp., two years after he was wooed from Google Inc. and had emerged as the heir apparent at the Japanese internet and telecommunications giant.
SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son—who handpicked the Silicon Valley deal maker to be his successor—tied the departure to his decision to extend his stay at the helm of the company he founded for another five or 10 years, rather than handing over the reins.
“I was thinking of handing over my job as CEO when I turn 60, but thought maybe I’m still a bit too young, and still have energy to continue,” said Mr. Son, 58 years old.
But Mr. Arora’s departure also comes after he faced a barrage of criticism from investors over lackluster investments, with some shareholders having mounted a campaign to oust him, questioning his record and suggesting his role as an adviser to private-equity firm Silver Lake constituted a conflict of interest.
Mr. Arora, whose $208 million compensation from SoftBank over the past two years made him one of the highest-paid executives in the world, has said the investors’ claims were groundless.