With SoftBank having just completed its massive acquisition of Sprint this week, here's a look back at The Verge's profile of Masayoshi Son, SoftBank's enigmatic boss.

When Sprint CEO Dan Hesse — a tower of a man — took the stage in Tokyo last week to shake the hand of his comically shorter boss-to-be, it was the first time many in the West had gotten a glimpse of the enigmatic entrepreneur. But to those in the know, SoftBank founder and CEO Masayoshi Son's acquisition of Sprint is merely the most recent in a long line of power moves. His comfort in making big bets is to blame for a number of setbacks over the years, but this same risk-taking attitude and a shrewd negotiating style have made him a constant source of inspiration for traditionally risk-averse Japan. So who is Masayoshi Son, and how did his company, which started as a computer software distributor, become one of the most dominant forces in the global telecom industry?