Masayoshi Son is the $100 billion gambler who went from dirt track to tech titan — and he isn't done betting yet

Masayoshi Son is worth almost $17 billion , owns a mansion likened to Batman 's Wayne Manor .

A new book, " Gambling Man ," charts Son 's career from poverty to a dizzying career betting it all on technology.

Masa Son was born in poverty on a dirt track with no name on Kyushu island , according to the book.

Son 's rise to the pinnacle of the global plutocracy was hardly guaranteed.

SoftBank 2.0 CEO Son is a gambler who has followed a familiar pattern that goes something like this: "A blizzard of ideas followed by intense enthusiasm and focus, leading to overreach, failure, and repentance — until the whole process started over again" In 2010 , as the world was picking itself up from the financial crash, Son spent a lot of time thinking about how technology would shape society in 30 years' time .

SoftBank-backed Wirecard imploded after the Financial Times exposed large-scale fraud at the German payments provider.

Greensill Capital , a supply chain finance firm that fell apart, forced the Vision Fund to write down a $1.5 billion investment.

Critics have put Son 's successful bets over the years down to luck.

In Barber 's view, he sees an "intelligent brain thinking ahead, anticipating," but also a reckless impulse to "put a chip on every board".