Nikesh Arora: Many twists and turns

Just when everybody thought that the Nikesh Arora-SoftBank saga was closed, the US SEC said it is looking into Arora's alleged conflicts of interest

Superstars, whether in business or in any other field, never cease to surprise. Just when everybody thought that the dust over the Nikesh Arora-SoftBank saga has settled down, it seems the last word has not been written as yet, with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) playing spoilsport. 

The leading Japanese telecom firm and technology investor is facing a preliminary enquiry over whether Arora, who quit the firm as COO last week, had "conflicts of interest or engaged in questionable behaviour." This comes even after SoftBank had cleared its highest-paid executive of all the charges levelled in an anonymous complaint made by some SoftBank investors.

The 49-year-old Arora had joined SoftBank in 2014 as head of its Silicon-Valley-based internet and media investment unit, after leaving Google where he oversaw the company’s biggest moneymaker -- the sale of advertising linked to its search engine. 

 

He was Founder-Chairman Masayoshi Son’s pick to lead SoftBank’s expansion outside Japan and earned a whopping $135 million in 2014 and $73 million the next year – a fact that had led some Softbank executives to label him as "overpaid and underperforming". But that may have been an unfair label as since joining SoftBank, Arora has invested nearly $4 billion investing in start-ups around the world in a hunt for a break-through technology company capable of driving future growth. 

After quitting SoftBank, Arora has said in many media interviews that he is inundated with offers but wants to take his own time before deciding on his future course of action. Some part of that time may now have to be spent in helping his erstwhile employer handle SEC queries.