Hiroshi “Mickey” Mikitani founded Rakuten in 1997 and has since steered it from a pioneering e-commerce marketplace into a diversified tech powerhouse spanning fintech, telecom, media, and AI. Under his bold vision, Rakuten Mobile launched in 2020 as Japan’s first fully virtualized, Open RAN-based mobile network. It now serves over 8 million subscribers while helping to drive down mobile costs nationwide—saving households an estimated ¥4 trillion annually.
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Mikitani casts Rakuten as an “AI empowerment company,” aiming to weave generative AI into every aspect of its ecosystem. He has guided the launch of in-house models like Rakuten AI 7B and AI 2.0, integrated AI across internal teams, and rolled out tools like AI-powered semantic search on Rakuten Ichiba—boosting conversion rates and enriching merchant‑consumer connections .
He argues that Rakuten’s unique advantage lies in its cross-domain data—from shopping and finance to telecom and travel—giving its AI systems unparalleled context and reach. That synergy, he says, unlocks what he calls “AI-nization,” a cultural transformation reminiscent of Rakuten’s earlier push for English fluency, now aimed at making AI accessible to every employee and merchant .
His investments in AI unfold alongside ambitious infrastructure moves. In 2025 Rakuten launched its bond initiative to raise domestic capital, signaling investor confidence, and expanded its mobile OSS licensing abroad—bringing cutting-edge, software-defined networks to international markets . Mikitani insists that AI-driven optimization of mobile networks will be critical to future innovation.
Outside tech, Mikitani is also a global philanthropist. In 2022 he donated ¥1 billion to humanitarian aid in Ukraine, and he holds unique honors like the French Legion of Honour and recognition from Harvard Business School.
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Through every pivot from e-commerce to telecom to AI, Mikitani remains a hands-on leader. His message is clear: AI is not just a tool—it’s a transformational platform that, responsibly integrated, can empower people and redefine business. Under his leadership, Rakuten is evolving from a domestic disruptor into a global technology ecosystem built on data, software, and human-first innovation.
