The founder of Zozo launches a new company after the release of 2 billion dollars

TOKYO – Famous entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa announced on Thursday that he would create a new company and learn to communicate with astronauts during his space travels, after agreeing to sell for more than $ 2 billion dollars. Actions at Zozo, the online fashion center that he founded more than two decades ago.

Yahoo Japan, a subsidiary of the SoftBank group, announced Thursday its intention to acquire 50.1% of Zozo shares for 400 billion yen ($ 3.7 billion), including a 30% stake in Maezawa. Maezawa stepped down as CEO the same day, marking the abrupt end of his relationship with the heavyweight of e-commerce.

The billionaire punk-rocker, known for his sumptuous purchases of paintings by Jean-Michel Basquiat and his ticket for a moon tour aboard the SpaceX of Elon Musk, has swept away rumors that personal financial problems would have been at the origin of the sale.

"When you buy something important, we all take out loans … I'm the same, only the number of zeros is different," he said at a press conference. "To repay a debt, you only need to sell real assets, which is not related to this transaction."

Dressed in a white t-shirt and black pants, Maezawa said his decision to withdraw was tied to the need to divert Mr. Zozo from his "one-man" management style.

"I did it by instinct," he said. "Faced with challenges, the time had come to radically adopt a logical management approach."

The 43-year-old also said that he wanted to start a new business, although he did not specify the sector. "I've been through half of my life, I want to start a new business quickly," he said. "This time, I'm thinking of working with other people sharing the same passion and not just me." He also stated that he planned to manage several companies at the same time.

After leaving the company, Maezawa plans to spend time pursuing his passion: the space. The SpaceX trip is scheduled for 2023, making it the first civilian to travel around the moon. But he said mysteriously: "I'll go into space once before, in a place closer to the moon," adding that he would make an official announcement at a later date. "I have to work and study English and Russian, I am a beginner."

The sale of Zozo by Maezawa to Yahoo was prompted by the advice of SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, who made a surprise appearance at the press conference. His son, wearing a t-shirt of the same motive, said that Maezawa had asked him for advice on a retirement plan. He pointed out that he had asked Kentaro Kawabe, Yahoo's CEO, to operate independently.

Maezawa said that the memory of her of the event was not quite accurate. "I told him I wanted to live a rock-and-roll life, he told me to talk to Kawabe."

Its also did not share the same excitement for the space. "I invited him to the moon," Maezawa said. "He immediately said that he would not go."