The Khashoggi murder isn?t stopping SoftBank?s Vision Fund

But, now that the apparent period of outrage is over, SoftBank has reverted back to writing checks and companies are taking them in spite of the links to Saudi Arabia.For startups, the money flow means that a major source of capital for growth or subsidies for customers comes from the Saudi royal family’s pockets — a regime that would reportedly not hesitate to murder a critical voice.SoftBank’s Vision Fund has ramped up its deals over the past six months, according to data from CrunchbaseSoftBank’s Vision Fund has ramped up its deals over the past six months, according to data from CrunchbaseSoftBank itself said it has a commitment to “the people” of Saudi Arabia that will see it deploy its capital unchanged, although Chairman Masayoshi Son did concede that he will wait on the findings of the investigation into the murder before deciding on whether PIF will be involved in a second Vision Fund.The founders taking the capital have been more cautious. While offering words in support of the ongoing murder investigation, they manage to say little about the ethics of taking money from the Saudi regime.Bom Kim, CEO of Korean e-commerce company Coupang — which raised $2 billion from the Vision Fund — told TechCrunch in November that the allegations around the murder “don’t represent us and don’t represent [Vision Fund] companies.”“We are deeply concerned by the reported events and alongside SoftBank are monitoring the situation closely until the full facts are known,” Tokopedia CEO William Tanuwijaya told TechCrunch in December after the Vision Fund co-led a $1.1 billion round.William Tanuwijaya is the co-founder and CEO of Tokopedia [Photographer: Jason Alden/Bloomberg]OYO, the budget hotel network based out of India, did not respond to a request comment sent the day before this story was published.