Daisuke Watanabe
SB OAI Japan GK / SoftBank Corp. / LY Corporation
Certified Scrum Alliance Trainer™ (CSAT™) and Certified Team Coach™ (CTC™) working at the intersection of Generative AI, software engineering, semiconductors, and organizational leadership.
I currently serve as VP and Head of Engineering at SB OAI Japan, a joint venture between SoftBank Group and OpenAI, where I lead Generative AI product development and the design of large-scale engineering organizations. In parallel, I contribute to the SoftBank Group ASI strategy, while also engaging with LY Corporation across its Advertising and Science organizations. I am additionally involved in national-level initiatives such as the National Institute of Technology (KOSEN) Semiconductor Talent Development Project, supporting the next generation of engineers in Japan.
I am the only Japanese Certified Scrum Alliance Trainer™ (CSAT™), a Certified Team Coach™ (CTC™), an Accredited Team Coach (ATC), and the Japan Chapter Leader of the Agile Coaches Alliance. My work focuses on enabling sustainable business outcomes by integrating sound engineering practices, leadership development, and agile ways of working grounded in real-world product development rather than theory alone.
I began my career in 1994 as a UNIX/C programmer in traditional waterfall environments. In 2000, encountering the Agile Manifesto fundamentally reshaped my view of software development. Since then, I have continuously supported teams and executives through Scrum, XP, Lean, and DevOps as practical tools for building resilient organizations and high-performing teams.
After graduating from Kobe National College of Technology with a major in semiconductor and software engineering, I spent eight years at Nippon Television Network, where I worked as a Web programmer and project manager responsible for all company-wide digital services. I independently handled the full lifecycle—architecture, implementation, and operations—of mission-critical systems such as live Hakone Ekiden coverage and national election reporting systems, while also contributing to the launch of major Yomiuri Shimbun online news platforms.
I later served as CTO and executive engineering leader in listed and high-growth companies, including Gunosy, before joining Yahoo! JAPAN in 2018. At Yahoo! JAPAN and subsequently LINE Yahoo, I led development of major consumer platforms including the Top Page, News, Weather & Disaster services, emergency response systems, and COVID-19 information hubs. I also directed media BCP initiatives, organizational strategy for advertising and marketing platforms with over 1,000 engineers, and a technology research office reporting directly to executive management, before transitioning into company-wide Generative AI strategy and AI product management leadership roles.
My professional experience spans semiconductor engineering, media and mass communication, advertising, telecommunications, AI and natural language processing, finance and fintech, social gaming, e-commerce, education, integrated control systems, security products, data centers, and workflow automation. Alongside hands-on experience with C, Go, Perl, Node.js, Java, Ruby on Rails, React, UML, and SQL, I bring deep practical application of Scrum, XP, Lean, and DevOps.
My guiding belief is that “the essence of software development lies in the practice of human relationships.” I believe that strong engineering outcomes emerge from trust, learning, and healthy organizational systems—and that society improves when people meet, grow, and create together.
Certifications: CSAT, CTC, ATC, CSP-SM, CSP-PO, CSM, CSPO, Certified LeSS Practitioner
For more details on my career and activities:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/daisukewatanabe/
Courses offered
5.00 out of 5 stars (2 ratings)
About
Certified Scrum Alliance Trainer™ (CSAT™) and Certified Team Coach™ (CTC™) working at the intersection of Generative AI, software engineering, semiconductors, and organizational leadership.
I currently serve as VP and Head of Engineering at SB OAI Japan, a joint venture between SoftBank Group and OpenAI, where I lead Generative AI product development and the design of large-scale engineering organizations. In parallel, I contribute to the SoftBank Group ASI strategy, while also engaging with LY Corporation across its Advertising and Science organizations. I am additionally involved in national-level initiatives such as the National Institute of Technology (KOSEN) Semiconductor Talent Development Project, supporting the next generation of engineers in Japan.
I am the only Japanese Certified Scrum Alliance Trainer™ (CSAT™), a Certified Team Coach™ (CTC™), an Accredited Team Coach (ATC), and the Japan Chapter Leader of the Agile Coaches Alliance. My work focuses on enabling sustainable business outcomes by integrating sound engineering practices, leadership development, and agile ways of working grounded in real-world product development rather than theory alone.
I began my career in 1994 as a UNIX/C programmer in traditional waterfall environments. In 2000, encountering the Agile Manifesto fundamentally reshaped my view of software development. Since then, I have continuously supported teams and executives through Scrum, XP, Lean, and DevOps as practical tools for building resilient organizations and high-performing teams.
After graduating from Kobe National College of Technology with a major in semiconductor and software engineering, I spent eight years at Nippon Television Network, where I worked as a Web programmer and project manager responsible for all company-wide digital services. I independently handled the full lifecycle—architecture, implementation, and operations—of mission-critical systems such as live Hakone Ekiden coverage and national election reporting systems, while also contributing to the launch of major Yomiuri Shimbun online news platforms.
I later served as CTO and executive engineering leader in listed and high-growth companies, including Gunosy, before joining Yahoo! JAPAN in 2018. At Yahoo! JAPAN and subsequently LINE Yahoo, I led development of major consumer platforms including the Top Page, News, Weather & Disaster services, emergency response systems, and COVID-19 information hubs. I also directed media BCP initiatives, organizational strategy for advertising and marketing platforms with over 1,000 engineers, and a technology research office reporting directly to executive management, before transitioning into company-wide Generative AI strategy and AI product management leadership roles.
My professional experience spans semiconductor engineering, media and mass communication, advertising, telecommunications, AI and natural language processing, finance and fintech, social gaming, e-commerce, education, integrated control systems, security products, data centers, and workflow automation. Alongside hands-on experience with C, Go, Perl, Node.js, Java, Ruby on Rails, React, UML, and SQL, I bring deep practical application of Scrum, XP, Lean, and DevOps.
My guiding belief is that “the essence of software development lies in the practice of human relationships.” I believe that strong engineering outcomes emerge from trust, learning, and healthy organizational systems—and that society improves when people meet, grow, and create together.
Certifications: CSAT, CTC, ATC, CSP-SM, CSP-PO, CSM, CSPO, Certified LeSS Practitioner
For more details on my career and activities:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/daisukewatanabe/
Experience and services
- Additional services
- Open to co-training
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Career history
- 01/01/2026 - present - SB OAI Japan GK (VP,Head of Engineering)
- 08/01/2025 - present - SoftBank Corp. (Group ASI Strategy Office)
- 10/01/2023 - present - LY Corporation (Head of the Technology Research Office)
- 01/07/2013 - 02/28/2015 - MACROMILL, INC. (Manager of Development Div.)
- 03/01/2015 - 09/30/2018 - Gunosy Inc. (Head of Development Div.)
- 10/01/2018 - 09/30/2023 - Yahoo Japan Corporation (Head of the Technology Research Office)
- 01/04/2010 - 12/28/2012 - AXELMARK,INC. (Chief of Development Div.)
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Industries
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Area of expertise
My certifications
