He is the founder of the internet service company Tiscali, based in Cagliari.

Forbes listed Soru as one of the world's richest people, with a net worth of over $4 billion as of September 2001.

In 2004, Soru was elected the president of Sardinia with the centre-left coalition with an audacious program to reinvigorate the economy within the island by introducing external investors.

He ran again for president of Sardinia in the February 2009 election but was defeated by the right-wing Popolo della Libertà candidate Ugo Cappellacci.

On 5 May 2016, Soru was sentenced to three years in prison for tax evasion that amounted to about 2.6 million euro and was connected to a loan made by the company Andalas Ltd. to Tiscali.