Mark Cuban (b. 1958)

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Biography

Mark Cuban is an American businessman, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is the former principal owner and current minority owner of the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and co-owner of 2929 Entertainment. From 2012 to 2025, he was also one of the main "sharks" on the ABC reality television series Shark Tank.

In Their Own Words (1)

This man has so little understanding of tariffs. He thinks that China pays for them. This is the same guy who also thought that Mexico would pay for the wall,

From the 'Shark Tank' to the campaign trail: Mark Cuban teams up with Kamala Harris (October 17, 2024) , 2024

Timeline

The story of Mark Cuban, told in moments.

1990 Event

Sells MicroSolutions, a systems integration company he'd built from nothing, to CompuServe for $6 million. He'd started it after getting fired from a software store for closing a $15,000 deal instead of opening the shop on time.

Was getting fired for closing a deal instead of opening the shop the best thing that happened? Did selling MicroSolutions for $6 million feel like the beginning? Was building from nothing the real skill?

1999 Event

Sells Broadcast.com to Yahoo for $5.7 billion in stock. It's the largest e-commerce transaction in history at that point. He hedges his Yahoo shares immediately. When the dot-com bubble bursts, he keeps his money. Yahoo doesn't keep the company.

Did hedging your Yahoo shares immediately feel like genius or paranoia? Was $5.7 billion the number that changed everything? Did watching the dot-com bubble burst while keeping your money feel vindictive?

2000 Life

Buys the Dallas Mavericks for $285 million. The team is terrible. He sits courtside and screams at referees. Gets fined $1.9 million in his first decade of ownership. In 2011, the Mavericks win the NBA championship.

Was screaming at referees courtside catharsis or strategy? Did $1.9 million in fines feel like a reasonable investment? Was the 2011 championship worth buying a terrible team?

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