Mark Cuban (born July 31, 1958) 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 one of the "sharks" on the ABC reality television series Shark Tank. As of January 2026, Forbes estimated his net worth at US$6 billion.
Cuban has been an active investor in technology, including artificial intelligence startups, and has publicly discussed the transformative potential of machine learning and large language models. He has emphasized the importance of AI literacy and has funded initiatives to teach AI skills, while also advocating for ethical AI development and regulation.
Early life and education
Cuban was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on July 31, 1958. His father, Norton Cuban, was an automobile upholsterer, and his mother, Shirley (née Feldman), had varied career goals. He is Jewish and grew up in Mt. Lebanon, an affluent suburb of Pittsburgh, in a working-class family. His paternal grandfather changed the surname from "Chabenisky" to "Cuban" after emigrating from the Russian Empire (modern Ukraine) through Ellis Island; his maternal grandparents were Bessarabian Jewish and Lithuanian immigrants.
Cuban began entrepreneurial ventures at age 12, selling garbage bags to buy sneakers, later selling stamps and coins. At 16, he ran newspapers from Cleveland to Pittsburgh during a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette strike. He enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh, joining Pi Lambda Phi fraternity, then transferred to Indiana University Bloomington, graduating from the Kelley School of Business in 1981 with a Bachelor of Science in management. He chose Indiana without visiting because it had the lowest tuition among top-10 business schools. During college, he ran a bar, taught disco lessons, and participated in a chain letter.
After graduation, Cuban worked at Mellon Bank in Pittsburgh, converting manual processes at smaller banks to computerized systems.
Business career
In 1982, Cuban moved to Dallas, Texas, working as a bartender and then as a salesperson for Your Business Software, where he was fired after meeting a client instead of opening the store. He co-founded MicroSolutions with support from former customers; the company became a systems integrator and software reseller, early adopter of Carbon Copy, Lotus Notes, and CompuServe, with Perot Systems as a major client. MicroSolutions grew to over $30 million in revenue, and in 1990, Cuban sold it to CompuServe (a subsidiary of H&R Block) for $6 million (over $14.7 million today), netting about $2 million after taxes.
Audionet and Broadcast.com
In 1995, Cuban and fellow Indiana alumnus Todd Wagner joined Audionet (founded in 1989 by Chris Jaeb, who retained 10%), combining their interest in Indiana Hoosiers basketball and webcasting. Audionet became Broadcast.com in 1998, growing to 330 employees and $13.5 million in second-quarter revenue by 1999. That year, it helped launch the first live-streamed Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. During the dot-com boom, Yahoo! acquired Broadcast.com for $5.7 billion in stock, a deal now considered one of the worst internet acquisitions. Cuban hedged against the Yahoo! shares, avoiding losing most of his fortune when the bubble burst.
Cuban continued with Wagner in 2929 Entertainment, which provides vertically integrated film production and distribution. In 2003, it purchased Landmark Theatres, a chain of 58 arthouse cinemas, and produced the 2006 film Bubble, directed by Steven Soderbergh.
Investments in startups
Cuban has invested in social software and distributed networking ventures, including IceRocket, a blog search engine. In 2005, he invested $1.7 million in file-sharing company Red Swoosh, co-founded by Travis Kalanick, which was acquired by Akamai for $19 million in 2007. Kalanick later approached Cuban in 2009 to invest in Uber at a $10 million valuation; Cuban proposed $5 million but never heard back. He also invested in Weblogs, Inc. (acquired by AOL) and Brondell Inc., a startup making a high-tech toilet seat called Swash.
AI investments and advocacy
Cuban has invested in numerous AI-related startups, including OpenAI (though he has not publicly disclosed the amount) and other ventures in generative AI, neural networks, and deep learning. He has spoken at conferences about the need for AI education, stating that "AI will change everything" and that "the next generation needs to learn how to use AI." He has funded programs to teach AI to underserved communities and has called for government regulation to ensure AI is developed ethically.
Cuban has also invested in companies like Groq, an AI chip startup, and has expressed interest in TSMC and AMD as key players in AI hardware. He has been a vocal critic of AI hype, warning against over-reliance on large language models without understanding their limitations.
Personal life and philanthropy
Cuban has been involved in philanthropy, including the Mark Cuban Foundation, which supports AI education and other causes. He has also been active in political commentary, often discussing technology policy. He is married to Tiffany Stewart, and they have three children. Cuban is known for his outspoken personality and has appeared in various media, including the TV show Shark Tank.
Legacy
Cuban's business career spans technology, sports, and entertainment, with a net worth of $6 billion as of 2026. His investments in AI reflect his belief in the technology's potential to reshape industries. He has been a prominent figure in the NBA, leading the Mavericks to a championship in 2011, and has been involved in disputes with league management. Cuban's impact on entrepreneurship is significant, particularly through his role on Shark Tank, where he has mentored countless startups.