Mark Cuban is waving goodbye to ‘Shark Tank’ like it’s the last slice of pizza at a party. In a recent chit-chat on the Showtime podcast All The Smoke, Cuban spilled the beans to hosts Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson that he’s packing his entrepreneur-judging bags after season 16 of the ABC series. It’s like he’s breaking up with a reality show that’s been in his life for 15 seasons – talk about a long-term relationship.
“It’s time,” declared Cuban, who started his Shark Tank adventure as a guest in season 2, probably just testing the waters before diving into the shark tank fully in the following year. He’s been swimming with the entrepreneurial fishes ever since, becoming a fan-favorite mainstay.
Cuban, the man who can turn any business pitch into a stand-up comedy routine, shared, “I love it because it sends the message the American dream is alive and well.” It’s almost like he’s the fairy godmother of startups, granting wishes and waving a wand made of dollar bills.
In his chat with Barnes and Jackson, Cuban reflected on the impact of Shark Tank on budding entrepreneurs: “I feel like in doing Shark Tank all these years, we’ve trained multiple generations of entrepreneurs that if somebody can come from Iowa or Sacramento or wherever, and show up on the carpet of Shark Tank and show their business and get a deal, it’s going to inspire generations of kids. That’s what happens, right? Now we’ve got people coming on saying I watched you when I was 10 years old. I’m like, f*ck. But we’re helping them right? I’ve invested in, I don’t know how many hundreds of companies. On a cash basis, I’m down a little bit, but on mark to market meeting, the companies are still in operation. I’m way up.” Translation: Cuban might not have a Scrooge McDuck money pool, but he’s doing just fine.
When grilled about his investment secrets, Cuban spilled the beans (or should we say, spilled the shark bait?): “I just listen to them. You can just tell. Body language matters, the harder they have to try to sell, the worse the deal … when someone walks in Shark tank, you can tell if they are trying too hard. I have this rule: the longer the back story, the worse the deal. The minute you start telling me how hard it was for you, it’s hard for every motherf*cking entrepreneur, tell me about your business, tell me why you are going to be successful.” Forget business degrees; Cuban’s guide to success is basically a masterclass in common sense.
“I look for ideas like, damn, why didn’t I think of that,” Cuban continued, proving that even a billionaire like him occasionally has those “Why didn’t I invent the Snuggie?” moments.
ABC is keeping their lips sealed about Cuban’s impending departure, but an insider spilled the tea, saying that Cuban has casually dropped the “I’m leaving” bomb before. Well, as they say, all good things come to an end – even epic TV shows about ruthless entrepreneurs in fancy chairs. Goodbye, Cuban! May your next venture be as entertaining as watching people squirm under your scrutiny on Shark Tank.