Mark Cuban is frank and direct.
It is this outspoken side of him that makes him popular and one of Main Street's most appreciated self-made billionaires.
The entrepreneurs, who appear on hit TV show "Shark Tank," are hoping to get a no-nonsense review of their ideas from the tech billionaire. Sports fans, and basketball fans in particular, are fond of his taunts and rants because the Dallas Mavericks owner doesn't often hold back. He does not hide his emotions. Cuban is somewhat like a professional boxer: he leaves everything in the ring. When he enters a fight, he gives everything.
It is this energetic personality that became his trademark.
Cuban has been disrupting the pharmaceutical industry this year with the Mark Cuban CostPlus Drug Company, which he co-founded. This online pharmacy is gradually enforcing the idea that drug prices can be lower, thus challenging the reality for decades that drug bills can completely ruin the average American.
Judge And Jury
For a little over a month now, the star businessman has been closely following the takeover of Twitter, considered the town square of our time, by his billionaire peer Elon Musk. Cuban seems to believe that the CEO of Tesla (TSLA) and new owner of Twitter will undoubtedly succeed in transforming the social network and in making it profitable. He is, however, less seduced by Musk's first decisions and changes regarding the content policy and the direction given to the platform.
The billionaire is frustrated that Musk, who defines himself as a "free speech absolutist," is judge and jury when it comes to defining what free speech is. He denounces that the richest man in the world wants to be the only authority when it comes to defining what free speech is and does not apply to himself the same standard that he applies to others.
Cuban, for example, believes that Musk's criticism of the government and big tech as free speech opponents, can only be fully accepted if the "Techno King" turns Twitter into less of an autocracy.
"Twitter the last few days: 1.We can't trust gov, they will censor our right to free speech on twitter," the billionaire wrote on December 4, referring to Musk's Twitter 2.0. "2.We can't trust gov, they will give the wrong medical advice. 3.We can't trust big tech, they will censor our free speech. We need gov to regulate big tech. Your Thoughts ?"
'Wrong'
This tweet is an indirect scathing critique of Musk's approach, who eliminated the safeguards put in place by the previous team in Twitter to limit misinformation against covid-19 and medicine in general.
It also targets Musk's attacks against Apple (AAPL), which Musk called the number one opponent of free speech, because the iPhone maker had decided to suspend its ads on Twitter and because Musk believed that it planned to no longer distribute the app as its content management policy clashes with his approach.
The post has generated many comments. On the one hand, you have the defenders of Musk, who believe that free speech must prevail against all other considerations.
"Barring a dissident from social media in 2022 (eg a covid lockdown critic) would be like telling a critic of the monarchy in 1775 they can only carve their messages by hand in stone," commented former president Donald Trump's senior adviser Stephen Miller on Dec. 5. "Dissenting voices must have access to same platforms as everyone else or democracy is no more."
But for Cuban, this is not true.
"Wrong. 1st. No one loses access to the platform. They can use the web to read everything," Cuban responded. "The only thing you lose is posting to your followers. 2nd there are an unlimited number of platforms to post on. Many will give you greater reach. The carving example is dumb."
'The King'
He then criticized that Musk was the only one to decide: "3rd if you make your acct private, you can protect it. 4th You can hope that acct suspension is adjudicated like you wish. In reality, there is only one person that decides and he decides who is naughty or nice."
And Cuban ended with the most potent criticism which presented Musk as a kind of monarch. Basically, for the billionaire, Musk can't criticize the government and big tech for being opponents of free speech, when he himself tolerates no dissenting voices and behaves like an autocrat.
"And the final thought that suggests Twitter is the key to democracy, when you know it’s run by one guy who makes all the decision, again laughable. More like it’s the King telling everyone what the monthly tax is to speak up if you pay you can be heard. If not. Not," the Shark Tank star lambasted.
Musk has not yet responded. But many comments have come to his defense.
"Well luckily it’s Elon in this position and not you," posted one Twitter user.
"The amount of jealousy you have is starting to be noticeable. The guy has had the company for a month. Give time to let it grow and mature maybe? @RemindMe_OfThis in 2 years," said another Twitter user.
