Mark Cuban has been very steady in his message about AI. He wants people at any stage of life to learn how these tools work and put them into practice. Why? Because the job market is shifting fast and rewards those who adapt.
He has recently amplified that message by steering attention toward smaller companies. Large corporations already have big budgets, full teams and established plans. He suggests that job-seekers should focus on smaller businesses instead.
Many of these smaller businesses want to use AI but don’t know where to start.
Someone who can help them streamline everyday work, boost sales or cut routine tasks can make a real impact and stand out much faster than they would inside a huge corporate machine.
Cuban’s take is that you can grow faster when you bring useful skills to places that need help the most.
Mark Cuban on Hidden Job Markets For AI Talent
Mark Cuban is confident that AI will potentially reshape the business world on a scale even bigger than what his Cost Plus Drug venture has done in the pharmacy space. He keeps urging people to learn about tech whenever they have spare time and to upskill as much as they can.
He gives the same push to his kids because he believes this moment in time offers a rare chance for workers and companies to move ahead and level up.
Mark’s AI sermon has become even more scathing lately. He has been telling job seekers to stop putting all their energy into chasing roles at giant corporations. Those places already have large teams and plenty of resources.
He says the better move is to look toward smaller companies, where there are more openings and a stronger need for people who understand AI in a practical, utilizable way.
Cuban mentioned this during a recent chat with CivicScience CEO John Dick on a podcast. He said, “They have to compete differently, and they don’t have the resources to just, you know, have a huge IT department.”
He went on to add, saying, “So, they’re going to go to kids just like we saw with the early days of the internet. You hired young kids who were more comfortable with it, who learned it already and could come in and implement new things.”
How AI Adoption Creates a Split in the Job Market
Cuban acknowledged that large companies are pouring huge amounts of money into building and using AI systems to handle work that the human workforce used to do previously.
Part of the big corporate world himself, Cuban wasn’t shy to point out how big corporations are pouring money into building and using AI systems. All of this is in an attempt to take on tasks that humans used to handle, in turn shrinking an already diminishing job market.
The Shark Tank investor also revealed that this new wave of spending includes hiring top-tier tech talent. The issue from this is that these roles sit at the upper end of the ladder, leaving very few openings for those looking to get started.
Mark said that “The large companies are trying to use AI to cut back, and they have the resources to understand how to implement it, apply it to processes. They have great AI people.”
The Mavericks owner did not hold back. In talks with CNBC, he had said, “Small to medium-sized companies don’t have that depth. They are typically entrepreneurially driven and don’t have the flexibility to have people research things. Bringing a new graduate on to work on agentic AI projects is inexpensive for them and can get them immediate results.”
Cuban Sees More Opportunity Outside Big Corporations
Mark added that small businesses outnumber big corporations by a wide margin, and they tend to approach AI in their own way. They often rely on new hires who can guide them through the process. He mentioned that his own Cost Plus Drugs company is inculcating that same modus operandi.
Cuban elucidated his point, saying, “Small to medium-sized businesses like our size companies, we need people that understand AI and agentics, (and) can go and look at our processes and automate them using AI.”
These roles might include AI-powered marketing automation, customer support bots, sales forecasting, workflow automation, and agentic AI implementation.
He continued, saying, “And as we grow it, you know, (recruits) help us become more productive, competitive, and profitable using AI. And so I think redirecting kids as they graduate from college, in particular, to small -to medium-sized businesses as opposed to trying to work for a big company (is wise).”
Cuban’s Push for AI Literacy Among Young Adults
Cuban has been urging every kid on the block to get on the AI bandwagon, including his own. In spite of all the AI benefits, he also admitted that not all three of his college-aged children are on board. One of his daughters is especially put off by the amount of energy the AI consumes.
Even so, he keeps encouraging them to stay engaged with it. He gives the same advice to anyone building a career. His view is that people who learn how to use these tools will have more room to grow, while those who ignore the shift could end up stuck on the sidelines.
In Mark’s own words, “I tell them, like I tell every young kid, there’s going to be two types of companies in this country. There are going to be those who are great at AI and those who used to be in business. There’s no in between.”
