Mark Cuban, a prominent Shark Tank investor and billionaire entrepreneur, dropped a piece of advice on his X account and LinkedIn alike. He mentioned that if you are a young graduate entering the corporate world, target small and medium-sized businesses rather than huge corporate firms.
Mark Cuban’s message clearly challenges the traditional mindset, and it stems from the transformation of realities of the modern workforce. It is also rooted in the growth of AI applications.
Let’s have a closer look at why Cuban thinks that small businesses provide superior value for young graduates.
A Career Landscape Transformed by AI
Mark’s viewpoint is shaped by the unexpected changes that artificial intelligence has brought to the workplace. Moreover, in one of his posts, he emphasized that new grads can help SMBs (small and medium enterprises) harness the power of agentic AI. These are AI tools that autonomously complete routine tasks.
Consequently, agentic AI is not about automation; rather, it enables entirely new workflows in the workplace. These AI tools manage routine, repetitive processes independently, freeing executives and leaders to focus on significant, strategic tasks.
He also accepts that these companies lacked the expertise to collaborate with these technologies.
Why Small Companies? Immediate Value and Real Responsibility
In comparison with small businesses, big companies have the resources, bureaucracy, and a team of AI specialists. Most of these companies have been investing in AI infrastructure, but they might not benefit from the practical AI skills young professionals bring to the table.
Mark argues that small companies require this talent. He explicitly mentioned that new grads can optimize the use of AI agents for SMBs, as they cannot afford to do it manually. However, big firms do not require new graduates; entrepreneurial companies, on the other hand, will love the value they bring to the table.
This shift is significant because it reorganizes the roles of new employees. Rather than beginning at the bottom of a big corporate firm, a new graduate at a small firm can bring tangible change from the very start.
Take, for instance, a new employee who understands how to train and implement AI agents, streamlining the workforce, automating reporting processes, and saving hundreds of hours of manual labor every month. This is how these graduates can contribute to the future success of the company.
A New Kind of Entry-Level Role
Large businesses traditionally offered a structured entry-level approach, including training programs, mentorship sessions, and career ladders. But with the automation of AI, many regular tasks that were once performed manually by new employees are vanishing.
Mark Cuban, along with other analysts, thinks that the very initial rung of the classic career ladder is disappearing. Now that AI is managing the processes which used to be done by new employees, large corporations are hiring fewer young graduates for traditional roles.
Comparatively, small companies and businesses cannot manage to automate every process due to the absence of resources and internal training programs. They require the talent that can grasp how AI works, integrate new AI tools for regular operations like customer service, and quickly adapt to solve business problems.
The Human Advantage in an AI World
Many individuals and technology companies think that the upheaval of AI signals fewer opportunities for human labor.
Mark’s viewpoint flips the narrative, as he believes that companies, especially those that have not adopted AI, require human talent. These companies need people who can translate new technologies into automated systems that can work alongside humans.
Thus, in short, new graduates who understand the power of AI are not competing with automated systems. Instead, they are competing with companies that do not have the skills to use AI efficiently. Cuban sees this problem as a major opportunity for Gen Z graduates.
Takeaway
Mark Cuban’s advice is radical because it asks new graduates to rethink not just where they work, but how and why they contribute.
In a world where AI is reshaping business operations, the most valuable roles aren’t necessarily at big firms with established hierarchies. They are at smaller companies that need creative thinkers and tech-savvy innovators to help them compete.
