"10%, 5%, or zero": Shark Tank investor Kevin O'Leary shares his thoughts on tariffs, IP theft, and more

Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary shared a news clip from Fox News via his Instagram on April 12, 2025. It featured him alongside the news representative from The Evening Edit, discussing the tariffs and more.

During the discussion, the Fox News representative asked the O'Leary ventures chairman what deal he would tell the President to take from China. Responding to that, the Shark Tank investor was clear about what he wanted to do and how much reciprocal tariff he was ready to go with.

Kevin O'Leary captioned the video clip with the following:

"It's simple. I don't care if the tariff’s 10%, 5%, or zero — I want a fair playing field. No more forced IP theft, no more market lockouts, and no more getting ripped off. China's been dodging the rules for decades, and it's time the U.S. stops letting them off the hook. Fair trade or no trade. Period."

Kevin O'Leary chimes in on tariffs

In a recently shared Instagram clip, O'Leary revealed his thoughts on the recent tariffs and how they have affected entrepreneurs. The video clip, shared by Mr. Wonderful, features him responding to what kind of deal he wants the President to take from China.

Addressing the Fox News correspondent, he stated:

" I want access to their markets. I don't want to be forced to give up my IP. I want to compete on a level playing field."

Stating more, Kevin O'Leary added that he wanted access to their courts as he wanted to resolve any issues there might be with the World Trade Organization.

He asked for "consequences" for everyone:

"I want access to their courts. I want them to resolve all of the issues they have with the World Trade Organization that they said they were going to. Because if you bring a complaint through WTO, it's crickets. Nothing happens. And there has to be some kind of consequence for screwing these laws, which they've never faced. There has to be a consequence."

O'Leary stated that he doesn't get to "steal" their IP and that he doesn't get to do what they get to. He also talked about how he doesn't bring his product to Chinese markets.

Sharing a generalized scenario that happens often, Kevin O'Leary stated that a successful entrepreneur in America gets up to 5 million in sales on an annualized basis. However, soon, such products are found on platforms such as Alibaba in "five weeks" after they have been successful in domestic markets.

Additionally, such products are being sold in the American market at "30% to 40% discounts." Kevin voiced his concern and mentioned how third parties don't spend a "dime" on research and development.

"What's wrong with that picture? Why do we allow this? This is what I'm talking about," he said.

The Shark Tank judge questioned why the U.S has allowed such things to happen and mentioned that he wanted such parties to have consequences for their actions.

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