"He doesn't really engage"- When Shark Tank's Mark Cuban commented on the DEI debate with Elon Musk

Shark Tank investor Mark Cuban is known for voicing his opinions and walking the talk, whether it's about a deal or any other phenomena of consequence. Last year, the two billionaires, Mark Cuban and Elon Musk, got into one of their usual fun banter on X, formerly known as Twitter, about the DEI( Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) initiative at the workplace.

For those who are unversed, Mark Cuban has been an ardent supporter of DEI initiatives and has called out Elon Musk on X, a platform owned by Musk himself, for his ignorance towards a more diverse, equal, and inclusive environment at the workplace.

During a podcast with Lex Fridman in March 2024, Mark Cuban opened up about the "beef" and mentioned that it was just a "fun" discussion for him. Citing that he does not shy away from sharing his opinion vocally, he took a dig at Elon Musk for not being "engaging" in a healthy discussion and rather coming up with sarcastic comebacks. He told Fridman:

"I have no problem, you know, sharing my opinion. And, you know, if he disagrees, okay, he can disagree, I don't care. You know, and it's fun to engage, but he doesn't really engage, he just comes back with snark comments, which is, his choice."

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Shark Tank investor Mark Cuban opened up his views on the DEI program

Shark Tank investor and business mogul Mark Cuban opened up about his DEI debate with billionaire and X owner Elon Musk during a podcast with Lex Fridman. He explained his take on the same. He said that Musk's viewpoint has been "De facto racist" about DEI, and because he owns platform X, there are likely fewer people who disagree with Musk, which is a problem.

Answering Fridman's question on the good and bad of the DEI program, Mark Cuban presented his vision and said it is simple to understand the ground rules. He broke down the word DEI and explained each facet, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, in detail.

Explaining the "Diversity" facet, he remarked that it meant expanding the" pool of potential applicants to people you might not otherwise have access to." He said one should look for quality employees where other people are not looking and giving them an opportunity.

Shark Tank investor, Mark further expanded the word and said:

"And the E in equity means when you hire somebody, you put them in a position to succeed. The I in inclusion is when you've hired somebody and they may not be typical, if you will, right?"

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Shark Tank airs on Fridays on ABC.