Shark Tank star Mark Cuban reveals lucrative side hustle he’d tell his teenage self to start

Shark Tank star Mark Cuban has revealed the lucrative side business he would start if he could go back in time to when he was a teenager.

During an interview with CNBC Make itthe 66-year-old businessman shared his thoughts on the skills he believes everyone needs to do well in any job, and that includes ‘curiosity’ and ‘agility’.

Speaking specifically about artificial intelligence, Cuban — who recently hit back at Donald Trump — said he has no idea what direction AI is going, but that he will certainly pay “attention” to it.

The TV star revealed what he would do differently if he were younger, explaining: ‘So if I was a 16-year-old kid and I had to start a side job to make some money, there are a few things I would do .

“First, I would really get into big language models like ChatGTP and Gemini and Meta and the like, and learn how to do prompts, and go to my friends and teach them how to do prompts.

The 66-year-old has been on the TV series Shark Tank for ten years, but will leave next year

“And then I would go to the corporate world, because companies – especially small to medium-sized companies – don’t understand AI yet. And it doesn’t matter if I’m 16, I would teach them too,” Cuban added.

The father of three, who has a net worth of $5.7 billion according to a Forbes estimate, is the former principal owner and current minority owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, as well as co-owner of 2929 Entertainment.

Cuban is also one of the main “sharks” on the ABC reality TV series Shark Tank, but has confirmed he will be leaving the show after its sixteenth season.

During an appearance on the All The Smoke podcast in November 2023, he revealed that he had “one more year left” with the show, saying, “This is our 15th year, and next year, our 16th year, is going to be my last years old.’

Cuban then talked about why he stayed on Shark Tank for ten years, stating that he especially loved the concept of the show.

“I love it because it sends the message that the American dream is alive and well,” he explained.

More recently, Cuban appeared on the podcast The Club Shay Shay and spoke about his relationship with his wife Tiffany Stewart, whom he married in 2002.

He revealed some of the bizarre tests he put his wife through before they tied the knot because he had been a billionaire for about three years at the time and wanted to see if Stewart was sober and dating him for the right reasons.

The TV star, pictured here in April 2024, is said to have a net worth of $5.7 billion, according to a Forbes estimate

Businessman Mark pictured with his 22-year-old wife Tiffany Stewart in 2010

“I let her go to White Castle. That was the test before we got married!’ he told host Shannon Sharpe.

“I was like, ‘We’re going to White Castle, and if you really love me, you’ll have a White Castle burger!’ She did that.’

White Castle is an American fast food chain best known for inventing the slider, a small, flatter hamburger.

Earlier in the interview, Cuban made a shocking admission when Sharpe asked him how he knew if Stewart “really loved him.”

“You got married after you’d already had some paper—an important piece of paper,” Sharpe said.

“How could you say that, ‘She loves me because I’m Mark.’ Or do you ever really know?’ he asked.

Cuban replied, “Of course you know. She makes you hit her with the frying pan!’ as the pair both burst into laughter at the disgusting revelation.

A ‘dutch oven’ is a slang term that refers to passing gas in bed and then putting it over someone’s head to lock them in.