Mark Cuban Thinks Being a Billionaire Means the American Dream Is Alive and Well

Mark Cuban, a billionaire tech entrepreneur and investor, thinks the existence of billionaires in U.S. society is a good thing. Despite tussling online with other highly wealthy individuals such as Elon Musk, and a growing number of politicians attuned to the country’s widening wealth gap, Cuban insists the ability to amass billions shows the American Dream is thriving. 

The former Shark Tank judge made the comments in the new Netflix series What’s Next?, hosted by fellow billionaire and Microsoft founder Bill Gates. 

“And you can say, ‘Yeah, having a billion dollars, that’s kinda crazy,’ but you also have to realize that that’s not the problem. That’s a symptom of something amazing. It’s the American Dream. That’s what makes America special,” Cuban said in the interview, first spotted by Business Insider. 

Cuban noted there is increased responsibility in managing extreme wealth: namely, creating jobs and paying taxes. 

“One of the most patriotic things that you can do as an American is go out and get filthy, stinkin’ rich, create a ton of jobs, invest in your company and others, and then pay your taxes,” he said.

There are currently more billionaires worldwide than at any other point in history. Forbes‘ annual list found there are 2,781 billionaires globally, 141 more than in 2023. Cuban ranks at No. 563 on the list. He began amassing his fortune during the dot-com boom. In 1999, he sold his radio-for-the-internet service Broadcast.com to Yahoo for $5.7 billion. 

Cuban said that paying taxes imbues him with pride. “When I write that check to the IRS for all those hundreds of millions of dollars, it’s not that I like it, but I am proud of it because the roads, the military, the police, teachers, Medicaid, Medicare — that’s a big part of where our taxpayer dollars go, and I feel like I’ve given something back.