Dallas Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban on Thursday criticized conservative commentator Dinesh D'Souza for mocking a viral social media post featuring workers expressing extreme dissatisfaction with their jobs. .
Cuban has been vocal about incorporating DEI efforts into corporate hiring on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, drawing praise in some circles. However, it has attracted opposition from other circles.
The video showed a person venting his frustrations about his job, including repeated name-calling, lack of work hours from the company, and low pay. D'Souza tagged Cubans on the platform and mocked users and Cubans.
“If you're looking to diversify your company's workforce, if you're thinking, 'Diversity is our greatest strength,' you might want to consider calling this person. Or…” D’Souza wrote in part.
Mr. Cuban, who used abusive language in his response, said it was related to user complaints and accused Mr. D'Souza:
“So this person wanted to vent because they thought they would be able to put in hours at work and they didn't. Have you ever been in that position? I have.
“Then he gets angry and explodes in anger because he is living in his car and the minimum wage is not enough to pay the bills. , do you think you might diverge? I have.
“Do you know I wasn’t listening to what this person was doing? Ask for public assistance. Ask for money for doing nothing….”
You can read Cuban's full response here. Original video contains explicit language.
In January, Cuban responded to the platform's owner, Elon Musk, explaining why DEI efforts are beneficial to businesses. In his original comment, Musk wrote, “The race-based discrimination practiced by DEI is literally the definition of racism.”
Cuban outlined each word in the acronym and wrote that considering people's race, ethnicity, identity and sexual orientation in the hiring process will help “find better qualified people.” He added that a diverse and representative workforce of “stakeholders” is good for business.
About an hour after the Cuban government's social media response on Thursday, D'Souza fired another jab at Cuba.
“In short, you don't hire him because you know he's a pain to work with and will probably sue your company for mistreating him. That's the point I really wanted to make – that your position on diversity is all fantasy. You're in it to preach virtue. Thank you for the confirmation,” D'Souza wrote.
While his social media efforts have garnered attention, Cuban is also taking more in-person efforts to address diversifying hiring practices. In November 2023, he told executives at Chase for Business' Make Your Move Summit that diversity helps companies build stronger connections.
He praised Sinto Marshall, the Mavs CEO he hired in 2018 and the first Black woman to lead an NBA team, as a “force of nature.”
Even before that, Cubans had made monetary donations to various causes. In 2020, he donated $100,000 to the National Association of Black Journalists' COVID-19 Relief Fund to support journalists laid off during the pandemic. That same year, he pledged to donate $250,000. day student in indianaa student paper from his alma mater, Indiana University, was published in the paper's “Black Voices” section, highlighting the voices of Black students at the university.
Cuban was praised for his practice when he was interviewed by Arlan Hamilton during his 2022 talk at Venture Dallas. Hamilton is a black venture capitalist who received a $6 million investment from Cuba.
“You treat me like any white man, and if I don't like something I tell them right away, so that's a compliment,” Hamilton told Cuban. “If you don't like something, just tell me. And you'll never have to guess what kind of relationship I have with you.”
After selling a majority stake in the Mavericks to the Adelson family, Cuban has maintained an entrepreneurial role in the Dallas business scene. He currently runs a health care venture called Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drugs Company, which began manufacturing his own drugs at the Deep Ellum facility in early March.
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