Billionaire investor Mark Cuban has doubled down on his belief that AI will become a defining line between companies that adapt and those that disappear, drawing parallels to how the media industry once dismissed streaming and HDTV.
Cuban Says AI Skepticism Echoes Early Streaming Doubts
Over the weekend, the billionaire entrepreneur said the future will belong to "two types of companies — those that are great at AI, and those that used to be in business," pushing back against critics who argue generative AI is already overrated.
Responding to a user questioning whether tech leaders exaggerate AI's promise, Cuban said similar skepticism greeted early streaming technology.
He recalled that initial audio streaming was poor, video streams were "postage stamp" sized and bandwidth constraints convinced many media executives the model would never scale.
See Also: Mark Cuban Says ‘This Is The Job-Hunting Advice I Give My Own Kids In The Age Of AI’
How HDTV Went From Mocked Concept To Industry Standard
Cuban pointed to his experience launching HDNet and HDNet Movies in 2001, describing how broadcasters and cable companies openly doubted high-definition television.
He said executives pulled out analog TVs during meetings and insisted consumers could not see a meaningful difference, while HDTV sets at the time cost nearly $20,000.
"People laughed," Cuban said, noting that those same TVs now cost a fraction of that price and HDTV has become ubiquitous.
Why Cuban Believes AI Will Follow The Same Path
Cuban argued that today's criticism of AI focuses too heavily on its current limitations rather than its trajectory. He said that AI is not a replacement for human intelligence but a tool that amplifies it.
"AI isn't smart," Cuban said, adding that it "makes smart people smarter."
Through Microsolutions, Cuban helped introduce local area networks, then went on to create Audionet as an early streaming venture and later HDNet, among the first high-definition television networks.
More recently, he launched Cost Plus Drugs, a company that has reshaped the pricing and sales of prescription medicines.
Kevin O'Leary Calls AI A Competitive Weapon For Small Businesses
Cuban's fellow panelists on the reality TV show "Shark Tank," Kevin O'Leary, previously said that AI is now among the most strategic investments for small business owners, describing AI-driven customer service bots as a powerful competitive advantage for growth.
O'Leary has also said the biggest risk to the AI boom is not hype or lofty valuations, but a looming shortage of electricity.
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