Mark Cuban Reveals Why Bill Gates Hasn't Talked to Him Since This Moment

Zinger Key Points
  • Cuban hasn't talked with Gates since 1999 when the latter was "pissed" by Cuban's joke at a conference.
  • After Microsoft's success, Gates motivated Cuban to go to pursue his own success story.

Billionaire entrepreneur and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban hasn't been on particularly friendly terms with Microsoft Corporation MSFT co-founder Bill Gates, the Shark Tank host shared in the "Full Send" podcast earlier this week.

Cuban recalled the days when Microsoft went public, propelling Gates to the spotlight as the "King of tech." He acknowledged that the Microsoft co-founder did motivate him to pursue his own path to success. While conceding he didn't know Gates really well, Cuban recounted one incident where their paths crossed.

After selling Broadcast.com, Cuban was invited to speak at a conference where Gates was scheduled to speak ahead of him, the Shark Tank investor noted. The only reason he accepted the assignment is that Gates was speaking right before him, he added.

Related Link: 'It Has Appreciated More In Two Years Than Any Of My Other Pieces' Kevin O'Leary Drops A Gem On Impaulsive Podcast

While speaking at the conference, Cuban told the audience that he was excited to inform them that he has sold his company and that finally after all these years, Gates was his opening act.

The joke apparently didn't go down well with Gates.

"He got so pissed, I've never talked to him... to this day, not to this day," Cuban said.

Cuban sold his internet radio company Broadcast.com to Yahoo in 1999 for a hefty valuation of $5.7 billion.

Photo: Courtesy of Gage Skidmore and Red Maxwell on Flickr

Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs
Comments
Loading...
Posted In:
Benzinga simplifies the market for smarter investing

Trade confidently with insights and alerts from analyst ratings, free reports and breaking news that affects the stocks you care about.

Join Now: Free!