It’s no secret that billionaires are always looking for their next business venture as an extra revenue stream.
But famed investor and “Shark Tank” host Mark Cuban says he’s potentially eyeing the purchse of Fox News.
For reasons you wouldn’t believe.
during a wide-ranging interview with Wired’s Lauren Goode published late last week, Cuban expressed his interest in acquiring both Fox News and X (formally Twitter), with his primary focus being Fox News.
“If I had enough money to do it, which I don’t, I’d buy it in a heartbeat,” Cuban said of Fox News.
But here’s the kicker.
Cuban apparently only has eyes for a Fox News purchase so he could subtely brainwash viewers.
Cuban said earlier in the interview that buying Fox News would serve as an antidote to a demographic he calls the “Fox News generation.”
Cuban coined the term in past interviews when he expressed disappointment in his generation, the baby boomers.
“I mean, my generation was sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll. I never thought they would be the Fox News generation,” Cuban told The New York Times’ David Marchese in an interview published in August 2020.
“People I knew were smoking pot, listening to Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and protest songs,” he continued. “The idea that those are the people condemning Black Lives Matters and watching Fox News in droves. It’s so upsetting to me. You have no idea.”
In other words, he would want to deprogram regular Fox viewers.
Despite Cuban’s wishes, don’t expect him to control Fox News anytime soon.
Cuban said Fox News would be far too expensive an investment, even come on the market. Cuban estimated a net acquisition price of about $15 billion to $20 billion.
“I don’t have $15 or $20 billion in cash sitting around,” Cuban told Goode.
As for acquiring X? Don’t expect that to fall in his lap, either. Cuban told Goode that he didn’t think the platform’s owner, Elon Musk, was keen on selling.
“I wish I could,” Cuban said. “There’s no reason for him to sell it.”
Cuban, a frequent user of X, has criticized the changes Musk has made to the platform. Musk acquired Twitter in October 2022 before renaming it to X in July of last year.
Cuban’s criticisms have earned Musk’s ire, with Musk tossing insults at Cuban for his criticisms.
But that hasn’t detered Cuban, who told Business Insider in June that he found it “fun sparring with Elon.”
According to Business Insider, Cuban didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment sent outside regular business hours.