Why Mark Cuban Is Quitting Shark Tank
"Shark Tank" launched in August of 2009, televising the efforts of entrepreneurs to turn their inventions, services, and more into profitable business ventures. Of course, they had to ensure that whatever they brought to the show was enticing enough for one of the show's investors to get behind. Among these individuals was Mark Cuban, who served as a guest "shark" during Season 2 before joining the program full-time in Season 3. It has come to light that Season 16 will be his last, and he has shared the reasoning behind this decision.
Cuban revealed the rationale behind his "Shark Tank" departure in an email, as reported by Inc. Magazine. "I have three kids, 14, 17, and 20. They are getting close to that age when they will be on their own. I want to try to have my summers to spend family time with them before they want to talk to me even less than they do today," he wrote. At the time of publication, Season 15 of "Shark Tank" is still unfolding, meaning it'll be some time before Cuban's farewell episode reaches the airwaves.
Recently, Cuban has taken some time to reflect on the impact of "Shark Tank" and what he hopes the series has done for the next generation of entrepreneurs.
Cuban is hopeful Shark Tank has helped the next generation of entrepreneurs
Throughout his numerous seasons and over 100 episodes at the forefront of "Shark Tank," Mark Cuban made a total of 85 deals — a number that can potentially grow during the remainder of Season 15 and the entirety of Season 16. According to Forbes, he has invested nearly $30 million on-air throughout his tenure so far. As he explained during an appearance on Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson's "All the Smoke" podcast, it's his hope that the show has inspired the next generation of entrepreneurs.
"I feel like in doing 'Shark Tank' all these years, we've trained multiple generations of entrepreneurs that if somebody can come from Iowa or Sacramento or wherever, and show up on the carpet of 'Shark Tank' and show their business and get a deal, that's going to inspire generations of kids," he said of the show's impact on viewers. Cuban added that he feels "Shark Tank" lets audiences know that the concept of the American dream is still very much alive in the today's world.