And no, he’s not talking about a big tech company or a fancy office. He believes it could be “just one dude in the basement” who knows how to use AI in a smart and new way.
Mark Cuban, the billionaire investor and former Shark Tank star, said this in a podcast called High Performance. He says we haven’t even seen the wildest part of what AI can do. This is just the beginning.
Right now, people use AI to write emails, make schedules, and even talk to them like a friend. Companies like Chipotle are using AI to cut hiring time. Others like Shopify and Fiverr are telling workers to learn AI fast. It’s clear the world is changing quickly.
But Cuban says we’re still in the “preseason” of AI.
“Remember when people said, ‘Why do I need the internet?’ or ‘What’s the point of a smartphone?’” he asked. He believes AI will become just as big. And when it does, people who learn it early will win big.
How AI Can Create a Trillionaire
Cuban thinks someone will find a smart, simple way to use AI that no one else has thought of yet.
That person could build something new, help millions, or solve big problems. And in doing so, they could become the first person in history worth a trillion dollars.
It doesn’t have to be a company or a team.
It could be one clever guy or girl working alone, with just a laptop and some ideas.
But AI Isn’t All Good News
AI has some serious problems too.
It could take away jobs. That’s why many companies are asking their workers to upskill. Duolingo, for example, is slowly replacing contractors with AI tools.
AI is also being misused for scams, fake videos, and cybercrime. And there’s a big environmental cost. Training AI models like GPT-3 takes huge amounts of electricity—enough to power over 100 homes for a year.
So, What Should You Do?
Cuban says: learn it. Try it.
Use tools like ChatGPT or Gemini. Ask them anything. But don’t just believe everything they say. Challenge the answers. That’s how you learn.
“AI doesn’t think. It’s not smart. But it can give you answers in a way that’s easy to understand,” he said.
And if you figure out how to use that power better than anyone else?
You might just be the first trillionaire.
