I'm the luckiest mother-f*cker in the world
February 23, 2013 2:38 PM Subscribe
I don't ever want to be rich if it means I have to hang out with loudmouths like that.
posted by Devils Rancher at 2:59 PM on February 23, 2013
posted by Devils Rancher at 2:59 PM on February 23, 2013
Based on the quote in the title, it's nice to see somebody's beginning to see the total myth that is "the Meritocracy". Of course, if he and/or other loudmouth billionaires ever really started to believe it, they'd all throw themselves off their penthouse balconies.
posted by oneswellfoop at 3:02 PM on February 23, 2013
posted by oneswellfoop at 3:02 PM on February 23, 2013
Actually, I thought he came of as only half of the asshole he is. He really pointed out, well, the difference between a life of luxury and mediocrity could be fortunate timing.
Plus, he inadvertently called out Stern's SO, which was hilarious.
posted by Bathtub Bobsled at 3:10 PM on February 23, 2013
Plus, he inadvertently called out Stern's SO, which was hilarious.
posted by Bathtub Bobsled at 3:10 PM on February 23, 2013
I am one degree removed from Mark Cuban, so if you know me you are now only two degrees removed. Let the shunning begin.
posted by cjorgensen at 3:38 PM on February 23, 2013
posted by cjorgensen at 3:38 PM on February 23, 2013
16:08 -
Stern: "Luck seems to, not not luck, you make very smart-"
Cuban: "Oh no no no no no no no Howard, I am a lucky motherfucker!"
Cuban's dad was an upholsterer, Cuban seems well aware that his fortune has much to do with luck.
posted by shen1138 at 3:55 PM on February 23, 2013
Stern: "Luck seems to, not not luck, you make very smart-"
Cuban: "Oh no no no no no no no Howard, I am a lucky motherfucker!"
Cuban's dad was an upholsterer, Cuban seems well aware that his fortune has much to do with luck.
posted by shen1138 at 3:55 PM on February 23, 2013
His luck is combined with some common sense. Sounds like his first fortune was when his company was bought by Yahoo with Yahoo stock during the Internet bubble. He recognized the bubble and set up an automatic sale after a certain price, and it kicked in near (but not at) the peak. William Shatner is rumored to have done something similar with his Priceline stock back in the day.
In the interview, he says he tried to convince his friends to do the same thing, but many of them were too caught up in the bubble.
Once you have that first billion, it is easier to build it up as long as you have common sense and some smarts.
(I wish I could say I know what I'm talking about, but alas, I don't).
posted by eye of newt at 4:14 PM on February 23, 2013 [2 favorites]
In the interview, he says he tried to convince his friends to do the same thing, but many of them were too caught up in the bubble.
Once you have that first billion, it is easier to build it up as long as you have common sense and some smarts.
(I wish I could say I know what I'm talking about, but alas, I don't).
posted by eye of newt at 4:14 PM on February 23, 2013 [2 favorites]
Once you have that first billion, it is easier to build it up as long as you have common sense and some smarts.
Shoot, after I had that first billion, I don't think I'd do much with it other than put it in a savings account or something.
posted by Rustic Etruscan at 4:49 PM on February 23, 2013
Shoot, after I had that first billion, I don't think I'd do much with it other than put it in a savings account or something.
posted by Rustic Etruscan at 4:49 PM on February 23, 2013
Priceline is actually back near its bubble price (mostly thanks to subsidiary booking.com dominating Europe). Shatner may be getting rich after all...
posted by ejoey at 5:53 PM on February 23, 2013
posted by ejoey at 5:53 PM on February 23, 2013
A meritocracy (in this sense) doesn't guarantee that those with merit will be successful. Just that they won't be prevented from doing so just because they are of the wrong caste.
Lots of people were in similar lucky situations as him, and didn't have the smarts and guts to make it work. That he did shouldn't be an indictment of him.
(And Jesus, Stern sounds awful. New dentures or something?)
posted by gjc at 6:56 PM on February 23, 2013 [1 favorite]
Lots of people were in similar lucky situations as him, and didn't have the smarts and guts to make it work. That he did shouldn't be an indictment of him.
(And Jesus, Stern sounds awful. New dentures or something?)
posted by gjc at 6:56 PM on February 23, 2013 [1 favorite]
Like him or not, he was the best thing to ever happen to Mavericks in conjunction with Nowitzki.
posted by Thistledown at 7:03 PM on February 23, 2013
posted by Thistledown at 7:03 PM on February 23, 2013
I had forgotten that there was a Howard Stern.
Well, remember! He truly is one of the best interviewers out there.
posted by ReeMonster at 7:58 PM on February 23, 2013 [2 favorites]
Well, remember! He truly is one of the best interviewers out there.
posted by ReeMonster at 7:58 PM on February 23, 2013 [2 favorites]
Well, remember! He truly is one of the best interviewers out there.
Stern attended Boston University, my alma mater. He did well academically, but his antics then and thenceforward meant that the school wanted nothing to do with him. Instead, the College of Communication, having few other immediately famous alumni, plastered Bill O'Reilly everywhere. The TVs in the front lobby used to play Fox News all the time.
Which decision, I'm sure, annoyed as many people as would have been annoyed if Stern had gotten any play there himself.
posted by Rustic Etruscan at 8:17 PM on February 23, 2013 [2 favorites]
Stern attended Boston University, my alma mater. He did well academically, but his antics then and thenceforward meant that the school wanted nothing to do with him. Instead, the College of Communication, having few other immediately famous alumni, plastered Bill O'Reilly everywhere. The TVs in the front lobby used to play Fox News all the time.
Which decision, I'm sure, annoyed as many people as would have been annoyed if Stern had gotten any play there himself.
posted by Rustic Etruscan at 8:17 PM on February 23, 2013 [2 favorites]
I am going to go out on a limb here and say that I thought Cuban sounded like a decent guy. I love that his biggest fear in life is that his kids turn out to be assholes. He is living the american dream so to speak. He has by his own reckoning $3 billion net worth. He does what he wants. He enjoys himself.
If you listen to the entire interview, at the very end, the last minute, he mentions what his brother does for him almost as an afterthought. Howard asked about his family. He gave him mom and his dad both credit cards and told them to retire and knock themselves out.
The older of his two younger brothers manages his foundation. When Howard asked what does that mean, he said he set up a foundation to help pay bills for soldiers returning from our various wars so they can get back on their feet. His brother goes through the applications. Howard asked how much that costs him a year and he answer that he had no idea, but it is something that he thinks is worth it at any price.
Yeah, he is a loud boisterous owner of the Mavs, but he seems like a decent albeit competitive person. Just finding out that he quietly pays medical and other bills for returning soldiers is good enough to overcome whatever bs he spouts.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 9:49 PM on February 23, 2013 [7 favorites]
If you listen to the entire interview, at the very end, the last minute, he mentions what his brother does for him almost as an afterthought. Howard asked about his family. He gave him mom and his dad both credit cards and told them to retire and knock themselves out.
The older of his two younger brothers manages his foundation. When Howard asked what does that mean, he said he set up a foundation to help pay bills for soldiers returning from our various wars so they can get back on their feet. His brother goes through the applications. Howard asked how much that costs him a year and he answer that he had no idea, but it is something that he thinks is worth it at any price.
Yeah, he is a loud boisterous owner of the Mavs, but he seems like a decent albeit competitive person. Just finding out that he quietly pays medical and other bills for returning soldiers is good enough to overcome whatever bs he spouts.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 9:49 PM on February 23, 2013 [7 favorites]
As an Indiana University alum, I appreciate that the whole reason he made money is that he thought the internet should enable him to listen to IU basketball games from anywhere, thereby starting broadcast.com, which Yahoo bought.
Also, as a Cubs fan it was an interesting prospect, his trying to buy in, and the League shutting him out as Not Our Kind Of Owner. I'm not sure what I would have thought about that, but the Old Boys club is kind of bullshit, as witnessed by the Texas Rangers and the Hall Of Fame.
I'm sure he isn't a bad guy, and he's a breath of fresh air compared to other billionaires, knowing the luck factor in his fortune.
posted by C.A.S. at 2:13 AM on February 24, 2013
Also, as a Cubs fan it was an interesting prospect, his trying to buy in, and the League shutting him out as Not Our Kind Of Owner. I'm not sure what I would have thought about that, but the Old Boys club is kind of bullshit, as witnessed by the Texas Rangers and the Hall Of Fame.
I'm sure he isn't a bad guy, and he's a breath of fresh air compared to other billionaires, knowing the luck factor in his fortune.
posted by C.A.S. at 2:13 AM on February 24, 2013
I worked for Mark, and was part of the team who took Audionet (Broadcast.com) through their IPO. Mark is many things; he's loud, he's demanding, he's full bore action ALL.THE.TIME; but of all the people I've ever worked for, he was the boss I've liked the best. That said; he was smart enough to surround himself with insanely brilliant people. Everyone from the attorneys to the guys running sound, to the server dudes in the cold room, to the coders pounding out thousands of lines of code every day; Mark picked the best he could find.
Because of Mark's generosity when it came to stock awards, and his prescience on when to sell; I was able to stay home when I became pregnant and continue to stay home to raise my kid...and while I'm having a hard time figuring out how to break back in to the market after this long...the fact of the matter is; I had a decade to be full-time Mommy, to watch my son's first steps, to take him to his swimming lessons, and travel with him, and be his room mom all the way through elementary school, and have all the experiences that parents so rarely have the luxury to enjoy in 21st century America. We didn't buy expensive cars, or expensive houses, or crazy dotcom toys; but we did enjoy a 1950s lifestyle for a decade; and that was freaking awesome.
Mark always treated everyone who worked for him with fairness and with equality. He believed that a rising tide should lift all boats, and he did his level best to make sure that the boats of his workers rose. Did any of us make billions? No. Were there some who made millions? Yep. (I wasn't one of them, but I didn't create the same value as the folks who did, so I considered it fair then, and consider it fair now.)
For those reasons; and for some private reasons; I will always be grateful to Mark, and I will always chalk him up in the good-guy corner.
posted by dejah420 at 6:17 PM on February 24, 2013 [7 favorites]
Because of Mark's generosity when it came to stock awards, and his prescience on when to sell; I was able to stay home when I became pregnant and continue to stay home to raise my kid...and while I'm having a hard time figuring out how to break back in to the market after this long...the fact of the matter is; I had a decade to be full-time Mommy, to watch my son's first steps, to take him to his swimming lessons, and travel with him, and be his room mom all the way through elementary school, and have all the experiences that parents so rarely have the luxury to enjoy in 21st century America. We didn't buy expensive cars, or expensive houses, or crazy dotcom toys; but we did enjoy a 1950s lifestyle for a decade; and that was freaking awesome.
Mark always treated everyone who worked for him with fairness and with equality. He believed that a rising tide should lift all boats, and he did his level best to make sure that the boats of his workers rose. Did any of us make billions? No. Were there some who made millions? Yep. (I wasn't one of them, but I didn't create the same value as the folks who did, so I considered it fair then, and consider it fair now.)
For those reasons; and for some private reasons; I will always be grateful to Mark, and I will always chalk him up in the good-guy corner.
posted by dejah420 at 6:17 PM on February 24, 2013 [7 favorites]
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posted by C.A.S. at 2:49 PM on February 23, 2013 [5 favorites]