10 Questions for Mark Cuban

You may recognize him as the Dallas Mavericks' loudmouth owner. But this tech billionaire has also got rhythm: he recently shimmied his hips on Dancing with the Stars. Mark Cuban will now take your questions.

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Cuban answers readers questions in a conversation with TIME's Carolyn Sayre

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Mark Cuban: Not Just Another Maverick

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You are often seen as outspoken and controversial. Did you go on Dancing with the Stars to change what people think? —Debra Parrish, Boston
Yes, I need to change people's perception of me and let them know the new Mark. I'm not a screamer, but if there's a Mavericks game on and I yell for one second of it, that [ends up] on TV. Dancing was also a better way to rehab [after my hip replacement] than traditional physical therapy.

What is the key to the Mavericks' success? —Michael Nassar, College Park, MD.
The key is having great players. But there are a lot of teams that have All-Stars and haven't been able to put it together. I try to make it fun and put people in a position to succeed.

Rumor has it you're looking to buy one of the upstart football leagues. Do you think it can get enough quality players from the NFL to make an impact? —Dave LaCasse, Wauwatosa, Wis.
I don't think there's any question that the UFL [United Football League] or any other league that wants to challenge the NFL can have an impact. The demand for professional football is off the charts.

I'm sure that people ask you for money all the time. What's the craziest thing someone's actually asked you to pay for? —Michelle Rodriguez, Lynbrook, N.Y.
Oh, the list is long, from hair implants to braces to breast implants. I always get, "I heard that you're worth X amount of dollars, so one-tenth of 1%—you're not going to miss it. Would you just write me a check?" It's fun. It's a good problem to have.

You made billions in the dotcom boom. What's the next great financial opportunity? —Penny Moore, Columbus, Ohio
If I were capable of predicting that, I'd already be there. The one thing I know is that the next opportunity won't be on the Internet. It will be a technology that is somewhere else. Some 10-year-old little girl will come up with it, and we'll all wonder how we missed it.

It seems that you make good decisions. When evaluating a player or business, do you use gut instinct or cold hard facts? —Madison Welch, Arlington, Va.
Cold hard facts. Even gut instinct is based on facts. It's like the book Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking—whatever facts you've ingested over the years, that's what you use. When people say, "My gut tells me," I ask, "Why?" And then you [can] combine that with stats. I'm always looking to get an edge.

You founded HDnet, a network that broadcasts entirely in high definition. Why is HD so slow to dominate television? —Majeed Arni, Austin, Texas
The picture has been dumbed down. High-definition TVs have one of the highest return rates of any consumer-electronics products, because people get home and the picture quality sucks. If you watch a sporting event on HDnet or CBS, you can see the difference, but you can't on other networks.

Are you going to launch a celebrity mixed-martial-arts show? —Dave McGrath, Clive, Iowa
We're talking to Mario López to put together a celebrity mixed-martial-arts [a judo-boxing-wrestling combo] program where celebs beat the heck out of each other. It sounds like fun depending on who the celebs are. I could think of a few names. [Laughs.]

Any chance you'll get involved in politics? —Mike Brand, Tallahassee, Fla.
I hate politics. It's slimy. Any job where people pander for votes, I don't like. The country has gotten so partisan that if you're not on my side, you're the enemy. The only thing I ever try to support is a third party, like Unity08. We need more parties and more choice.

What's your beef with Donald Trump? —Owen Murphy, Philadelphia
Donald always picks on people, and a lot of them aren't in a position to stand up to him. I couldn't care less about the guy, so when I stand up to him, I am standing up for all the people who are afraid to. He's all show and no go.

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