Dallas Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban on Thursday criticized conservative commentator Dinesh D’Souza for mocking a viral social media post in which a frustrated worker voices his grievances about his employment situation.
Cuban, known for his vocal stance on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts, particularly in corporate hiring, received both praise and backlash for his views on the issue. The video in question showed an individual voicing concerns about work-related issues such as deadnaming, lack of hours, and low pay. D’Souza tagged Cuban in a post, sarcastically suggesting that the individual should be considered for diversifying the company’s workforce.
“Hey @mcuban if you’re looking to diversify your corporate workforce—“diversity is our greatest strength”and all that—you might consider calling this person. You can spend the first few weeks learning how to address him,” D’Souza wrote in a tweet.
In a fiery response, Cuban expressed empathy for the frustrations expressed in the video:
“So this person wants to vent because despite thinking he was going to get hours at a job, he hasn’t. You ever been in that position ? I have,” Cuban wrote. “Then he vents because he is living out of a car and is upset because minimum wage is not enough to pay the bills. Think you might vent because you aren’t making enough to pay the bills ? I have.”
“I see a person who is trying to do the right thing and work and stand on their own. I respect him a whole lot more for what he is trying to do than what I have seen you do,” Cuban concluded.
Other people in the comments criticized D’Souza, saying he has a history of begging people for money by telling them lies and highlighting the fact that he pleaded guilty to a felony charge of making illegal contributions in the name of others.
Following Cuban’s response, D’Souza took another jab at him, suggesting that Cuban’s stance on diversity was insincere. Despite facing criticism, Cuban has made efforts beyond social media to promote diversity, including praising the leadership of Cynt Marshall, the CEO of the Mavericks and a Black woman.
In addition to his advocacy, Cuban has financially supported diverse causes, such as contributing to COVID-19 relief efforts for journalists and funding initiatives such as the Black Voices section of a student newspaper at Indiana University, his alma mater.
