Mark Cuban took to his X account to bang the AI-equals-job-opportunities drum again earlier this week.
In a June 2 post (1), the business mogul and TV personality said that small businesses create roughly 60% of new jobs every year and that the percentage of jobs created by the sector will only increase.
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Because of this, Cuban says that job seekers should start their search by applying to small businesses. Having AI skills additionally presents a way in for Americans because it makes it “easier and faster” for mom-and-pop operations to compete with larger corporations, he wrote.
The post drew hundreds of comments and a few replies from Cuban himself. One X user rebutted Cuban’s stance arguing that smaller companies use AI to reduce headcount needed (2).
“Not true,” Cubain replied. “They use it to do things they didn’t have enough time to do before.”
He told another user (3): “The smallest businesses don’t have the depth of expertise in AI. They need the help. Kids coming out of college have that expertise.”
Working at a small business will likely expedite your career skills, too. One user jokingly pointed out that joining a small business gives employees five years of experience in 14 months. To which Cuban simply replied (4) “Facts.”
The AI job opportunity
Cuban’s is a big believer in the job opportunities AI can create at the small business level, even as major tech companies trim workforces to invest more in the technology. In the past year, he hasn’t been shy about sharing this advice with financial media outlets and on podcasts.
He has said that just 14% of businesses have embedded AI across their organizations and that millions of companies do not have dedicated AI budgets due to sheer size. This translates into much of the economy underusing AI’s potential, which presents a ripe opportunity for job seekers, including college graduates, to find well-paying jobs.
“Learn all you can about AI, but learn more about how to implement [it] in companies,” he said on the TBPN podcast last year. “Companies don’t understand how to implement all of that right now to get a competitive advantage.”
It’s advice he’s even giving his own kids.
“I tell [my children], like I tell every young kid, there’s going to be two types of companies in this country: There’s going to be those who are great at AI and those who used to be in business,” he said on a September 30 podcast episode of The Dumbest Guy in the Room, cited by CNBC (5). “And if you’re looking for a job, it’s going to be easier to work for a small company than a large company.”
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Where the job market stands today
Millions of college students have already graduated from school this spring, or will walk across the stage later this month. The job market they’re entering is a bit of a mixed bag.
The U.S. economy added 172,000 new jobs in May, far outpacing analyst predictions for the month, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. And yet, the average job seeker is waiting six months (6) to land one. The median length of time to find a job is nearly three months. Both figures are up compared to April.
Meanwhile, a new Challenger, Gray & Christmas report (7) released on June 4 found that employers cut 97,000 jobs in May. Of those announced job cuts, AI was cited as the primary reason in 40% of them.
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X (1), (2), (3), (4); CNBC (5); MarketWatch (6); Challenger, Gray & Christmas (7)
This article originally appeared on Moneywise.com under the title: Mark Cuban says small businesses are desperate for AI talent — and it’s where job seekers should look first
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