MARK CUBAN WAS CONFIDENT HE wouldn't be recognized in Boston Common. This was early June, and it happened to be the day of the Boston Dyke March, billed as an "anti-capitalist intersectional gender liberation" event. On our walk over to the park, people had bum-rushed the billionaire, angling for an autograph or selfie. Basketball fans on the street lit up at the sight of himthe minority owner of the Dallas Mavericks. But as we strolled the 50-acre stretch of green, considered the oldest public park in the US, Cuban the capitalist assured me that this crowd couldn't be less interested in him.
"Mark Cubannnnn!" a young woman screeched just then. She hurried over. Her friends joined. They were infectiously joyful, wearing strips of rainbow fabric fashioned into skirts, and they wanted a selfie. Cuban obliged, beaming like a dad.
Cuban, now 66, is at a turning point. Late last year he announced that the upcoming season of ABC's Shark Tank, the reality show that catapulted him to fame, would be his last. He also sold off his controlling stake in the Mavs. Was the tech entrepreneur and investor... slowing down?
The suggestion is offensive to him. He simply has a new obsession. In 2018, Cuban received an email that, to him, smelled like blood. A 33-year-old radiologist named Alex Oshmyansky was cold-pitching a pharmaceutical startup. He wanted to sell generic drugs for about as much as they cost to make or buy. Cuban was intrigued. He invested $250,000.
Within two years Cuban had invested so much that he owned the company. In January 2022 they began selling products as Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drugs. The name references, well, Mark Cuban, but also simple algebra: the base price of the drug, plus a 15 percent markup, plus a $5 pharmacy service fee, plus $5 in shipping. The company ships around 2,500 drugs, including ones for epilepsy, diabetes, and birth control, to consumers and pharmacies across the US.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November - December 2024 من WIRED.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November - December 2024 من WIRED.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
What's the future for Western 'super apps'?
Super apps create a single interface to unify a broad ecosystem of services such as messaging, e-commerce, and transport. With consumers making all of their purchases within one walled garden, the user engagement and data benefits for the app owner are obvious and substantial. These apps have become a major part of the Chinese technology landscape, so we asked two leading experts: Could the concept successfully break through in Western markets?
THE TELEVISUAL HIJACKING OF ALFONSO CUARON
Gravity, Children of Men, the best Harry Potter film-and now a seven-part miniseries?
THE MILITARY INDUSTRIAL COMPLEXES TRAE STEPHENS
The venture capitalist and cofounder of the defense-tech startup Anduril has worked with Donald Trump, Peter Thiel, Palmer Luckey, and Elon Musk.
THE ULTRACOOL CASH GRABS OF BOOBI ALTHOFF
Now the Tik Tokker turned podcaster is out to prove her worth-by being herself.
THE MIDLIFE NOT -A-CRISIS OF MARK CUBAN
Though he's soon to be out at Shark Tank, the billionaire has a massive new \"disruption\" in the works. He's certain it'll save lives.
THE ALTERNATE UNIVERSE OF MEREDITH WHITAKER
It's free. It doesn't track you or serve you ads. It pays its engineers very well. And it's a go-to app for hundreds of millions of people.
THE SICK (AND SLOW) BURNS OF JOSH JOHNSON
The comedian tells jokes the way he found fame: slowly, and then all at once.
THE DAD-ROCK DIPLOMACY OF ANTONY BLINKEN
Two major wars. A rising China. Hackers everywhere. He's from the US government, and he's here to help.
INSIDE THE UNCANNY WORLD OF TIKTOK HOME REMODELING
Turn a tree into a luxury apartment. Retrofit a bedroom for a million children. The videos are bizarre-and going very viral. Who's behind them?
A FULL-TERM GIG
Hiring someone to carry your baby to term is a booming business. The market for surrogacy is expected to expand to $129 billion by 2032, fueled by older parents, rising infertility, and more same-sex families. Silicon Valley contributes to the growth too: Tech companies like Google, Meta, and Snap pitch in up to $80,000 toward the six-figure cost of the process.
