Elon Musk humorously responded to Mark Cuban’s interest in buying X (formerly Twitter). During an interview with Wired, Cuban mentioned his desire to buy the platform, and Musk joked, “Sorry, Mark, your card was declined. I bought X for $44B. You’re $39 billion short.”

During the interview published on September 12th, Cuban discussed what X might look like under his control. While the billionaire entrepreneur and Shark Tank star currently doesn’t have the funds to make the acquisition, he said he would.

“for sure” consider buying X if given the chance. “I wish I could. There’s no reason for him to sell it,” Cuban stated, referring to Musk.

Cuban’s remarks are a follow-up to Musk’s acquisition and rebranding of Twitter as X in 2022, with a valuation that Musk reported had dropped to $20 billion by March 2023, well below the original $44 billion purchase price. Musk’s platform changes, especially the shift towards a right-leaning audience, have been criticized by Cuban. Cuban still finds the banter with Musk enjoyable, as he recently told Business Insider. “Fun sparring with Elon.”

Mark Cuban’s Vision for X

Despite Musk’s reluctance to sell X, Cuban’s ownership may appear different. Cuban has previously expressed skepticism about algorithms and their control over social media platforms, stating that the platform and its community control the algorithm. Changing how content is presented and moderated would be part of his X approach, potentially shifting the platform’s user experience away from Musk’s current direction.

Cuban’s primary focus has always been on promoting engagement and innovation. Under his leadership, X could observe changes designed to make the platform more inclusive or in line with his entrepreneurial philosophy. However, the steep cost of acquiring the company makes these visions hypothetical.

Cuban’s Interest in Fox News

In addition to his enthusiasm for X, Cuban wished to acquire Fox News. Like X, Cuban acknowledged that the price tag is too expensive. “I’d buy it in a heartbeat if I had the money,” he said,

According to estimates, buying the network would cost at least $22 billion, including a 50% premium on its current market cap of $15.6 billion. Cuban also said that the changes he would like to make to Fox News would cost another $2 billion, pushing the total cost even higher.

Despite selling his majority stake in the Dallas Mavericks for an estimated $3.5 billion in November, Cuban admitted, “I don’t have $15 or $20 billion in cash sitting around.”

Cuban’s comments show that despite his financial commitment to X and Fox News, he is still interested in shaping the media landscape.