World's richest man Elon Musk and Shark Tank fame and NBA's Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban got into a spat over the issue of Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives in American corporations.
The social media exchange got intense when Mr Musk criticised DEI, labelling it as "literally the definition of racism" in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Mr Cuban swiftly responded to the post, stating, "Let me help you out and give you my thoughts on DEI." He wrote, "You may not agree, but I take it as a given that there are people of various races, ethnicities, orientation, etc that are regularly excluded from hiring consideration. By extending our hiring search to include them, we can find people that are more qualified."
Mr Cuban, in a separate tweet, said, "If you don't think there is a need for DEI and it doesn't create a competitive advantage for your company, just look at the @x posts/replies/quotes below. These are the same people who work for you or are your co-workers. Everyone is entitled to their POV, but these same feelings, even if they are not said out loud, are heard loud and clear at work."
Elon Musk countered, questioning when the Dallas Mavericks would include "short white/Asian women" on their team. Mr Cuban retorted with a link to an ESPN story from April 2013, highlighting Brittney Griner, a 2-time gold medalist with the US women's national basketball team.
Replying to another Mark Cuban tweet, Elon Musk suggested that "if merit for a given job is roughly the same, then the tiebreaker should be diversity (of all kinds)."
This online clash between Elon Musk and Mark Cuban was sparked by an essay written by Bill Ackman, in which the hedge fund tycoon and Harvard University donor expressed opposition to DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion), stating that it must be opposed.
The context for Bill Ackman's essay was the resignation of Claudine Gay, Harvard's first Black President. Critics argued she secured the position due to the institute's focus on diversity rather than merit or credentials.
