How Mark Cuban bought his time back: The $5.7 billion story

Mark Cuban, a well-known American entrepreneur, considers time one of life's most important values. At the SXSW conference, Cuban recounted how, after selling his first startup for $6 million in the 1990s, he took off his watch, symbolizing that no one would "own his time" anymore.

This decision came after the sale of the company MicroSolutions. At 32, Mark Cuban felt financially secure and could pursue his dreams.

- I always thought in terms of time – Cuban stated. – That’s always been my driving motivation: How can I control my own destiny? How can I control my own time? – he added.

CNBC Make It reports that Cuban came to these conclusions by observing his father, who worked 60 hours weekly at an upholstery company near Pittsburgh. Cuban recalled visits to his father's workplace, which made him realize that such work does not provide control over one's own time.

In the late 1990s, Cuban sold another business for $5.7 billion. In the same year, he made a record e-commerce purchase - a Gulfstream V business jet for over $40 million. The billionaire claims that this purchase allowed him to "buy" himself some time.

Currently, 65-year-old Cuban wears an Apple Watch only to monitor his health. He is active in the Shark Tank program, runs a pharmaceutical company, and manages the NBA team Dallas Mavericks.

– I wanted to make enough money so I didn’t have to respond to anybody else. I could make my own schedule and live my own life the way I wanted to do it – he explained in his MasterClass course.