Billionaire Mark Cuban faced backlash for his controversial money-saving 'tip.' Now, he's teaching people to be nice instead.
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- Mark Cuban recently faced backlash for a TikTok where he offered tips to save money.
- He urged viewers not to spend on extra lattes and streaming services, which proved unpopular advice.
- Cuban has not addressed the controversy but he encouraged viewers to "be nice" in a new post.
Billionaire investor Mark Cuban is back on TikTok after his previous comments on the app advising people not to spend on extra lattes and streaming services sparked backlash.
Cuban initially drew criticism on the app after he posted a video in his series titled "Tip Of the Day" on August 31, in which he told viewers that one way to "get more cash" in their lives is to save money.
"You don't need that extra latte, that extra streaming subscription, going to that fancy dinner. You want to put that in a money market account earning five, maybe more, percent, and watch that sucker grow. That'll make you feel a whole lot better than that extra latte that you had that day," Cuban said in part of the clip, which received 2 million views.
Though Cuban's video was posted at the end of August, this excerpt drew criticism from many users over the following days.
"I didn't buy the latte and I still can't pay for groceries and housing," read one comment. "Why do billionaires think skipping things that bring us happiness is the solution to our problems?" another said.
It also led to a number of stitches from users expressing similar skepticism about how useful his advice was.
"Y'all need to stop asking billionaires for advice. Who is doing this? They are not one of us," said one user with the username @robbiesmoonmusic in a stitch with 3 million views posted on September 10, adding in the caption that people that rich "will never understand what an iced coffee represents to the average American working 9 to 5."
The next post visible on Cuban's TikTok account following the backlash was posted on September 12, involving the billionaire posting another "Tip Of the Day" for viewers.
Cuban did not address the criticism he received, and instead encouraged viewers to "be nice" and "smile."
"What's the tip of the day? Be nice, smile, cause smiling takes nothing. And you know what? We all rather do business with someone that smiles, we all rather work with somebody that smiles, we all rather just make someone's day with just a smile. It's so easy," he said.
Cuban's most recent TikTok has so far received a largely positive response, as viewers have said they agreed with his comments and thanked him for sharing advice on the platform.
Mark Cuban sold his first tech company MicroSolutions for $6 million in 1990. After a string of successful investments he joined the ABC reality television series "Shark Tank" in 2011. He is also the owner of the NBA team the Dallas Mavericks. His net worth is $5.2 billion, according to Forbes.
On TikTok, Cuban has over 986,000 followers and has previously shared behind-the-scenes clips of filming for "Shark Tank" and glimpses into his private life.
Representatives for Mark Cuban did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
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