Billionaire Mark Cuban Compares AI Hacking Agents To Cockroaches, Explains Why

Billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban has compared AI-powered hacking agents to cockroaches, warning that businesses may struggle to keep them out of their systems entirely. However, he believes artificial intelligence can also help companies strengthen their cybersecurity defences and tackle automated attacks. Speaking at the Reuters Total Health event in Nashville on October 23, Cuban explained how AI-powered agents could repeatedly search for weaknesses in computer systems, much like cockroaches that find their way into a house despite pest control measures.

"It's like the cockroach thing, right? You build a new house, and you get the guys to come out and spray. The one thing I don't want is cockroaches in my house ever. But the cockroaches find a way to get in because there are zillions of them, right? And then if there's one gets in, there's more that are going to get in, and that's kind of the way AI works," Cuban said. 

He argued that businesses could fight back by using AI tools to identify vulnerabilities and counter cyber threats on a large scale. "It's all brute force acts, and if it's brute force on that side with the bad guys, you can also use brute force with the good guys," he added. 

Cuban, best known for his appearances on the business reality show Shark Tank and his association with the Dallas Mavericks basketball team, has also ventured into healthcare. In 2022, he co-founded the online pharmacy Cost Plus Drug Company, which follows a transparent pricing model. The company charges the amount it pays for a drug, plus a 15% markup.

In May, Cost Plus joined TrumpRx.gov, a website launched by the Trump administration to offer discounted prescription drugs, including weight-loss medications.

The company has also expanded into drug manufacturing. In 2025, it began producing sterile injectable medicines, which are commonly used in hospitals, at its own manufacturing facility.

Cuban said Cost Plus has developed smaller, tractor-trailer-sized manufacturing units, which he calls pods. The units can operate independently or be combined to produce a range of medicines, including generic drugs and treatments for rare diseases. The concept could eventually allow medicines to be manufactured closer to where they are needed, including in disaster-hit areas where access to essential drugs may be disrupted.

However, Cuban said the manufacturing pods still require approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).