S09.E01: Locker Board, WYP Aviation, Sierra Madre Research, Simple Habit / S09.E02: The Seventy2, Jackson's Honest, Qball, Trippie

[Tara Ariano]

Quote

In the Season 9 opener, Richard Branson sits in with the sharks and vents his frustration with Mark Cuban. Products include an aerial-sports item and a meditation app.

Quote

Rohan Oza sits in with the sharks. Products include ultimate survival kits; a wireless microphone designed to engage kids; and an app to navigate airports.

[galaxychaser]

I love this show!  

[dogfish]

Did Mark Cuban look like he wanted to beat the crap out of Richard Branson?  Damon looked like “good thing you didn’t try that sh!t with me”!

Edited October 2, 2017 by dogfish

[Dots And Stripes]

Having the mom of the airport app guy waiting for him felt like a set up. Like the producers knew he would get called an entitled millennial and had mommy there to prove the point. I get the sharks' point that you have to succeed on the merit of your product, but I also thought Cuban was more adversarial than necessary. 

Edited October 2, 2017 by Dots And Stripes

[KaveDweller]

4 minutes ago, Dots And Stripes said:

Having the mom of the airport app guy waiting for him felt like a set up. Like the producers knew he would get called an entitled millennial and had mommy there to prove the point. I get the sharks' point that you have to succeed on the merit of your product, but I also thought Cuban was more adversarial than necessary. 

They've shown a person waiting for someone a couple times before, so there may often be someone waiting for the entrepreneur and we just don't see it. But of course they'll show the kid crying. I agree Mark was more adversarial than necessary, both with the airport app kid and the mediation woman. If he doesn't think they should get a deal, don't give them a deal, but no need to give personal attacks.

Branson made that first hour entertaining.  No one else would have made the deals he was offering. 

I don't know who that second guy was, but he seemed like kind of an ass.

[LittleIggy]

It was sad seeing Branson's island since it was flattened. I like him. Much better than the cowboy shirt guy.

Don't throw water on me, but I missed Mr. Wonderful. ::ducks::

[Taeolas]

So I take it these eps were probably filmed while Mr Wonderful was doing his political run up here in Canada. I'm sure he'll be back in a few weeks; since that's about as long as his campaign lasted. :)

I wonder how much of the eps were rejigged based on recent events. The Emergency Kit was very appropriate based on what has been happening lately, and I'm sure will probably see a surge of interest all across the Hurricane band (Carolinas to Florida to the Gulf states). 

 

Even the Hammock Tents would be useful in an emergency, a great temporary shelter that seemed easy enough to put together.

 

I wonder how the air glider escaped the CBC. He said he had a deal with a windtunnel in Toronto, so I would have expected it on Dragons Den.... hell, I wouldn't be surprised if he pops up there too. I too loved Talespin and Kit's plane gliding, but no way in hell would I do it in Real Life. Still, I'm sure there are enough daredevils willing to do it and make it popular. I'm really surprised it hasn't happened long before now. I guess the Talespin fans just had to grow up and get money. :) 

[MakeMeLaugh]

Seriously, Mark Cuban? This young woman deserves to be called a gold digger? You are dead to me. 

[retrograde]

Whoever (I think it was Cuban but I didn't have my eyes on the screen) asked the skater boy if the skater girl was his girlfriend made me want to throttle him. I'm sure he just thought he was teasing the boy, but it was really demeaning to the girl -- and also pretty gross to sexualize a couple of 12 year olds. Steve Harvey often does this on Little Big Shots (putting the girls especially into creepy and uncomfortable conversations I'm sure they didn't sign up for), but that is my fault for watching Steve Harvey. 

[roctavia]

Isn't coconut oil not very sustainable? Like obtaining it is expensive and bad for the environment?  Sure the chips might taste good, but I'm kind of over the coconut oil hype.

 

I liked Branson a lot in the first episode. He made some great deals, that like others have said, wouldn't have been made by the other sharks. The hammock tent thing looks really neat.

Edited October 2, 2017 by roctavia

[hoodooznoodooz]

That woman from Korea has a very impressive background (Mom worked for Dunkin' Donuts to pay the bills) and education, but that meditation app seemed really lame.  As were her rehearsed hand and arm gestures.

Not looking forward to the tongue bath segment on Bethenny when she's a guest shark. ABC likes her double-entendre jokes, I guess. She had better be nice to Robert. Although it might be interesting if Mr. Wonderful and she get into an argument. 

Edited October 2, 2017 by hoodooznoodooz

[hoodooznoodooz]

I love that guest shark admitting that he's never had an original product idea.

[MakeMeLaugh]

51 minutes ago, hoodooznoodooz said:

That woman from Korea has a very impressive background (Mom worked for Dunkin' Donuts to pay the bills) and education, but that meditation app seemed really lame.  As were her rehearsed hand and arm gestures.

Kim also had worked as an investment banker before starting her first tech company which she sold. I can see a market for the meditation app (not me) and she seems to know what she’s doing.

[UsernameFatigue]

I thought Richard Branson was an ass. Seriously, throwing water on someone because they say something you don't like? Seems like he has spent way too many years surrounded by "yes" people, and not been challenged. At the very least it seems he has never watched an episode of the Tank. 

I also thought Mark was spot on in his assessment of the meditation pitcher. She only went up one percent in what she was willing to give up, from 5% to 6%. Sharks have often said that someone who is offering so little in equity and unwilling to negotiate are there for the exposure, and I don't see this woman as any different. It was pretty funny though that a meditation app is the pitch that got Branson so riled that he threw water at Mark and threatened to throw some at Daymond as well. Maybe he should invest in an anger management app. 

I also thought Mark was just fine with what he was trying to say to the airport app guy. I am not even a Mark fan for the most part, but I thought he was spot on, and actually trying to help the pitcher. 

Edited October 2, 2017 by UsernameFatigue

[slowpoked]

The son of the couple who pitched the coconut-oil chips, who was the inspiration for the company, passed away last August. Condolences to the family. It seems that their segment was filmed before their son passed away.

[Diana Berry]

5 hours ago, slowpoked said:

The son of the couple who pitched the coconut-oil chips, who was the inspiration for the company, passed away last August. Condolences to the family. It seems that their segment was filmed before their son passed away.

I noticed the " in memory of". Very sad.

I

really wish the last guy would have taken the job with google,etc.  He seems way to intense about this app.  

[hoodooznoodooz]

5 hours ago, slowpoked said:

The son of the couple who pitched the coconut-oil chips, who was the inspiration for the company, passed away last August. Condolences to the family. It seems that their segment was filmed before their son passed away.

 

2 hours ago, Diana Berry said:

I noticed the " in memory of". Very sad. 

That "in memory of" really caught me by surprise and made me so sad. 

[FawnLeibowitz]

It seems like Lori has been told that she doesn't need to ramble on and on if she's going out. Instead of her usual long winded speeches, we just got "This isn't for me. I'm out."

[nlkm9]

8 hours ago, hoodooznoodooz said:

That woman from Korea has a very impressive background (Mom worked for Dunkin' Donuts to pay the bills) and education, but that meditation app seemed really lame.  As were her rehearsed hand and arm gestures.

Not looking forward to the tongue bath segment on Bethenny when she's a guest shark. ABC likes her double-entendre jokes, I guess. She had better be nice to Robert. Although it might be interesting if Mr. Wonderful and she get into an argument. 

the hand gestures irritated me lol.

[Gregg247]

The airport kid completely crumbled when told his app wasn't very good, didn't he?  He looked like Charlie Brown with his defeated body language!  I think Mark and the rest of the Sharks were trying to help him out by telling him exactly why his idea was terrible.  He chose, instead, to listen to his Mom, who just kept trying to boost his self-esteem.  Someone needs to tell him that a person can put just as much time, energy, and effort into a bad idea as they can in a good idea.  What he needs to figure out is how to spot the good ideas first.  I get the feeling that he's going to have a lot of these "shocking disappointments" before finally coming around.

I also agreed with Mark on the meditation lady.   Every once in awhile, they'll have some person in the Tank who's got all the money they need to go forward; they just want to be on the show for the free exposure.  Like Mark said, they're taking a spot from some entreprenuer (sp) who really needs their help.  In the past, all the Sharks were as tough on those people as Mark was on her.  I wonder if Sir Richard's presence cooled the other Sharks' comments off a little.  I especially remember Daymond being against these "gold-diggers".  (Throwing water on Mark was stupid.  Grown men don't do that, unless they want to get a beat-down.  Sir Richard's lucky he didn't need to spend some of his billions on a new set of teeth.)

[DEL901]

12 minutes ago, Gregg247 said:

The airport kid completely crumbled when told his app wasn't very good, didn't he?  He looked like Charlie Brown with his defeated body language!  I think Mark and the rest of the Sharks were trying to help him out by telling him exactly why his idea was terrible.  He chose, instead, to listen to his Mom, who just kept trying to boost his self-esteem.  Someone needs to tell him that a person can put just as much time, energy, and effort into a bad idea as they can in a good idea.  What he needs to figure out is how to spot the good ideas first.  I get the feeling that he's going to have a lot of these "shocking disappointments" before finally coming around.

She should have been boosting his self-esteem by saying, "You've had one idea good enough to get you on Shark Tank.  So now find that next great idea!"

One of the sharks mentioned something about him wanting a "participation trophy" after he left, turned around and came back to tell them how hard he worked.  I can work hard day and night, but I'm never going to win an Olympic medal or be on the Voice.  Sometimes hard work is only 1 part of the equation and he has to learn that.

[slowpoked]

13 hours ago, UsernameFatigue said:

I also thought Mark was just fine with what he was trying to say to the airport app guy. I am not even a Mark fan for the most part, but I thought he was spot on, and actually trying to help the pitcher. 

I agree. I didn't see anything Mark said inappropriately or personal. He explained specifically the problems of the app and why he's not investing. Even Robert had a good suggestion of why not connect to the back end systems if the airports. The kid took it personal. And why did he turn around to get another word in when they were all out? Was he hoping to change their minds? Or just get more words in?

I'm thinking the kid was actually lucky Mr. Wonderful wasn't there, or he would have really broken down. Imagine Mr. Wonderful's "This app is nothing. You're nothing. This is a cockroach that will be killed by other airport apps fast enough" and what it would have done to his already fragile ego.

Edited October 2, 2017 by slowpoked

[basiltherat]

Funny that Cuban was channeling Mr. Wonderful on that entitled brat -- he usually is more "Kumbaya" with the people but he got to play designated bad guy.

[sugarbaker design]

5 minutes ago, basiltherat said:

Funny that Cuban was channeling Mr. Wonderful on that entitled brat

I blame the center chair!

[Auntie Anxiety]

I would have been more gleeful about Sir Richard throwing cold water at Cuban but it felt to me like something the producers planned in advance. 

The airport app was so uninspired. My mother taught me that if you have a mouth, you can ask for help. I don't travel a lot, but if I'm in an airport and want some pizza, I can ask a person who actually works at the airport if there is a pizza place in the near vicinity. What I think I dislike most after all these many years of watching this show, is when someone thinks they are entitled to a deal because of all their hard work, the effort, the time and money they put into their idea. I was basically a stay-at-home mother. I did a great job raising my kids, lots of blood, sweat, tears, money, etc. No one is giving me a million dollar deal, no one is telling me what a wonderful job I did (my kids are all productive members of society), and I don't expect a trophy. It's a hard job and I loved every minute of it. I'm not entitled to anything.

I am also not a big fan of companies giving MY money to charity. You want to dig wells for third world countries? That's great. No one is stopping you from donating to the cause. But don't raise your price to the consumer so that you can donate (the consumer's) money and get to use it as a tax write-off. To me, it's a bait and switch. I think it's a b.s. way of making business owners feel good about themselves because they find capitalism a little dirty. Folks, it's okay to want to make money! 

Had to agree with Cuban's assessment of the meditation app. It was clear to me that she just wanted a commercial for her product. That being said, he didn't have to be such a tool about it. Gold-digger is the wrong word. She was an opportunist.

[sugarbaker design]

25 minutes ago, Auntie Anxiety said:

That being said, he didn't have to be such a tool about it. Gold-digger is the wrong word. She was an opportunist.

Mark's used that specific terminology last season, meaning they're there not for the deal but for the exposure, but I don't remember him using it on a young woman, where it takes on a whole new dimension. 

[orangeiguana]

The airport app is ridiculous. I travel all the time and usually look up the terminal amenities online --EVERY airport has a website and map. Also, most frequent fliers like me have an airline club membership, so we find out where it is ahead of time. And then, wait, wait, there's more! There is ALWAYS a terminal map listing all the restaurants and other businesses right after you exit TSA. Has this moron ever BEEN in an airport? None of this is an issue. Also, if you fly often you pretty much have every terminal's offerings memorized.

[seacliffsal]

I am so glad that this show is back!  Liked most of the design changes, but noticed that several Sharks had different types of pillows they were using on the new chairs, so I wonder if the new chairs are comfortable or perhaps lack support.

Airport app was ridiculous.  When walking to the gate (which is the reference that the young man made) I always pass a million (well, maybe several is more accurate) food places and shops.  I have never had a problem finding something to eat or somewhere to shop.  At the airports he mentioned there are several places to find information related to the various terminals.  As I was watching this segment I wondered if this was the first time someone mentioned anything negative about an idea of his.  Really interesting segment-especially his coming back to tell them how hard he worked.  As I sometimes have to remind my students, it doesn't matter how hard they may have worked on something, it matters if they appropriately and accurately responded to the prompt/task given to them.  I have read many wonderful essays that unfortunately did not respond to the prompt that was given to the students.  If he really is a hard worker, he may either actually take one of the interviews that have been offered to him or find an idea that will actually work and focus on that.

I, too, had a few tears in my eyes when I read the "in memory of Jackson" notice at the end of his parents' segment.  I would like to try those chips.

I apologize, but I forgot who mentioned it above-I agree about the business being able to take a charitable tax credit when it is other peoples' money that they are contributing.  I stay away from company campaigns for which I give them money and they make a donation with it as it is the money of their customers that they are taking and donating and then receiving a tax credit for the donation.  

[Thrifty]

Agh.  I hate it when they have kids.  I cannot EVER take a child seriously as an entrepreneur.

[slowpoked]

1 hour ago, orangeiguana said:

The airport app is ridiculous. I travel all the time and usually look up the terminal amenities online --EVERY airport has a website and map. Also, most frequent fliers like me have an airline club membership, so we find out where it is ahead of time. And then, wait, wait, there's more! There is ALWAYS a terminal map listing all the restaurants and other businesses right after you exit TSA. Has this moron ever BEEN in an airport? None of this is an issue. Also, if you fly often you pretty much have every terminal's offerings memorized.

I agree. I travel a lot through LAX and LAX has a pretty good website about what you can find at what terminal. Does it say exactly where McDonalds is? Probably not, But a lot of airport workers have been helpful in guiding me if I want find something specific.

When Lori said his app would have been more useful if it targeted the wait times at security lines, I immediately thought, yes! I know there's a general guideline about being at the airport 3 hours or so before your departure time, but it would be also nice to be able to plan with more accuracy (and account for possible flight changes, etc.), if you can get an idea of how long security lines are for specific terminals at specific times of day.

 

1 hour ago, seacliffsal said:

I apologize, but I forgot who mentioned it above-I agree about the business being able to take a charitable tax credit when it is other peoples' money that they are contributing.  I stay away from company campaigns for which I give them money and they make a donation with it as it is the money of their customers that they are taking and donating and then receiving a tax credit for the donation.  

I don't mind businesses donating to charity, or even using charity donations as direct marketing campaigns, but I do side-eye companies (looking at you Diff Eyewear!) who boasts about charitable giving while paying a TON of Instagram celebrities and influencers to shill their products. Like, how much of my money really goes to charity if you're paying every member of the Bachelor Nation, every Bravolebrity, all the Kardashians, etc., to promote your product. 

[Primetimer]

Meet the new guest Sharks, same as the old guest Sharks.

View the full article

[shksabelle]

Oh dear God, that kid was pathetic   

Guuyyyys, I made an APP!!!!  All by myself. And I'm going to stick out my bottom lip and pout until you tell me I'm just the bestest, most smartest, most specialest snowflake ever. Just like my Mommy always tells me I am. 

The grown-up world is going to chew you up and spit you out, cupcake. 

[dogfish]

21 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

 

I don't know who that second guy was, but he seemed like kind of an ass.

Rohan Oza is a branding and marketing wizard.

[nlkm9]

1 hour ago, slowpoked said:

I agree. I travel a lot through LAX and LAX has a pretty good website about what you can find at what terminal. Does it say exactly where McDonalds is? Probably not, But a lot of airport workers have been helpful in guiding me if I want find something specific.

When Lori said his app would have been more useful if it targeted the wait times at security lines, I immediately thought, yes! I know there's a general guideline about being at the airport 3 hours or so before your departure time, but it would be also nice to be able to plan with more accuracy (and account for possible flight changes, etc.), if you can get an idea of how long security lines are for specific terminals at specific times of day.

 

I don't mind businesses donating to charity, or even using charity donations as direct marketing campaigns, but I do side-eye companies (looking at you Diff Eyewear!) who boasts about charitable giving while paying a TON of Instagram celebrities and influencers to shill their products. Like, how much of my money really goes to charity if you're paying every member of the Bachelor Nation, every Bravolebrity, all the Kardashians, etc., to promote your product. 

yep, many years ago i sent my daughter to a very expensive day camp--every summer the rates went up and every summer they welcomed more free kids--guess who was paying for them? lol.

[Thrifty]

53 minutes ago, shksabelle said:

Oh dear God, that kid was pathetic   

Guuyyyys, I made an APP!!!!  All by myself. And I'm going to stick out my bottom lip and pout until you tell me I'm just the bestest, most smartest, most specialest snowflake ever. Just like my Mommy always tells me I am. 

The grown-up world is going to chew you up and spit you out, cupcake. 

I agree, but it was so hard to watch that.  I still feel sorry for him.

[Thrifty]

20 hours ago, MakeMeLaugh said:

Seriously, Mark Cuban? This young woman deserves to be called a gold digger? You are dead to me. 

It's not "gold digger" in the traditional meaning of a person who pursues a relationship with a wealthy person for monetary gain.  In Shark Tank lingo, a gold digger is someone who comes on the show for free exposure, and is not interested in a deal.  They've used this term to describe male investors several times in the past.

Edited October 3, 2017 by Thrifty
Said something mildly critical to another poster, edited to avoid the wrath of zealous mods.

[KaveDweller]

9 hours ago, slowpoked said:

I agree. I didn't see anything Mark said inappropriately or personal. He explained specifically the problems of the app and why he's not investing. Even Robert had a good suggestion of why not connect to the back end systems if the airports. The kid took it personal. And why did he turn around to get another word in when they were all out? Was he hoping to change their minds? Or just get more words in?

I'm thinking the kid was actually lucky Mr. Wonderful wasn't there, or he would have really broken down. Imagine Mr. Wonderful's "This app is nothing. You're nothing. This is a cockroach that will be killed by other airport apps fast enough" and what it would have done to his already fragile ego.

I was thinking more of the meditation woman. I don't disagree that she was looking for exposure, but the term gold digger has a different meaning to most people who will be watching the show. I heard Mark give an interview where he talked about how the Sharks use that term behind the scenes, but I don't remember them using the term on air.

If I was going on the show, I'd have people I know say the meanest, most critical things they can think of about my business, so that I'd be prepared to be ripped apart without crying.

54 minutes ago, dogfish said:

Rohan Oza is a branding and marketing wizard.

Thanks. I'm sure he is quite good at what he does, but I still didn't like him.

[bilgistic]

The chips couple had twice as high an ask for the same percentage (5%) as the meditation app woman. When the (white) chips couple made their ask, Mark said, "Yes, sir!" versus groaning when the Korean woman made her ask. He didn't know the motivation behind their product yet. I'm over him.

I also didn't think they could bring on a grosser rich blowhard than Chris Sacca, but I was wrong. Enter "Sir" Richard Branson. Boy, bye.

[slowpoked]

30 minutes ago, bilgistic said:

The chips couple had twice as high an ask for the same percentage (5%) as the meditation app woman. When the (white) chips couple made their ask, Mark said, "Yes, sir!" versus groaning when the Korean woman made her ask. He didn't know the motivation behind their product yet. I'm over him.

I think what set off Mark (and Daymond, since he's the one who brought it up) is that the meditation app company is flush with cash. She still has 2M sitting in the bank. While the chips couple needed the money to keep producing inventory so they can keep their shelf space. It also doesn't hurt that they have 10M in sales (although not profitable).  I think it might have been a little different if the meditation app has a clear need for the cash. As it is, cash is not her #1 need and not the reason why she's there, like most entrepreneurs do (as Daymond pointed out, when most have drained their 401ks, took out 2nd mortgages, dropped out of school, etc.) she needs an investor with more value than those she had right now, not necessarily the amount of cash whoever shark will bring.

When I see exchanges like that, with Mark and Daymond and the Korean lady, I just always think that there are a LOT of things we don't see as they have to edit this show in under an hour, These pitches last more than that. If they show the entire discussion and negotiation process, they would only have one entrepreneur per show. It's highly possible Mark and/or others have used the term gold digger to other entrepreneurs' faces, and that the Korean lady wasn't the first person that Daymond said about there are more desperate entrepreneurs than her who deserves to be there. That this is possibly just the first time we're seeing this on air.

And I'm on Robert's side regarding "deserving" to be on the Shark Tank. She made it through the audition process, so she certainly deserves to be there. Period. I don't agree with Daymond that Shark Tank are only for the most desperate people - if that's the case, then why not invest on bad businesses in order to "save" them then?! I think it starts to get murky when you start arguing about who "deserves" to be there or not. 

Edited October 3, 2017 by slowpoked

[dogfish]

24 minutes ago, bilgistic said:

The chips couple had twice as high an ask for the same percentage (5%) as the meditation app woman. When the (white) chips couple made their ask, Mark said, "Yes, sir!" versus groaning when the Korean woman made her ask. He didn't know the motivation behind their product yet. I'm over him.

 

So you’re saying Cuban is a racist?  How sad for you.

[Kenz]

I'm sure that Branson throwing water on Cuban was planned, but I have to admit that Cuban did a good acting job in acting angry. I watched a clip of the scene, and Richard Branson had a convenient LITTLE glass of water ready to go on his table, as opposed to his other regular drink which was sitting there.

There are lots of people who come on this show to do their pitch and already have plenty of financing. I don't see why Mark Cuban was such a jerk to the meditation woman. After all, the producers make the decision as to who comes on the show, and if they accepted her, that's fine, and more power to her for getting attention to her venture. Damon and Cuban would probably have loved that exposure early in their careers and would have jumped on it. This show has to have some drama in it, and they did that with the piling on. Since Mr. Wonderful wasn't there, they tried to make up for him in nastiness.

I like Sir Richard Branson. He seems like a nice guy. I think they coerced him to throw the water, and he looked like he was laughing when Cuban threw it at him.  It was all TV theatrics.

Edited October 3, 2017 by Kenz

[mtlchick]

Weird mix of episodes and deals.  See Mr Wonderful?  This is what happens when you decide to try to run for the leadership in Canada, other people try to be that jerk to replace you and it gets even MORE awkward. 

 

Part of me think that Robert, who seems to be more of the thrill seeker of the normal panel, years to be Branson.   

As for the products, I do think tents are great if you're doing relief work and the emergency packs are not only smart, but given the current climate, cities like Miami and hurricane prone areas would buy those suckers in bulk.  I saw many reports before Irma hitting on what you need to pack in case of emergency.  Those packs take out 80% of the work.  Just grab some clothes,, personal documents, cash and flee. 

My sister would really benefit from the meditation app.  Our dad died in April and she's been so grief stricken that she has yet to go back to work and is on currently on long term disability.  She is trying to practice meditation but she gets distracted and loses track easily so 5 minutes on her phone would be great.  However, I wasn't a fan of the weird arm movements and then the admission of having 2M in the bank just sitting there. ""Gold digger" was pretty harsh, but I get was Mark was implying: "you already have cash, and backers and you need us because you need exposure instead of using some of your 2M to advertise? BAH."  

 

Nice try, airport app.  Except airports are becoming a lot more modern and updated which luxury wings and spas on site.  I'm pretty sure their maps will reflect that. 

[bilgistic]

1 hour ago, dogfish said:

So you’re saying Cuban is a racist?  How sad for you.

I'm not sure how it's sad to point out inequality, but OK. It's sad that it exists, but it needs to be pointed out.

We can also pretend like the chips couple didn't also come on the show looking for exposure.

[MakeMeLaugh]

4 hours ago, Thrifty said:

It's not "gold digger" in the traditional meaning of a person who pursues a relationship with a wealthy person for monetary gain.  In Shark Tank lingo, a gold digger is someone who comes on the show for free exposure, and is not interested in a deal.  They've used this term to describe male investors several times in the past.

I know someone who was asked by the producers to apply for the show (obvi would have been on the show as she was recruited, but she saw no upside for herself to be on the show and so declined) with her successful and growing business. Cuban could have said the same about the person I know. I think he was really out of line. Half the people get reamed out because their businesses aren’t successful yet, and then people like Kim are gold diggers because they are, and both get edited to look like fools. It doesn’t have anything to do with male or female. I guess there’s a secret sweet spot for where a business should be before being allowed on the show that only Cuban knows. He really should have been yelling at the producers for wasting his time—Kim didn’t walk on the show from the street. Sorry but for some reason this episode really flipped my admiration for him.

Edited October 3, 2017 by MakeMeLaugh

[UsernameFatigue]

13 minutes ago, bilgistic said:

I'm not sure how it's sad to point out inequality, but OK. It's sad that it exists, but it needs to be pointed out.

We can also pretend like the chips couple didn't also come on the show looking for exposure.

The chip couple were willing to negotiate, and ended up giving up 15% of their business to get a deal. The app pitcher was only willing to give up 6%, one percent up from her original offer of 5%. When a pitcher comes on the tank with a low offer of equity and pretty much does not move off that low offer (and to top it off really doesn't have anything all that special to start with) the sharks pretty much always say that the pitcher is looking for free exposure rather than a deal. Nothing new. 

[MakeMeLaugh]

11 minutes ago, UsernameFatigue said:

The chip couple were willing to negotiate, and ended up giving up 15% of their business to get a deal. The app pitcher was only willing to give up 6%, one percent up from her original offer of 5%. When a pitcher comes on the tank with a low offer of equity and pretty much does not move off that low offer (and to top it off really doesn't have anything all that special to start with) the sharks pretty much always say that the pitcher is looking for free exposure rather than a deal. Nothing new. 

And gee, how did they all get on the show? Sharks should be screaming at the producers. And yet sometimes they admire pitchers who stick to their guns and don’t lower their expectations. 

[bilgistic]

10 minutes ago, UsernameFatigue said:

The chip couple were willing to negotiate, and ended up giving up 15% of their business to get a deal.

...which meant that the final valuation was half the final valuation offered by the app developer, versus twice the value (chips vs. app) going in. My point remains that Mark groaned when the app developer stated her valuation, but approved the chips creators' valuation. He knew neither of their stories at the time. With the exception of Daymond (and maybe Barbara and Robert on a good day), the Sharks seem to want to be assholes just for the sake of being assholes. It doesn't endear them or the show to me. It's tiresome.

[Thrifty]

5 hours ago, bilgistic said:

I'm not sure how it's sad to point out inequality, but OK. It's sad that it exists, but it needs to be pointed out.

We can also pretend like the chips couple didn't also come on the show looking for exposure.

It's not, but it's a real stretch to blame this on racism.  The term gets thrown around so much, with people looking for racism to explain any negative thing that happens to any non-white person.  It makes it so much harder to take accusations of racism seriously when it's bandied about so freely.   So much crying wolf damages your credibility. 

 

Mark had his reasons for going off on the woman with the meditation app.  It was pretty clear that the reason was because she was already well financed and he found her request to be insincere.   Race was the last thing on his mind I'm sure.

 

Racist is a fun little term, because it's like this insult you can throw at anyone, and they're not allowed to defend themselves against it.

[Thrifty]

5 hours ago, bilgistic said:

...which meant that the final valuation was half the final valuation offered by the app developer, versus twice the value (chips vs. app) going in. My point remains that Mark groaned when the app developer stated her valuation, but approved the chips creators' valuation. He knew neither of their stories at the time. With the exception of Daymond (and maybe Barbara and Robert on a good day), the Sharks seem to want to be assholes just for the sake of being assholes. It doesn't endear them or the show to me. It's tiresome.

It could just be that the meditation app developer came in first.  Her valuation provoked the reaction, and by the time the second couple came in with a similarly high valuation, he was used to it.  But that's just a guess.

[Thrifty]

5 hours ago, MakeMeLaugh said:

I know someone who was asked by the producers to apply for the show (obvi would have been on the show as she was recruited, but she saw no upside for herself to be on the show and so declined) with her successful and growing business. Cuban could have said the same about the person I know. I think he was really out of line. Half the people get reamed out because their businesses aren’t successful yet, and then people like Kim are gold diggers because they are, and both get edited to look like fools. It doesn’t have anything to do with male or female. I guess there’s a secret sweet spot for where a business should be before being allowed on the show that only Cuban knows. He really should have been yelling at the producers for wasting his time—Kim didn’t walk on the show from the street. Sorry but for some reason this episode really flipped my admiration for him.

That's fine.  I'm not saying you have to like the sharks.  I'm not trying to convince you to do that.  I just hope you'll realize that when Mark or any of the sharks call someone a "gold digger", it's not a slam against them as a woman.  I thought you were offended by Mark's accusation because you were thinking he meant "gold digger" in the traditional sense, and you were going for some ham-fisted sexism angle.  Upon re-reading your original post, I can see that was pretty unfair.