Cuban Criticizes California Proposal, Investor Warns of Funding Risks
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New filings reported by The Los Angeles Times detail Brin's role in funding Building a Better California, which is pushing two ballot measures that would undercut and potentially nullify the proposed billionaire wealth tax. Building a Better California is also spending directly against the proposed tax, pumping at least $5 million into "no" efforts.
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FortuneThe issue is particularly relevant in California, which is home to hundreds of billionaires and the headquarters of the venture capital company, where many built their fortunes through technology companies. The state’s Legislative Analyst’s Office notes that billionaire wealth can consist of stocks, businesses and other investments rather than cash, making a wealth tax fundamentally different from an income tax.
New York Post BusinessHealthcare workers and other supporters with the Billionaire Tax Now coalition hold placards during a media briefing in Los Angeles on Monday, April 27, 2026. The initiative would levy a one-time 5% tax on California billionaires. (AFP) AFP via Getty Images
Financial TimesCalifornia billionaires add millions to bolster fight against wealth tax Tech owner Chris Larsen and venture capitalist John Doerr step up efforts to kill proposed 5% levy on the rich
RealClearMarketsTroubling Polling News About California's Billionaires' Tax Editorial, California Post There are two choices that should be no-brainers for California voters in November.
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Cuban argued that the proposal misunderstands how startup wealth works. Many entrepreneurs may look like billionaires on paper due to their company valuations, but have relatively little cash available to pay a tax based on their net worth. Cuban warned that imposing the tax would encourage founders and investors to leave California.
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New York Post BusinessFar-left progressives are trying to rally up support for California’s controversial one-time 5% tax on billionaires that’s up on the November ballot — but famed businessman Mark Cuban on Saturday delivered a brutal assessment to one of the tax’s biggest supporters.
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The prominent investor warned that if the measure passes, he himself would avoid investing in California startups completely unless they move out of state. “If this passes, only idiot startup founders stay in Cali,” Cuban wrote. “I’ve done it before and will do it again. Dallas. Pittsburgh. Indiana. I will make NOT being in California a prerequisite for an investment.”
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New York Post BusinessIf Prop 40 passes, Cuban claimed businesses and investors, including himself, would definitely seek to avoid California; in fact, he said he would make it a requirement to not be based in California.
3 details only one outlet reported
Independent claims that didn't surface elsewhere in our corpus. Treat as supplementary — not corroborated across outlets.
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01 New York Post Business “Doing business in the state of California sucks,” Hil Davis, a California businessman, bluntly told Fox News Digital.
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02 Common Dreams 5 #000000 #FFFFFF Google co-founder Sergey Brin, one of the richest men in the world, has spent more than $100 million backing a group seeking to stop a popular California ballot initiative that would impose a one-time tax on the wealth of the state's billionaires.
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03 Fortune Cuban, long a self-identified “libertarian-at-heart,” has been more closely affiliated with Democrats in recent years, as a high-profile surrogate for Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential race and endorsing Hillary Clinton in 2016. However, the born-and-raised Pittsburgh native turned adoptive Texan has always remained staunch on his stance on wealth taxes — against.
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