Mark Cuban said there's a compelling reason for new grads to join small businesses instead of big companies

• Mark Cuban said new graduates should set their sights on working in small to medium businesses.
• The billionaire said new grads can help SMBs adopt AI agents, something big companies don't need them for.
• Agentic AI has been one of the biggest topics in tech this year.

Mark Cuban has advice for new graduates: Aim for the small companies.

In an X post on Wednesday, the billionaire investor and former "Shark Tank" star said that new graduates should seek jobs in small to medium-sized businesses, because that's where they can add the most value.

Cuban said new grads can teach SMBs "how to use agents to optimize processes they couldn't take the time or afford to do manually."

"Big companies don't need new grads for this," he said. "Entrepreneurial companies will love the value you add."

He said job hunters should be aware that AI agents are where new grads can add "immediate value in ways the companies didn't know they needed."

AI agents are virtual assistants that can complete tasks autonomously, from start to finish, without requiring user prompts.

Companies have doubled down on AI agents this year. A study of more than 400 companies by software engineering management service Jellyfish said that agentic AI adoption in these companies had risen from 50% in December 2024 to 82% in May.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said in January, "The age of agentic AI is here," and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman likened AI agents to junior employees.

Morgan Stanley said in a November note that it expects AI shopping agents to add $115 billion to the US e-commerce industry by 2030.

Cuban's comments come during a challenging time for new graduates, who are entering a market with a low number of open roles.

California-based employment company Handshake reported in May that job postings on its platform were down 15% compared to the previous year, and the number of applications per posting had increased by 30%.

Handshake said that of all the full-time job applications it had received from new graduates, more than a third went to companies with 250 employees or fewer.

And small companies are also trying to attract Gen Z graduates with something they value: the ability to work from home. Workplace researchers told Business Insider in July that these companies are offering flexible work arrangements to compete with big companies for top talent.