Beast Games, released in December 2024
In September 2024, Jimmy Donaldson—better known by his online alias MrBeast—found himself embroiled in a class action lawsuit filed by contestants from his upcoming Amazon show, Beast Games.
The contestants allege that they were provided with insufficient food at sporadic times and did not receive adequate medical attention despite many of them facing injury due to the risky nature of the competitions. At the same time, contestants state that they have yet to receive the compensation promised for their participation, whereas female contestants also claim they were subjected to hostile environments including sexual harassment while on the show.
But it wasn’t always like this. The 27-year-old YouTuber who is now under fire was once widely praised by viewers for his philanthropy, while his business acumen was well respected and even studied by fellow content creators.
As the face of the most subscribed channel on the platform, the peaks and troughs of MrBeast’s career also embody the transformation of YouTube since its inception 20 years ago. What was originally a website for sharing home videos is now its own medium of entertainment worth billions, having undeniably shaped much of internet culture.
So how did YouTube get to where it is today? And what does Mr Beast’s catapult to fame signify about the direction it’s headed?
Grassroots and Golden Age
In 2005, former PayPal employees Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim launched the beta version of YouTube with the aim of making video sharing online more accessible. The first video uploaded on the platform was a simple 19 second clip of Karim titled “Me at the zoo”.
Later that same year, a Nike ad became the first video to reach one million views and by 2006, its rapidly growing user base spurred Google to acquire it for an astonishing $1.65 billion despite the website not having a revenue model at the time.
The early years of YouTube are defined by short viral clips such as “Charlie bit my finger”, “Evolution of Dance”, and “Keyboard Cat!”, among many others.
As the platform grew, so did the community and like any other community, key figures began to emerge. Creators namely Smosh, nigahiga, JennaMarbles, and Philip DeFranco had some of the most subscribed channels during the website’s infancy years. They helped to establish that being YouTubers could actually become a feasible career and not just a hobby.
Anthony Padilla (left) and Ian Hecox (right) from Smosh
A major change came in 2012 when YouTube adjusted its algorithm to prioritise watch time over view count in an effort to cut down on clickbait (videos with misleading or provocative thumbnails often unrelated to the video itself) and fine-tune user recommendations.
This shift caused a surge in popularity for Let’s-Play gaming content, giving birth to big names including PewDiePie, Jacksepticeye, Markiplier, and DanTDM.
Daniel Middleton a.k.a. DanTDM
For the most part, channels were run entirely by the creators themselves, often with minimal production. Although YouTube’s Partner Program allowed channels to earn ad revenue from their videos, the driving motivator for these creators remained their dedication to the craft and connection with their fanbase.
One of the biggest appeals of YouTubers, unlike mainstream celebrities, became their relatability. Creating content means filming yourself and putting your personality on full display which by extension allows viewers a glimpse into your life, creating a sense of familiarity and closeness.
But now, take a look at YouTube’s most popular videos and you’ll see the same cookie-cutter format again and again: fast-paced edits with sensational commentary, leaving videos feeling detached and shallow. So how did we stray so far?
The Turning Point
Between late 2016 and early 2017, PewDiePie (the most subscribed YouTuber at the time) published several videos containing anti-Semitic jokes and imagery. This was met with harsh criticism from mainstream media outlets and led to a period of mass advertiser boycott on YouTube widely referred to as the Adpocalypse.
As a result, YouTube responded with a large-scale crackdown on content deemed too controversial or inappropriate via demonetisation of videos and even entire channels. Unfortunately, many of these videos were flagged unfairly; use of profanity, depictions of violence, and brief mentions of sensitive topics could cause videos to be entirely stripped of monetisation.
After the fallout, YouTube’s algorithm was tightened to favour content deemed as family friendly and palatable to advertisers. This caused a shift; creators became acutely aware of the algorithm’s workings and increasingly modified their videos in order to appeal to it.
The thing about algorithms, however, is that they tend to pick up certain types of content over others. When videos are crafted in a way to cater to the algorithm’s preferred criteria, the differences between them become blurry, causing their individuality to be lost. MrBeast’s career embodies this very issue.
In Comes MrBeast
After experimenting with various types of videos during his early years, his channel began to gain traction with challenge videos such as “I Counted to 100,000!” and “Watching Dance Till You’re Dead for 10 Hours”.
His viewership exploded in popularity as he posted giveaway videos including “Giving a Random Homeless Man $10,000” and “I Donated $30,000 to a Random Twitch Streamer”.
He started to combine these two styles with the video “Last to Leave Circle Wins $10,000 – Challenge” which produced the challenge giveaway videos he’s most well known for.
MrBeast then used the money earned through these viral hits to reinvest in his channel, increasing the production value with each video. This caused them to be more attention-grabbing, garner even more views and earn even greater revenue, thus creating a cycle.
His formula worked. MrBeast quickly became the fastest-growing channel on YouTube and by 2022, he was bringing in hundreds of millions of views on each new video. Of course, with increasing fame, copycats are sure to follow. Channels such as Morgz and Stokes Twins have been accused of imitating MrBeast due to their near identical video concepts and thumbnails.
Morgz’s video (left) and MrBeast’s video (right)
Stokes Twins’ video (left) and MrBeast’s video (right)
Although most channels don’t mimic his videos one-to-one, many still emulate some aspects of his style: video titles with absurd hooks to attract clicks, loud dramatic intros that immediately draw viewers in, and rapid-fire editing to keep their focus, particularly younger demographics with shorter attention spans.
While MrBeast may not have invented these techniques, his transcendent rise to fame has greatly popularised them. The staggering view counts on his videos certainly inspire many creators to take a page out of his book which explains why much of the content on YouTube has started to feel artificial and overdone.
Previously, creators rose to fame owing to their originality and authenticity but now, videos have become formulaic and devoid of personality in favour of appealing to the algorithm. In crafting unique content, you run the risk of it being unpopular. Hence, opportunistic individuals that approach YouTube as a means of attaining wealth or stardom will simply imitate what works already rather than putting their own spin on it. When monetary rewards are given the highest priority, storytelling and integrity pay the price.
From Content to Monetisation
Ironically, MrBeast himself seems to have fallen into the very same trap. His most viral video, “$456,000 Squid Game In Real Life!” is, as the title states, a recreation of the hit Netflix K-drama Squid Game.
If you’re unfamiliar with Squid Game, the show centers around contestants, all facing significant financial difficulty, that compete in deadly children’s games in hopes of earning a life-changing sum of money. As we find out in the first season, (spoiler alert) the games are funded and watched by a handful of ultra-rich individuals who pit desperate contestants against each other for their personal amusement.
MrBeast’s video reenacting the show (as well as Beast Games which draws inspiration from it) undermines Squid Game’s core commentary on socioeconomic inequality and class struggle. MrBeast—a wealthy and influential figure—is literally dressed as one of the central antagonists of the show in the thumbnail whereas the video’s contestants—who are economically disadvantaged in comparison—compete against each other for the chance to win a cash prize. At the same time, all of this is filmed and portrayed as a spectacle for the sake of entertainment.
Evidently, the video has been criticised as tone-deaf and entirely missing the point of its source material. Not to mention, MrBeast, just like his imitators, took a concept which originated from someone else and capitalised off of it without offering much new or constructive input.
This is also indicative of a larger problem surrounding YouTube: the rampant spread of derivative content often lacking in substance. A prime example being low-effort reaction videos as well as YouTube Shorts, a large portion of which are just reposts of clips from TikTok and Instagram Reels. YouTube claims their goal to be providing everyone with a voice and encouraging self-expression, yet their hyperspecific algorithm which rewards creators for trend-hopping rather than exploring original content persistently contradicts this.
The controversy doesn’t stop there. In late 2024, MrBeast collaborated with fellow YouTubers KSI and Logan Paul to launch their new food product Lunchly, aimed at competing with Lunchables, a popular American meal-kit.
MrBeast, KSI and Logan Paul launching Lunchly
Their new product, which was marketed as being a healthier better-for-you lunch option, faced backlash from medical experts and consumers for its exaggerated health claims and quality issues. On the other hand, many creators, most notably DanTDM, voiced their discontent with the trio’s business venture, criticising the exploitative nature of promoting an unhealthy food product to their large audience of young impressionable children. Moreover, their defensive responses on social media doubling down on the product’s high quality only served to add fuel to the fire.
Not to forget, the ongoing Beast Games lawsuit has also left a stain on MrBeast’s once spotless reputation.
After all of this, there comes a point where you must question whether he’s still doing it for the philanthropic motives he claims to be or if he is simply chasing profit for profit’s sake.
Although his reputation among the community has taken a hit, his channel continues to grow steadily despite the controversies.
Takeaway
The trajectory of MrBeast’s career is a reflection of the state of YouTube as a whole: increasing emphasis is being placed on maximising revenue while authenticity and ingenuity have taken a back seat. Originally, YouTube started off as a platform for ordinary people to express their ideas and personality—even YouTube’s old slogan was “Broadcast Yourself”—but the influx of flashy high-budget content is slowly causing artistry to be drowned out by sensationalism.
In spite of all this, many creators including OG YouTubers remain true to themselves and their content. We’re experiencing a new era where many emerging creators have themselves grown up on YouTube and the platform can be all the richer for it as long as passion and community are placed at the forefront.
It’s easy to get swept up in the pursuit of success—we spend so long chasing our goals that we end up losing sight of why we set out to achieve them in the first place—which is why it’s crucial to constantly remind ourselves of the bigger picture, to remain grounded even after we’ve reached the summit.
Written by: Serene Ching
Edited by: Sarah
