MrBeast, the most followed YouTuber, rejected Elon Musk’s request to upload his hugely-popular videos to X because the mogul’s social media site wouldn’t generate “a fraction” of the money he earns from the Google-owned platform.
On Saturday, the 25-year-old internet sensation uploaded his latest video for his 224 million-plus subscribers, notifying his X followers with a post that read: “I uploaded, go watch or I’ll drop kick you.”
“Upload on this platform too,” a user who goes by DogeDesigner replied.
“Yeah,” Musk added as he looks to make X the “everything app” similar to China’s WeChat, which combines instant messaging, social media, long-form video content and video conferencing, among other features.
MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, said the site owned by the world’s richest man couldn’t come close to generating the kind of revenue YouTube offers.
“My videos cost millions to make, and even if they got a billion views on X, it wouldn’t fund a fraction of it,” Donaldson, whose net worth has been pegged by Forbes at $500 million, replied to Musk.
“I’m down though to test stuff once monetization is really cranking!” he added.
YouTube creators eligible for the YouTube Partner Program (YPP) – which requires a certain number of subscribers, uploads and views – can earn between $3,400 and $30,000 per 1 million video views, according to Yahoo Finance.
Donaldson’s latest video, titled “I Spent 7 Days In Solitary Confinement,” has garnered nearly 54 million views in the one day since it’s been posted.
Meanwhile, posts on X generate money through engagement and advertising revenue for those with verified accounts via the premium subscription option.
A blog site called Life Math Money ran by a man identified as Harsh Strongman estimated that based on his own earnings on the platform, creators get only $7 per 1 million impressions.
Representatives for X did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
It’s the second time in six months that Donaldson has shot down a request from Musk to join X, which is projecting 2023 ad sales to fall some $2.5 billion after a mass exodus from the platform that began in October when Musk claimed Jewish people were stoking hatred against white people.
Last June 2023, Musk replied to Donaldson’s post about dropping a new video, saying: “Post to this platform too. Earnings per view should be competitive with YouTube. If not, we will adjust.”
Donaldson’s earnings are the highest of any social media creator, Forbes reported.
When he was featured on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list in 2023, the outlet said he earned an annual income of $54 million the year prior – $32 million of which from ads alone, plus $9 million in sponsored content.
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