After looking into the YouTube empire’s work culture, online video production company MrBeast says it has fired five to ten employees.
(New York) After looking into the YouTube empire’s work culture, online video production company MrBeast announced on Friday that it has fired five to ten employees.
A representative from the corporation would not comment on the specific number of employees let go, the names of those affected, or the reasons behind the layoffs. This upheaval occurs at the same time that Jimmy Donaldson, better known by his MrBeast alias, who attracts millions of views with his well-staged stunts and giveaways, is coping with allegations of wrongdoing that have cast doubt on his family-friendly reputation and the reputation of his collaborators and other employees of his multimillion-dollar production company.
The two-page letter sent Friday by Alex Spiro, a trial lawyer who led the investigation by the white-shoe law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, states that investigators only found “several isolated instances of workplace harassment and misconduct.” Spiro’s clientele includes Jay-Z and Elon Musk.An investigation that lasted nearly three months found no merit in claims that MrBeast team members engaged in sexual misconduct or “knowingly” hired individuals with “proclivities or histories towards illegal or questionable legal conduct.”.The group questioned 39 present and former employees, according to Spiro. The letter stated that the group analyzed a large number of documents, including those from phones, emails, and messaging platforms like Discord and Slack.
Since the summer, a series of scandals have engulfed the so-called YouTube royalty. Ava Tyson, a friend and fellow creator of Donaldson, departed the channel in July after facing accusations of sending sexually explicit communications to youngsters over an extended period. In 2017, YouTuber Rosanna Pansino also shared an audio recording of Donaldson making homophobic and racial remarks. During the filming of an early version of his ambitious “Beast Games” Amazon Prime Video series in July, some competitors expressed concerns about their safety. They cited “limited sustenance” and “insufficient medical staffing” as reasons why they shouldn’t compete for the $5 million prize.
While certain employees are receiving “targeted training and executive coaching” for concealed policy violations, Mr. Beast has reportedly brought on new executives, including as general counsel and head of HR.”From a YouTube start-up consisting of a group of talented young individuals to a much larger entity, the company has grown exceedingly quickly,” Spiro said in an email to MrBeast’s Board of Directors. Following commercial success, policies and practices essential to a mature company often disappear. Donaldson has largely remained silent when questioned about the issues at hand.
His most recent foray into the food industry follows the underwhelming reception of his chocolate bar and burger business, and he has teamed up with online sensations Logan Paul and KSI to develop a prepackaged lunch brand. His crazy, action-packed videos, like “100 Identical Twins Fight For $250,000,” continue to captivate his 325 million YouTube viewers. In a Friday post on X, which shared Spiro’s letter, Donaldson expressed his reluctance to make public pronouncements in order to facilitate a thorough and impartial investigation.
The results of “workplace harassment and misconduct” and “multiple firings” indicate that “it might be time for a bigger investigation,” according to Pansino, who has been Donaldson’s most outspoken opponent on X.Advertising lawyer Robert Freund, whose practice assists creators in resolving conflicts, describes Donaldson’s rise to fame and success as a “pretty rare company.” According to him, the distribution of the letter was likely motivated by the fact that Donaldson is running a professional operation. According to Freund, who spoke to The Associated Press, the public has not received anything unusual or weird.
