Mr. Beast has officially become the most subscribed YouTube channel. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC … [+]
Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson has officially been crowned the most subscribed channel on YouTube, beating Indian music label T-Series, which has held the top spot since 2019.
The T-Series currently has 266 million subscribers, while MrBeast has 271 million on his channel, which is quite an achievement for an individual YouTuber.
MrBeast celebrated his success on X (Twitter), joking that Felix “Pewdiepie” Kjellberg had finally been “avenged,” a reference to Pewdiepie's viral and controversial quest to top the T-Series.
Although Pewdiepie held the title of most subscribed channel for a total of 6 years, the YouTuber was overtaken by T-Series in 2019, sparking concerns that YouTube culture was shifting away from individual creators and towards company sponsored content.
MrBeast has now claimed the crown, through viral video stunts and cash giveaways, sponsored by brand deals and partnerships.
How did MrBeast get so many YouTube subscribers?
MrBeast achieved his current dominance over YouTube through sheer perseverance: In an interview with Forbes, the YouTuber made it clear that cracking YouTube's algorithm requires an amount of time and effort, more of a lifestyle than of a job
MrBeast said he spent several years as a teenager “obsessively studying YouTube” and revealed that his day-to-day life is essentially consumed by his YouTube channel, jokingly comparing his entrepreneurial drive to an addiction to “cocaine “.
In an appearance from 2023 to Colin and Samir podcast, MrBeast admitted that his success had come at a great cost.
“People shouldn't be like me. I have no life, I have no personality,” he said.
MrBeast constantly measures its analytics, always looking to improve click-through rate and viewer retention, right down to measuring the brightness of a video thumbnail or swapping its standard “soy face” for an AI-generated smiley.
For MrBeast, it's all about numbers, literally. After years of creating content, the YouTuber rose to fame in 2017 after posting a video of himself counting up to 100,000 for 40 hours, gaining tens of millions of views.
From there, MrBeast focused on eye-catching spectacle and massive giveaways; the YouTuber gave away cars, houses and wads of cash to delighted participants.
Since that landmark video, MrBeast has played on the contrast between poverty and opulence, whether he's handing out thousands of dollars to the homeless or recreating. Squid Game in real life (like Netflix, MrBeast seems to have missed the point of the original series).
MrBeast's exploits have at times been controversial, with the YouTuber accused of exploiting the working class for views and pursuing power under the guise of philanthropy.
In certain online spaces, MrBeast has become something of a meme, his distinctive smile seen as the all-consuming face of capitalism.
MrBeast's brand can best be understood through the conclusion of his famous “mountaineering” video, in which he and his team supposedly climb to the top of an unconquered mountain in Antarctica.
Upon reaching the top, MrBeast celebrates by planting a flag and “naming” the mountain, not for his team or YouTube channel, but for his brand association: Shopify.
What's next for MrBeast?
MrBeast might have conquered the heights of YouTube, but does his appeal extend beyond the video-sharing platform?
Jimmy Donaldson is about to find out, having signed a deal with Amazon Prime Video to star in a game show titled Beast gameswhich aims to “become the biggest reality competition series ever,” with “1,000 contestants competing for a $5 million cash prize,” the biggest payout in television history .
MrBeast has investments outside of YouTube, such as Feastables, his chocolate bar company, which he uses his YouTube channel to promote.
MrBeast has also helped create two environmental fundraisers, #TeamTrees and #TeamSeas, and launched the charity Beast Philanthropy.
At one point, Donaldson was promoting his virtual fast-food chain MrBeast Burger, but has since sued the dining company that runs the restaurant, claiming the “outrageous” burgers risk damage your reputation.
It remains to be seen whether MrBeast's questionable charisma can thrive beyond the pull of the YouTube algorithm: Donaldson has openly admitted that he sees “personality” as a limitation to growth, that opening up to the camera comes with risk that he doesn't like
After all, MrBeast's videos aren't really about him; they talk about what he is doing, the money he spends, wastes or gives away; it's all about numbers.
Time will tell if MrBeast's record numbers will translate to streaming.
