A YouTube sensationknown for giving away large sums of money hasrevealed just how much he believes his viral videocompany isworth.
YouTube star JimmyDonaldson, better known by his creator name "MrBeast" runs one of the most popular channels on Alphabet Inc's GOOG YouTube platform.
Famous for giving awaymoney and high-value prizesto unsuspecting subscribers, Donaldson is one of YouTube's biggest earners and biggest givers.Many of hisfollowers have long made guesses as tojust how much money his online video businessand related companies areworthand he'sfinally revealed exactly how much that might be.
What To Know: According to an Insider report from late September, Donaldson unveiled that he once turned down a $1 billion offer for the MrBeast brand.
During an interview on the Flagrant podcast, heprovided an estimated future valuation for hisYouTube company turned creativeempire,whichincludes a Beast branded mobile game, a restaurant,chocolate bars and more.
"It's so crazy, I don't even want to say it …it would probably be like $10 billion, $20 billion," Donaldson said on the show.
Although MrBeast has created a mobile app to stage one of his crazy stunts(ittracked who could keep their finger pressed on the app for the longest), the app he'sreferring to is a mobile strategy game thathe hasplanned for sometime down the road.
That's just one of several viral videos that have been featured on MrBeast's channel. He's given away millions in cash, several Teslavehicles, an island, and in his most recent video, the gift of sight.
Two weeks ago, Donaldson paid for1,000 blind people to havecataract surgery.The video features several clips of thepatients across the worldremoving bandages and experiencing clear vision, some for the first time.
Check This Out:MrBeast's 1,001 Acts Of Charity: The Gift Of Sight, And A New Tesla For 1 Teenager
MrBeast crossed the 100 million subscriber mark on YouTube in July 2022 and that number has already climbed to133 million at the time of writing.
Just like his estimated $10 to $20 billion valuation for the umbrella of MrBeast-branded companies, Donaldson expects the price tag on his empire to continue to skyrocket.
"In the future I think it could be worth way more," Donaldson told the "Flagrant" podcast hosts.
One of the hostsnoted that he was shockedWalt Disney Co DIS had notoffered him the"craziest check in history." Another host noted that MrBeast is worth more thanMeta PlatformsInc's META WhatsApp.
Meta acquired the messaging appin October 2014 forapproximately$16 billion, including$4 billionin cash and approximately$12 billionworth ofFacebookshares. It's worth significantly more today.
He could see MrBeast being worth more than WhatsApp in five years, maybe 10, hesaid,noting, however,that that's not hismain goal. The 24-year-old YouTuberhas pledged to give away all of his money before he dies: "every single penny," he saidin a tweet last month.
See Also:Mr. Beast Bemoans Unfair 'Bad' Label From Twitter Users Dogecoin Creator Has This Advice
Food inflation has hit its highest level in almost a year and could continue to go up, according to an industry body.
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) reported a 2.6% annual lift in food costs during April – the highest level since May last year and up from a 2.4% rate the previous month.
The body said there was a clear risk of further increases ahead due to rising costs, with the sector facing ÂŁ7bn of tax increases this year due to the budget last October.
It warned that shoppers risked paying a higher price – but separate industry figures suggested any immediate blows were being cushioned by the effects of a continuing supermarket price war.
Kantar Worldpanel, which tracks trends and prices, said spending on promotions reached its highest level this year at almost 30% of total sales over the four weeks to 20 April.
It said that price cuts, mainly through loyalty cards, helped people to make the most of the Easter holiday with almost 20% of items sold at respective market leaders Tesco and Sainsbury’s on a price match.
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Its measure of wider grocery inflation rose to 3.8%, however.
Wider BRC data showed overall shop price inflation at -0.1% over the 12 months to April, with discounting largely responsible for weaker non-food goods.
But its chief executive, Helen Dickinson, said retailers were “unable to absorb” the surge in costs they were facing.
“The days of shop price deflation look numbered,” she said, as food inflation rose to its highest in 11 months, and non-food deflation eased significantly.
“Everyday essentials including bread, meat, and fish, all increased prices on the month. This comes in the same month retailers face a mountain of new employment costs in the form of higher employer National Insurance Contributions and increased NLW [national living wage],” she added.
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Five hacks to beat rising bills
While retail sales growth has proved somewhat resilient this year, it is believed big rises to household bills in April – from things like inflation-busting water, energy and council tax bills – will bite and continue to keep a lid on major purchases.
Also pressing on both consumer and business sentiment is Donald Trump’s trade war – threatening further costs and hits to economic growth ahead.
A further BRC survey, also published on Tuesday, showed more than half of human resources directors expect to reduce hiring due to the government’s planned Employment Rights Bill.
The bill, which proposes protections for millions of workers including guaranteed minimum hours, greater hurdles for sacking new staff and increased sick pay, is currently being debated in parliament.
The BRC said one of the biggest concerns was that guaranteed minimum hours rules would hit part-time roles.
On the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City, factory workers at Dony Garment have been working overtime for weeks.
Ever since Donald Trump announced a whopping 46% trade tariff on Vietnam, they’ve been preparing for the worst.
They’re rushing through orders to clients in three separate states in America.
Sewing machines buzz with the sound of frantic efforts to do whatever they can before Mr Trump’s big decision day. He may have put his “Liberation Day” tariffs on pause for 90 days, but no one in this factory is taking anything for granted.
Image: Staff have been working overtime
Workers like Do Thi Anh are feeling the pressure.
“I have two children to raise. If the tariffs are too high, the US will buy fewer things. I’ll earn less money and I won’t be able to support my children either. Luckily here our boss has a good vision,” she tells me.
Image: Do Thi Anh
That vision was crafted back in 2021. When COVID struck, they started to look at diversifying their market.
Previously they used to export 40% of their garments to America. Now it’s closer to 20%.
The cheery-looking owner of the firm, Pham Quang Anh, tells me with a resilient smile: “We see it as dangerous to depend on one or two markets. So, we had to lose profit and spend on marketing for other markets.”
Image: You asked, we listened, the Trump 100 podcast is continuing every weekday at 6am
That foresight could pay off in the months to come. But others are in a far more vulnerable state.
Some of Mr Pham’s colleagues in the industry export all their garments to America. If the 46% tariff is enforced, it could destroy their businesses.
Down by the Saigon River, young couples watch on as sunset falls between the glimmering skyscrapers that stand as a testament to Vietnam’s miracle growth.
Image: Cuong works in finance
Cuong, an affluent-looking man who works in finance, questions the logic and likelihood that America will start making what Vietnam has spent years developing the labour, skills and supply chains to reliably deliver.
“The United States’ GDP is so high. It’s the largest in the world right now. What’s the point in trying to get jobs from developing countries like Vietnam and other Asian nations? It’s unnecessary,” he tells me.
But the Trump administration claims China is using Vietnam to illegally circumvent tariffs, putting “Made in Vietnam” labels on Chinese products.
There’s no easy way to assess that claim. But market watchers believe Vietnam does need to signal its willingness to crack down on so-called “trans-shipments” if it wants to cut a deal with Washington.
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The US may also demand a major cutback in Chinese manufacturing in Vietnam.
That will be a much harder deal to strike. Vietnam can’t afford to alienate its big brother.
Image: Luke Treloar, head of strategy at KPMG in Vietnam
Luke Treloar, head of strategy at KPMG in Vietnam, is however cautiously optimistic.
“If Vietnam goes into these trade talks saying we will be a reliable manufacturer of the core products you need and the core products America wants to sell, the outcome could be good,” he says.
But the key question is just how much influence China will have on Vietnamese negotiators.
Anything above 10-20% tariffs would be intensively challenging
This moment is a huge test of Vietnam’s resilience.
Anything like 46% tariffs would be ruinous. Analysts say 10-20% would be survivable. Anything above, intensely challenging.
But this looming threat is also an opportunity for Vietnam to negotiate and grow. Not, though, without some very testing concessions.
Alex Mashinsky, the founder and former CEO of the now-defunct cryptocurrency lending platform Celsius, faces a 20-year prison sentence as the US Department of Justice (DOJ) is seeking a severe penalty for his fraudulent activity.
The US DOJ on April 28 filed the governmentâs sentencing memorandum against Mashinsky, recommending a 20-year prison sentence due to his fraudulent actions leading to multibillion-dollar losses by Celsius customers.
The 97-page memo mentioned that Celsius users were unable to access approximately $4.7 billion in crypto assets after the platform halted withdrawals on June 12, 2022.
âThe Court should sentence Alexander Mashinsky to twenty yearsâ imprisonment as just punishment for his years-long campaign of lies and self-dealing that left in its wake billions in losses and thousands of victimized customers,â the DOJ stated.
Mashinskyâs personal benefit was $48 million
In addition to listing massive investor losses resulting from the Celsius fraud, the DOJ mentioned that Mashinsky has personally profited from the fraudulent schemes in his role.
As part of his plea in December 2024, Mashinsky admitted that he was the leader of the criminal activity at Celsius, that his crimes resulted in losses in excess of $550 million, and that he personally benefited more than $48 million, the authority said.
An excerpt from the governmentâs sentencing memorandum against Celsius founder Alex Mashinsky. Source: CourtListener
The DOJ emphasized that Mashinskyâs guilty plea showed that his crimes were ânot the product of negligence, naivete, or bad luck,â but rather the result of âdeliberate, calculated decisions to lie, deceive, and steal in pursuit of personal fortune.â
This is a developing story, and further information will be added as it becomes available.