YouTube star MrBeast makes more than 3,000 in X video, but calls it ‘a bit of a facade’

YouTube star MrBeast makes more than $263,000 in X video, but calls it ‘a bit of a facade’

Published

2 years ago

January 22, 2024

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YouTube personality Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast, arrives for the 36th Annual Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on March 4, 2023.

Michael Tran | Afp | Getty Images

Jimmy Donaldson, the internet sensation known as MrBeast, recently took his talents to X, formerly known as Twitter, to see how his earnings from a video there would compare to how much he typically makes on YouTube.

In a Monday post on X, Donaldson said he made more than $263,000 after his video, “$1 vs $100,000,000 Car!,” attracted upward of 150 million views in one week. He initially posted the video to YouTube in September.

“MY FIRST X VIDEO MADE OVER $250,000!” Donaldson wrote. “But it’s a bit of a facade. Advertisers saw the attention it was getting and bought ads on my video (I think) and thus my revenue per view is prob higher than what you’d experience.”

In the video, Donaldson and his team venture into a variety of automobiles, including flying cars and amphibian cars. They even hitch a ride with Jay Leno.

X launched its creator revenue share program last year, offering creators a share of the ad revenue made from their posts. Creators can become eligible if their posts reach a certain number of users.

Since purchasing Twitter in 2022, Elon Musk has said he hopes to turn X into an all-purpose app with a focus on video, and has brought in popular media personalities including Tucker Carlson, Don Lemon and Tulsi Gabbard to post original content to the platform.

Donaldson is the most popular individual on YouTube with more than 370 million subscribers across all of his channels.

Musk welcomed his video to X with a quote post that read, “First MrBeast video posted directly on X!” Linda Yaccarino, CEO of X, shared the video with her own post.

Musk first suggested that Donaldson bring content to X in December. Donaldson responded by teasing a forthcoming YouTube upload in an X post.

Here’s how he replied to Musk: “The production cost of my videos runs into millions, and even with a billion views on X, it wouldn’t come close to covering a fraction of it. Nonetheless, I’m game to explore possibilities once monetization hits its stride!”

While his reported revenue from his debut X video looks like a big number, it’s not a lot for MrBeast.

According to Forbes, Donaldson pulled in $54 million last year and was the highest-earning creator of 2023. He is also close to a deal with Amazon on a $100 million show, according to reporting from Puck.

Additionally, the 150 million views on X might have not been completely organic. X users reported seeing the show in their feed multiple times as an unmarked advertisement. Donaldson said on X that he thought the video was boosted by advertisers.

Still, Donaldson is showing that there’s some earnings potential for the creator economy on X, which is trying to take on Google’s YouTube and TikTok in the burgeoning market of online influencers.

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Technology

iPhone 17 will drive record Apple shipments in 2025, IDC says

Published

1 hour ago

December 3, 2025

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iPhone 17 will drive record Apple shipments in 2025, IDC says

Apple’s latest iPhone models are shown on display at its Regent Street, London store on the launch day of the iPhone 17.

Arjun Kharpal | CNBC

Apple will hit a record level of iPhone shipments this year driven by its latest models and a resurgence in its key market of China, research firm IDC has forecast.

The company will ship 247.4 million iPhones in 2025, up just over 6% year-on-year, IDC forecast in a report on Tuesday. That’s more than the 236 million it sold in 2021, when the iPhone 13 was released.

Apple’s predicted surge is “thanks to the phenomenal success of its latest iPhone 17 series,” Nabila Popal, senior research director at IDC, said in a statement, adding that in China, “massive demand for iPhone 17 has significantly accelerated Apple’s performance.”

Shipments are a term used by analysts to refer to the number of devices sent by a vendor to its sales channels like e-commerce partners or stores. They do not directly equate to sales but indicate the demand expected by a company for their products.

When it launched in September, investors saw the iPhone 17 series as a key set of devices for Apple, which was facing increased competition in China and questions about its artificial intelligence strategy, as Android rivals were powering on.

Apple’s shipments are expected to jump 17% year-on-year in China in the fourth quarter, IDC said, leading the research firm to forecast 3% growth in the market this year versus a previous projection of a 1% decline.

In China, local players like Huawei have been taking away market share from Apple.

IDC’s report follows on from Counterpoint Research last week which forecast Apple to ship more smartphones than Samsung in 2025 for the first time in 14 years.

Bloomberg reported last month that Apple could delay the release of the base model of its next device, the iPhone 18, until 2027, which would break its regular cycle of releasing all of its phones in fall each year. IDC said this could mean Apple’s shipments may drop by 4.2% next year.

Technology

Anthropic reportedly preparing for one of the largest IPOs ever in race with OpenAI: FT

Published

6 hours ago

December 3, 2025

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Anthropic reportedly preparing for one of the largest IPOs ever in race with OpenAI: FT

Nurphoto | Getty Images

Anthropic, the AI startup behind the popular Claude chatbot, is in early talks to launch one of the largest initial public offerings as early as next year, the Financial Times reported Wednesday.

For the potential IPO, Anthropic has engaged law firm Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, which has previously worked on high-profile tech IPOs such as Google, LinkedIn and Lyft, the FT said, citing two sources familiar with the matter.

The start-up, led by chief executive Dario Amodei, was also pursuing a private funding round that could value it above $300 billion, including a $15 billion combined commitment from Microsoft and Nvidia, per the report.

It added that Anthropic has also discussed a potential IPO with major investment banks, but that sources characterized the discussions as preliminary and informal.

If true, the news could position Anthropic in a race to market with rival ChatGPT-maker OpenAI, which is also reportedly laying the groundwork for a public offering. The potential listings would also test investors’ appetite for loss-making AI startups amid growing fears of a so-called AI bubble.

However, an Anthropic spokesperson told the FT: “It’s fairly standard practice for companies operating at our scale and revenue level to effectively operate as if they are publicly traded companies,” adding that no decisions have been made on timing or whether to go public.

CNBC was unable to reach Anthropic and Wilson Sonsini, which has advised Anthropic for a few years, for comment.

According to one of the FT’s sources, Anthropic has been working through internal preparations for a potential listing, though details were not provided.

The FT report follows several notable changes at the company of late, including the hiring of former Airbnb executive Krishna Rao, who played a key role in the firm’s 2020 IPO.

CNBC also reported last month that Anthropic was recently valued to the range of $350 billion after receiving investments of up to $5 billion from Microsoft and $10 billion from Nvidia.

In its race to overtake OpenAI in the AI space, the startup has also been expanding aggressively, recently announcing a $50 billion AI infrastructure build-out with data centers in Texas and New York, and tripling its international workforce.

According to the FT report, investors in the company are enthusiastic about Anthropic’s potential IPO, which could see it “seize the initiative” from OpenAI.

While OpenAI has been rumoured to be considering an IPO, its chief financial officer recently said the company is not pursuing a near-term listing, even as it closed a $6.6 billion share sale at a $500 billion valuation in October.