NEW YORK — MrBeast has ordered a full assessment of the internal culture at his YouTube empire, as well as an investigation into “allegations of inappropriate behavior by people at the company,” according to a confidential memo obtained by The Associated Press.
The message sent Wednesday, addressed to “Team Beast” employees, outlined infrastructure changes, including plans to hire a chief human resources officer and require company-wide sensitivity training. The expanded investigation indicates that the troubles inside YouTube’s biggest channel may go deeper than the “serious allegations” MrBeast admitted last month to a longtime collaborator, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson.
“As your leader, I take responsibility, and I am committed to continuing to improve and develop my leadership style,” Donaldson wrote. “I recognize that I also need to create a culture that makes all of our employees feel safe and allows them to do their best work.”
A MrBeast spokesperson confirmed that a memo was sent to employees. The memo comes after a tumultuous few weeks for the YouTuber, who has long been loved by his young fans for his free videos of outrageous giveaways and bold charitable acts.
Donaldson admitted to using “inappropriate language” last week after clips of homophobic and racist comments circulated online. Initial production of his ambitious game show — which was supposed to feature 1,000 contestants and a $5 million grand prize — recently prompted safety complaints from contestants who described a chaotic set where they were regularly denied access to food, water and medication.
The memo reveals that Donaldson has hired white-shoe law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan to investigate his friend and co-creator Ava Tyson — who left the company in July after allegations surfaced online that she shared inappropriate sexual messages with minors.
Meanwhile, Donaldson told employees that the company he founded in 2016 at age 18 is making a number of changes aimed “to foster a better internal culture as we grow.”
The memo also mentions plans to hire a chief financial officer and general counsel. According to the memo, the company will provide an “anonymous reporting mechanism” as well as mandatory training for all employees on “safety, sexual harassment, LGBTQ, diversity, sensitivity training, and workplace conduct.”
Donaldson has recently sought to expand his influence beyond his main YouTube channel’s record 309 million subscribers.
Other YouTube channels “Beast Reacts” and “Beast Philanthropy” have total subscribers of over 34 million and 25 million, respectively. His MrBeast Burger has been widely criticized, but Walmart still sells his popular Feastables chocolate bars. And Amazon Prime Video is set to air “Beast Games” – billed as “the biggest reality competition.”
But Jake Bjorseth, founder of Gen Z ad agency Trendstrs, said managing such a large company becomes difficult. He thinks it’s especially complicated in MrBeast’s case, when “the person is the brand” and “his image is now more closely tied to revenue.”
Bjorseth said that as the internal culture inevitably shifts toward a more “corporate” one, Donaldson must find a way to “de-risk everything” while still maintaining the “magic” for his followers.
Bjorseth said MrBeast’s response to the growing controversy and any changes to its content as a result could alienate a segment of his wide audience.
“Will we see consumer outrage at the product level? Because that’s where there could be some serious consequences,” he said.
“What do they do with the next release of the YouTube video?” he added. “Is there necessarily a reaction video after this or is it business as usual? They’re in a very difficult position.”
A MrBeast spokesperson said the most recent video — posted on Aug. 3 and titled “Survive 100 Days in a Nuclear Bunker, Win $500,000” — was the second-fastest video to reach 100 million views in the channel’s history.
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