MrBeast Questions $263K Video Revenue on X, Calling It a Facade

MrBeast generated a substantial $263,000 in ad revenue with his recent video on X, but he considers this payout to be somewhat deceptive. However, advertisers capitalized on the video's attention, resulting in an inflated revenue per view compared to typical experiences.

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - SEPTEMBER 04: Global YouTube star MrBeast poses with fans at the launch of the first physical MrBeast Burger Restaurant at American Dream on September 4, 2022 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Calling X's Ad Revenue a Facade

Jimmy Donaldson, popularly known as MrBeast on YouTube, revealed that his video on X generated over $260,000 in revenue. However, TechCrunch reported that he expressed skepticism about the figure, referring to it as "a bit of a facade."

Donaldson explained that advertisers, drawn by the video's attention, purchased ads, potentially inflating his revenue per view compared to typical experiences. This disclosure came amid user inquiries on X about the video's frequent appearance, leading to speculations about undisclosed promotions.

Invited by X owner Elon Musk, Donaldson posted the video as a test on the platform, expressing reservations about the revenue covering production costs.

He re-shared a video on X that he initially posted on YouTube in September, comparing a $1 car to a $100 million car. Within a week, the X post garnered over 156 million views, while the YouTube version amassed 215 million views over four months.

Despite having 233 million subscribers on YouTube, making him the platform's most-subscribed individual, Donaldson has gained 26 million followers on X.

Promoted Content

Notably, some X users, particularly those who hadn't updated their apps, observed the post marked as "promoted," sparking speculation about it being treated as an advertisement.

As per NBC News revealed that X users had the option to mark the post as "Not interested in this ad" when it appeared in their feeds, a feature typically absent on non-advertisement posts.

Donaldson's statement about advertisers "buying ads on my video" remains ambiguous in its exact meaning. Upon sharing the revenue generated from his X video, Donaldson faced backlash from other X users who monetized their posts.

Responding to his speculation that he might earn higher revenue per view due to advertisers, some monetized users claimed significantly lower earnings, with some reporting no revenue for the period.

Expressing frustration, an account with over 200,000 X followers accused Elon Musk of allocating ad revenue to Donaldson, leaving other users with nothing.

In response to the controversy, Forbes reported that Donaldson announced on Monday that he would distribute his X earnings from the video to 10 of his X followers.

The scrutiny surrounding Donaldson's experiment and the ensuing claims echoes wider concerns about X's metrics. Since Elon Musk allowed the public to view post-view counts, users have questioned the reliability and usefulness of these metrics.

Unlike YouTube metrics that indicate actual engagement with video content, X metrics count total post views, regardless of user interaction or clicks, raising concerns about potential misleading impressions.