The Unstoppable Force That is MrBeast

MrBeast: YouTube’s King and Highest Earner

James “MrBeast” Donaldson is officially the biggest YouTuber on the planet. Bigger than PewDiePie, Cocomelon, Joe Rogan, and even Taylor Swift — you name them, MrBeast is on another level. As of right now, he sits with 297 million (and counting) subscribers, gaining anywhere from 100,000 to 1 million new subscribers every single day.

There’s nothing standing in the way of this legendary pop culture icon, who once famously said: “My overarching goal in life is to make a lot of money and then before I die give it away.” But how exactly did the young and talented MrBeast burst onto the YouTube scene and skyrocket to a level of success that nobody thought possible? All of this and more is answered right here. 

Who is MrBeast? 

MrBeast is a 26-year-old American YouTuber, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. Originally from the city of Greenville in North Carolina, MrBeast had to move a lot during his childhood because of his parent’s careers in the military, although this didn’t stop him from having fun. While growing up, MrBeast quickly discovered a passion for digital media and even showed signs of his business-savvy nature as young as 10-years-old, when he asked Santa for $10k so that he could start his own business.

He then launched his YouTube channel several years later at 13-years-old, quickly becoming a YouTube icon and one of the most recognizable names on the planet in just over a decade thanks to his colorful, fast-paced, and eye-popping videos that are typically centered around exciting challenges or large giveaways.

This has unsurprisingly led to MrBeast being known as “that guy who gives away millions of dollars to random strangers”, which is probably the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of MrBeast, too. However, there’s a lot more to MrBeast than just a rich and charismatic YouTuber, as he’s spent years working hard to crack the YouTube algorithm and position himself as one of the most accessible and entertaining content creators around. 

How Did MrBeast Get Started on YouTube? 

MrBeast officially got started on YouTube back in 2012 when he was aged just 13. He uploaded a video of himself playing Minecraft to the channel “MrBeast6000”, with nobody at the time aware that the soon-to-be biggest YouTuber of all time had just made his first ever video. In the following years, MrBeast would regularly upload gaming videos as well as content focused on the wealth of famous YouTubers.

Then, when 2017 came around, MrBeast finally got what he’d always wanted: a viral video. The video, titled “I counted to 100,000!”, saw the 19-year-old count all the way to 100,000 in under 40 hours while sitting in his bedroom. Effectively, this kickstarted the “MrBeast” that we know today, as a tidal wave of subscribers started flooding in. 

The Rise of MrBeast (2018-2024) 

In 2018, MrBeast had 10 million subscribers and was fast gaining a reputation as a highly entertaining and unique YouTuber, uploading popular videos like “Breaking Glass Using Only Megaphones” (54 million views) and “Walking Up To Random People With 100 StormTroopers” (19 million views). In the following years, MrBeast would continue to upload similar videos in this niche, designed to attract audiences of all ages. Because the videos were so fun and accessible, it led to the thousands of people sharing them and the YouTube algorithm giving MrBeast a major boost.

Whenever he uploaded a new video, it would appear on YouTube’s homepage, giving MrBeast an extremely high level of exposure. And because MrBeast was starting to rake in huge sums of money from YouTube and sponsorship deals, he was able to truly start mastering his speciality: giveaway and philanthropic videos. 

Between 2020 and 2024, MrBeast’s videos have gone from strength-to-strength. His approach is very much “more is more”, as his giveaways seem to get bigger every single month (after all, it’s what subscribers want to see). At the same time, MrBeast also kept his finger on pop culture’s pulse by uploading videos related to whatever show or trend was popular at the time.

The best example of this is his most viewed video ever, “$456,000 Squid Game In Real Life!”, currently sitting at 628,598,000 views. Squid Game was the big trending Netflix show in 2021, so MrBeast and his team decided to get creative by doing a real-life version of it, sending the internet into meltdown. Since then, it’s now become normal for him to break the 100 million mark on all of his YouTube uploads, averaging 108.7 million views per upload. The overall success of MrBeast has also reached a stage where his business empire is valued at $1.5 billion, making him the most rich and successful YouTuber of all time. 

🔥 MrBeast’s biggest ever giveaway as a $2.5 million private jet 

🔥 MrBeast has over 53.5 billion total views on his channel 

🔥 MrBeast has bought almost an entire neighborhood in North Carolina and given the houses to his friends, family, and staff 

What Does MrBeast Do Now? 

MrBeast is more active than ever. He still uploads a video to YouTube every one (or two) weeks while also pursuing other business ventures, too. In 2020, Donaldson launched his own virtual fastfood restaurant MrBeast Burger, followed shortly after by the creation of Feastables, a food company centered largely around his own range of chocolate bars.

There was even a rumor that MrBeast had launched his own online social casino, but the sweeps site SweepsKings confirmed this rumor to be false. Outside of his business ventures, the 26-year-old MrBeast is also regularly making public appearances, doing podcast features, and more, all while maintaining his long-term vision to keep giving away as much money as possible to the less fortunate. 

The Future of MrBeast: New Ventures, Plans, and Potential Retirement 

The world is in MrBeast’s palm. At such a young age, he reportedly has no plans to retire from YouTube yet and will continue to be the king of viral videos for potentially decades to come. You can also expect the talented entrepreneur to continue with his successful business ventures and charitable efforts, giving much of his fortune away to those in need, having already given away $42.9 million as of 2024. Whether you’re a casual YouTube watcher or diehard MrBeast fan, more viral videos and exciting moments are still ahead from MrBeast — that’s for sure. 

Image credit Wikicommons here