#351 – MrBeast: Future of YouTube, Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram

[0] The following is a conversation with Mr. Beast, the mastermind behind some of the most epic and popular videos ever made.

[1] And now, a quick few second mention of each sponsor.

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[3] It's the best way to support this podcast.

[4] We got House of Mecadamias for a satiating and delicious snack, ate sleep for, you guessed it, naps, and better help for mental health.

[5] Choose wises, my friends.

[6] snacks, naps, or mental health.

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[8] As always, no ads in the middle.

[9] I try to make this interesting, but if you skip them, please still check out our sponsors.

[10] I enjoy their stuff.

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[12] This show is brought to you by House of Macadamias.

[13] It seems like it was just yesterday that they became a sponsor.

[14] And I became aware of their existence.

[15] Because before they became a sponsor, they sent a giant box of delicious snacks.

[16] And it seems just like it was yesterday that I ate all of those snacks over a period of a few days and was a happier man for it.

[17] This month, I'm much stricter on my diet and trying to be much more responsible with my consumption of snacks.

[18] I think moderation is key for that.

[19] But in general, I think, first of all, macadamia, to me, I think, is one of the more delicious nuts, but it is definitely the healthiest, or at least one of the most healthy.

[20] I think it's pretty much the healthy.

[21] I remember when I first started keto many, many years ago, I did a bunch of research on which nuts I can and can't have.

[22] I guess if I want to be ultra low carb.

[23] And everybody recommended macadamias as like the one that has all these nutrients and all that kind of stuff.

[24] I'm sure.

[25] there's a lot of signs.

[26] You can look it up.

[27] I think there's like omega -7s or whatever, those different kinds of fats.

[28] It doesn't matter.

[29] The points are delicious.

[30] And the raw ingredient of the macadamia nut that Haas and Academias provides is just delicious.

[31] And of course, they do all kinds of snacks around that.

[32] And my task, whenever I do an ad read or talk to anybody, like my neighbors or friends about Haasemakamia's, is not to do any sexual innuendo.

[33] That's job number one.

[34] My brain is that of a silly person.

[35] At heart, I'm still a child, and I will forever remain a child.

[36] Like that Tom Wade song, I don't want to grow up.

[37] Maybe that's not even the name of the song or the lyrics, but I'm just going to go with it.

[38] And this is a good chance to mention that Tom Waits is somebody that I've dreamed of talking to on this podcast for a long time.

[39] He's a very difficult interview to get.

[40] He's dropped a few crumbs to me of hope.

[41] You know, saying like, yes, maybe one day.

[42] So I hold on to that hope.

[43] I can hold on to the delicious house of macadamia nuts with childlike joy in my eyes.

[44] Go to house of macadamacadamias .com slash Lex to get 20 % off your first order.

[45] This episode is also brought to you by 8Sleep and its new Pod 3 mattress.

[46] there's been a few days over the past let's say three weeks where I've been extremely stressed because of several things going on in my life you know how life is it's an up and down process both the ups and downs contribute to the beauty of the whole experience anyway when things are kind of difficult I saw escape in friends in books in moments of simple joy in moments of peace.

[47] And I think the best escape is a good nap.

[48] A full night's sleep, of course, but also a good nap.

[49] It's kind of magical, how much your mind can just become completely refreshed.

[50] The beauty of the world can be richly rediscovered through the process of a nap.

[51] It's incredible.

[52] Just 20, 30 minutes.

[53] It's kind of amazing.

[54] At least my brain is like, that.

[55] So sometimes when I'm feeling crappy, I'll just give it a nap.

[56] I'll give it a good night's sleep and see how I feel again in the morning.

[57] Almost always, if not right away, just maybe a couple of times.

[58] I'll feel better.

[59] Anyway, that's why you want to really make sure that the surface, the mattress, all kinds of technology that you surround yourself with in terms of sleep, you use the best stuff.

[60] And that's why I look forward to sleeping on that cool surface that an A -sleep cover provides.

[61] It's just incredible.

[62] I look forward to naps and sleeps just because of that A -Sleep cover.

[63] Check it out and get special savings when you go to 8Sleep .com slash Lex.

[64] This episode is also brought to you by Better Help, spelled H -E -L -P -Help.

[65] Speaking of the ups and downs of life, I think it's interesting, you know, the kind of rollercoasters your mind can go on.

[66] at least my mind can go on one moment i feel blissful and happy and everything is beautiful and one moment i feel cranky and just a little bit down and one of the things i've learned is to just kind of allow the passage of time to cure all things but i think that's not necessarily the full picture because you should probably treat your mental health very seriously and talk through it with the therapist.

[67] You know, there's some deep ocean of feeling there that may lay unexplored.

[68] And it's, I think, beneficial to explore it with a good therapist.

[69] I think one of the most accessible, easiest ways to get access to a good therapist, a licensed professional therapist, is better help.

[70] That's why I'm a big supporter of what they do.

[71] I mean, that's really the first barrier, is make it super easy and, of course, make it affordable.

[72] And that's what BetterHelp does.

[73] Check them out at betterhelp .com slash Lex and save on your first month.

[74] This is the Lex Friedman podcast.

[75] To support it, please check out our sponsors in the description.

[76] And now, dear friends, here's Mr. Beast.

[77] I'm here with Mr. Beast, the brilliant mastermind behind some of the most popular videos ever created.

[78] Do you think you'll ever make a video that gets one billion views?

[79] I think maybe one of the videos we've already made might get a billion views.

[80] Which one do you think?

[81] Probably like the squid game video with enough time.

[82] I mean, it's only a year old and it's already on 300 million or some of the newer ones we've done, have gotten like 100 million views in a month.

[83] So those four projected over 10 years because YouTube's not going anywhere.

[84] Probably one of those.

[85] So over time, they don't necessarily plateau.

[86] It's interesting.

[87] We were literally jumping right here.

[88] I love it.

[89] It's good.

[90] So I'm a firm believer that it's much easier to hypothetically get 10 million views on one video than 100 ,000 on 100.

[91] And part of why it's much easier, in my opinion, is like, if you make a really good video, it's just so evergreen and it never dies.

[92] Because YouTube, when you open up YouTube and look at the videos, they're just serving you whatever they think you'll like the best, you know.

[93] And so if you just make a great video and it's constantly just above every other video, you know, even two years down the road, then they'll just keep serving it and never stop.

[94] which is why it's much easier to make one great video than a bunch of mediocre ones.

[95] What about one billion subscribers?

[96] You've passed PewDie Pies and most subscribed to a YouTube channel.

[97] When do you think you get a billion?

[98] Let me do some math real quick.

[99] So we're on 120.

[100] So you think about this.

[101] No, I don't, honestly.

[102] Because one thing you'll find if you want to gain subscribers, if you want to get views, if you want to make money, almost any metric in this video creation space, if you want something, it all comes back to, okay well then just make great videos so instead of like focusing on all these arbitrary vanity metrics i just kind of focus on the one thing that gets me all that which is make good videos but and that i do think we will when they hit a billion subscribers i don't have a plan on going anywhere even though we're only on 120 million right now on the main channel i think like we're doing around 10 million a month now and um youtube just yeah i just don't see it going anywhere and i don't see any reason why i'd ever get burnt out or quit so i think with enough time yes i wanted to ask you those family -friendly questions before I go to the dark questions.

[103] So now we have dark questions.

[104] But if you wanted to hook them, you would start off with the dark question.

[105] That's how you get them.

[106] Okay.

[107] Well, let me ask you about a Twitter poll you posted, a $10 ,000 death poll.

[108] You tweeted, if someone offered you $10 ,000, but if you take it, a random person on Earth dies, would you take the $10 ,000?

[109] And 45 % of people said yes, that's, at least at the time I checked, $850 ,000.

[110] people committing murder for just $8 .5 billion in total.

[111] So what do you learn about human nature from that?

[112] That's a good question.

[113] Honestly, this is like late at night when I threw that up too.

[114] I was just like, huh, this will be a funny thing.

[115] I assumed it'd be 90 % known and like 10 % yes.

[116] But there are a lot of serious people for you guys listening.

[117] I just did this random Twitter poll.

[118] I was like, would you take 10 grand if it meant someone random in the world died?

[119] And a lot of the replies on the tweet were like, hell yeah, why not?

[120] And I was just not expecting that.

[121] And so I don't really know.

[122] I mean, I feel like your take would be better than mine.

[123] Was it disturbing to you, surprising to you?

[124] A little bit, yeah.

[125] But obviously, a lot of people were trolling.

[126] But I actually, you know, when you read through those replies, I do think like 10 % of them were, like, dead serious.

[127] Well, I think sometimes the trolling and the lulls reveal a thing we're too embarrassed to admit about the darker aspects of our nature.

[128] So I don't know if you listen to Dan Carlin's hardcore history podcast.

[129] He has an episode on Painfotainment, which he describes throughout history how humans have been really attracted to watching the suffering of others.

[130] So public executions, all that kind of stuff.

[131] And he believes that's in all of us, that, for example, if something like a YouTube or a different platform streamed a public execution or streamed the torture of another human being, a lot of people would say that's deeply unethical, but they would still tune in and watch.

[132] And that we're attracted to that drama, and especially the most extreme versions of that drama.

[133] And so I think part of the lulls reveals something that's actually true in that, Paul.

[134] Your answer is so much better than mine.

[135] Do you think about that, maybe even with the squid game?

[136] So I think, how many of you used as a squid game currently have?

[137] 300 million?

[138] Yeah, something like this.

[139] So just imagine thought experiment how many views that video would get if it was like real.

[140] Yeah, assuming YouTube was like, we'll turn a blind out, we won't take it down.

[141] Yeah, I mean, obviously, it probably have billions of views.

[142] How do you think you'll die?

[143] And do you think it'll be during a video?

[144] Probably doing something dumb, like going to space when I'm older, like trying to go to Mars or something like that.

[145] I know for a fact it won't be on a video.

[146] Every video we do with safety experts and stuff like that.

[147] So it's not really risk.

[148] But yeah, I could see myself like, you know, after a million people go to Mars or something like that, I'd probably be like, you know what, let's go.

[149] And something like that, maybe.

[150] So not in the name of a video, just for the holiday.

[151] Heck no. Are you open to taking risks when you shoot videos?

[152] You just went to Antarctica.

[153] I mean, you're putting yourself in the line a little bit, right?

[154] Of course.

[155] But, you know, we've had that video on the works for three years.

[156] And then we consult with tons of experts, radar.

[157] the entire path we're going to walk beforehand to see if there's crevasses.

[158] So we know there's no crevasses.

[159] We do training.

[160] We consult with experts and we have survival guides there with us and monitor to the weather and everything.

[161] So it's like any variable where we could get harmed, we just pre -planned for it.

[162] Same thing with buried alive.

[163] Like I had David Blaine spent a week underground.

[164] And so I consulted with him and consulted with basically anyone who ever buried themselves alive.

[165] You know, the coffin we used to bury me. We did so many tests.

[166] Like that coffin was buried 10 times before I was, you know, for a way longer than 50 hours.

[167] It tested the airflow and everything to the point where I was safer in that coffin underground than I was above ground.

[168] Like, so we just tend to just not leave anything up to chance, you know?

[169] Another strange question then.

[170] So you recorded these videos to yourself, you know, five years, 10 years from now.

[171] Have you recorded a video that's to be released once you die?

[172] Well, first off, I am just glad that not every one of your questions have to do a like views or things like that.

[173] It's nice getting different questions.

[174] So this is good.

[175] No, seriously.

[176] A little duck.

[177] It's a little dark.

[178] But it's fine because a lot of people just be like, how much money do you make?

[179] You know, it's just something I just, everything's always about money now for when people talk to me. So it's nice.

[180] But for the videos I made for you guys who probably don't follow me too closely, when I had 8 ,000 subscribers and I was a teenager, I filmed a bunch of videos and scheduled them years in the future.

[181] And I said, I'd film one where I was like, hi me in a year.

[182] And the video went up a year.

[183] And the video went up a year later.

[184] And it was just like, hey, I think you'll have 100 ,000 subscribers.

[185] And then I did one where I was like, hi me in five years.

[186] I was like, hey, in five years, I think you'll have a million.

[187] And then one that hasn't come out yet, but comes out in two years, is what was high me in 10 years.

[188] And I try to predict 10 years later how many subs I'd have.

[189] It's what he's referring to.

[190] And yes, there are some that are scheduled like 20 years in the future.

[191] And so if I don't die, I'll just move them up.

[192] And I remember, because I filmed these, though, like seven years ago.

[193] But it was, I remember saying a line like, you know, if I'm dead, then I'm currently just in a coffin and like whatever, blah, blah, blah.

[194] And because the only way the video would go up is if I'm not alive and if I'm not alive, then I won't be able to push back to schedule upload date so it will go public automatically.

[195] Yes.

[196] And so, yeah, I have a couple of those.

[197] Like, if I knew I was going to die of like cancer or something, and I had like three months to live, I would vlog every day.

[198] I'd film so many videos and then I would just schedule upload a video a week for like the next five years.

[199] So it's like I'm still alive.

[200] And I would completely act like I'm still alive and everything.

[201] And I think something like that would be cool.

[202] I don't know why, but I've fantasized, not fantasized, but I've dreamt about that a lot.

[203] Like, I don't know.

[204] If I only had 30 days to live, what would I do?

[205] And for me, I would try to make like a decades worth of content and schedule upload it so they automatically go public in the future.

[206] And so it's just like I never died.

[207] I'm just there.

[208] Yeah, it's a kind of immortality.

[209] But it's also kind of troll on the concept of time.

[210] Yeah.

[211] That you can die in the physical space but persist in the digital space.

[212] I actually, I recorded a video like that because I had some concerns and I just thought it's also a good exercise to do.

[213] A video would like to be released if I die.

[214] And it was actually a really interesting exercise.

[215] It's cool.

[216] Like it shows like what you really care about.

[217] I guess it's like writing a will.

[218] But when you're younger, you don't think about that kind of stuff.

[219] Exactly.

[220] Mine was just dumb.

[221] Yeah.

[222] I'm my bones at a coffin.

[223] Yeah.

[224] Here's is probably so serious.

[225] No, it's fun, actually.

[226] When you realize it's like there's no point to be serious at this point.

[227] It's a weird thing.

[228] I guess you've done this, but it's a weird thing to address the world when you, the physically use no longer there.

[229] So, like, you know this would only be released if you're no longer there.

[230] Exactly.

[231] That's a weird exercise.

[232] You know, it's funny, of all the people listening to this, you know, we're probably the only two people that have made videos for when we die.

[233] It's like such a niche thing.

[234] And the fact that we're bonding over, it's kind of funny.

[235] I think people should think of, about doing that.

[236] It's not just about YouTube, it's also social media.

[237] Just think about it.

[238] Like, there's going to be a last tweet and a last, I don't know, Facebook post, a last Instagram post.

[239] And, yeah, I feel like there's some aspect that's meditative to just even considering making a post like that.

[240] And also, it's a way for the people that love you to kind of, like, celebrate.

[241] Do you think that would help them cope or not?

[242] Like, if someone randomly watching this did film a video, you know, for, you know, for.

[243] if they accidentally died in some freak accident to be given to their family.

[244] Do you think that would, and it was like a genuine?

[245] I think it would really help.

[246] I mean, it depends.

[247] How would you even intro that?

[248] Like, hey, mom, if you're seeing this, you know, it means I'm probably dead.

[249] Yeah, exactly.

[250] That's how you intro it.

[251] That's the opener.

[252] I just want you to know, yeah, I guess.

[253] Yeah, and I guess you could say in a kind of funny way, but, and just talk about the things that mean a lot to you.

[254] Because otherwise you are at the risk of the last post you have is like, like, I don't know, talking shit about like McDonald's.

[255] Screw up my order.

[256] And then you're dead.

[257] That's it, 100 years.

[258] I don't know.

[259] I do recommend it.

[260] It's like the Stoics meditate on death every day.

[261] In the same way you kind of meditate on your death when you make a video like that.

[262] Because it's actually not just even talking to yourself, it's talking to the world.

[263] And like, for some reason, at least for me, they made it very concrete that there's going to be an end.

[264] And I'm like, it's almost, it's over for me. If I'm making the video, it's over for me. It's an interesting thought experiment.

[265] I recommend people try it.

[266] Okay.

[267] Are you afraid of death, by the way?

[268] Yes.

[269] It's hard because, like, what if you just die and then you just see nothing forever, you know?

[270] Yeah, the nothingness.

[271] It just fades to blackness, and you're just like that for trillions upon trillions to billion squared years.

[272] And it's just, it's scary.

[273] But also, before you're born, you don't remember those what?

[274] X amount of years either.

[275] So that gives me a little comfort.

[276] But it's definitely very scary.

[277] Something I'd rather not think about until I'm like 80.

[278] I'll deal with that problem then.

[279] I don't know if I told you this, but I'm kind of hopeful that someone like Elon or one of these freak smart people would just like be like, you know what, screw it.

[280] I'm going to figure out a way where we can slow down aging, get it where, you know, we can live to be two, 300 years old and just like set their sights on that and then just kind of save us.

[281] So it would be really nice.

[282] It's almost absurd to think that in our lifetime, they won't figure out a way to just even slightly slow down aging, where we could live to be like 120 or 130, and then that extra time, they won't figure out somewhere where we could live to be 200.

[283] Like, obviously not immortal, but I don't see how, in my lifetime, the life expectancy doesn't just expand.

[284] Well, it also could be that the immortality is achieved in the digital realm.

[285] Like, it could be long after you're gone as a Mr. Beast run by a Chad GPT type system.

[286] Exactly.

[287] Yeah, that consumes everything ever.

[288] said, everything I ever wrote, but I don't want that.

[289] I want to live.

[290] What are you smart people out there figure it out?

[291] I'll keep you entertained, but I need you to figure out how to keep me alive.

[292] Give me until 200.

[293] That will make me happy.

[294] Well, that's funny.

[295] Who owns the identity of Mr. Beast once the physical body is gone?

[296] Like, is it illegal to create another Mr. Beast that's Chad GPT -based?

[297] I don't know what the laws are around that.

[298] Yeah.

[299] I mean, once I'm dead, I don't care.

[300] Well, you just said you did care.

[301] I mean, there could be a, uh, a Like many Mr. Beasts that are created after you're gone.

[302] Yeah.

[303] I mean, that would be cool to be able to, like, train up a model and let them loose.

[304] So my content lives on, I guess.

[305] But it somehow feels like it diminishes the value you contribute.

[306] Yeah.

[307] It's inauthentic, but it's also, there's some aspect to the finiteness of the art being necessary for its greatness.

[308] Oh, 100%.

[309] Yeah.

[310] The second that thing starts spamming out videos, the videos lose all meaning.

[311] And it's pointless.

[312] And it's a money grab.

[313] If you run YouTube for how long should you run it, for a year, how would you change it?

[314] How would you improve it?

[315] It's hard because, you know, obviously, I'm biased because we're doing really well, but I feel like when I open up YouTube on my television, I get the videos I want to watch.

[316] I don't know.

[317] I don't ever open it and wonder like, what are these?

[318] What are these 10 videos on my homepage?

[319] When I click on a video on my suggestion, I don't ever wonder what these are.

[320] Like I, I, and maybe it's because I'm very adamant about the kind of videos I watch, and I try not to watch videos that I don't want to get recommended more because that's how I think.

[321] But I'm very happy with how it is at the moment.

[322] I think one thing, though, that I just hate with the passion is the comment section on YouTube.

[323] It's just so bad.

[324] But I know that's not something that's going to 10x the growth of the platform, but if you think about it, you go to Reddit to read comments.

[325] And somehow, like, you know, usually the top 20 posts on a popular Reddit post are not spam.

[326] You know what I mean?

[327] Like, have you ever clicked on something on the front page, read it and then most of voted reply to it is like go check out my site right here and it's like trying to scam you out of a thousand dollars yeah yeah i can't even think of one instance i've ever had that happen so like reddit it's so nice to click on post and just see what people have to say and i almost wish like you had that same feeling when you read the comments on a youtube video instead it's like it's so many people just copy and pasting so many bots that just grab the top comment for your previous video and paste it over so the top comments on every videos are the same and the things that break through that are just scammers trying to get you to give them a thousand dollars for a free uh you know fake ad that comment section is one of the most lively on the internet so it'll be amazing if youtube invested in creating an actual community like where people could do high effort comments and be rewarded for it like on reddit yeah like actually right out a long thing that would make me so happy because like when i upload a video i usually go to twitter to see feedback like i read my comments and i'll flip through newest but it's just i feel like reddit and twitter just give me so much better filtered feedback Especially now that with Twitter Blue, because people pay $8 a month, I've noticed, like, any tweets I get from verified users now, they're usually not just garbage troll takes.

[328] Like, these are people paying $8 a month.

[329] Like, they're usually relatively sensible.

[330] And so it's been pretty nice.

[331] Like, after I upload a video, I just go on the verified time on Twitter and just see what people have to say.

[332] And anyways, I live for the day that YouTube's like that.

[333] What do you think about Twitter?

[334] What do you think about all the fun activity happening?

[335] recently since Elon bought Twitter.

[336] I think he should make me CEO like I tweeted.

[337] Well, I should say sort of we had just like a couple hours ago had a conversation with Elon and you guys sent an exchange of some excellent ideas.

[338] So yeah, I legitimately think, obviously you're exceptionally busy, but I legitimately think it would be awesome if you somehow participate in the future of Twitter.

[339] Yeah, it would be fun.

[340] Because there's so much possibility of different ideas.

[341] first in the sort of the content, like dissemination, hosting, and all the different recommendations, like the search and discovery, all the things that YouTube does well.

[342] I think the most exciting thing is he's willing to move fast, and so I think there's going to be a lot of interesting things that come out of it because he's just moving quick, and a lot of these more mature platforms just take years to do the simplest stuff, and they're very bureaucratic.

[343] So it's going to, I mean, it'll be interesting to see which way it goes, when you just kind of take up, move quick, break things, whatever type approach to social media.

[344] I'm actually pretty curious to see what features he rolls out.

[345] So what would be your first act as Twitter CEO?

[346] I can't spoil it.

[347] Okay.

[348] I got to get hired.

[349] What do you think about video on the platform?

[350] Yeah, do you think that's an interesting, or is it like messing with the medium, the nature of the platform?

[351] I think Twitter will always be closer to TikTok than it is to YouTube, at least in its current form.

[352] I don't see 20 -minute, one -hour -long videos or whatever, even 15 -minute videos being watched over there.

[353] I see it more as the short and snappy stuff closer to TikTok.

[354] But at the same time, Twitter is a really good comment section for the internet.

[355] I mean, it's almost weird why, like, why doesn't Twitter allow you to embed YouTube videos?

[356] Like, why does, you should just ask Elon that.

[357] Like, I don't know if that's a YouTube thing, but when a YouTuber posts a video, why do they have to link to YouTube?

[358] Why can't they just embed it on Twitter and you just play it there?

[359] I mean, wouldn't that just solve a lot of problems?

[360] Yeah, but then the two companies have to agree to integrate each other's content.

[361] I don't know, but it seems like a win -win.

[362] I mean, well, it's more of a win for Twitter because then people don't have to leave the platform.

[363] I mean, that would be the easiest solution.

[364] But who gets, like, when you watch the ads on a YouTube video that's embedded in Twitter, who gets the money?

[365] It would still be YouTube.

[366] But at least then right now, people just post a link and it takes you off Twitter and it just kills your session time on Twitter.

[367] That's really interesting.

[368] But that, yeah, because the Twitter, whatever the dynamics of the comments, especially once the spam bots are taking care of, Twitter just works.

[369] It's really neat.

[370] So Reddit is a nice comment section for the internet.

[371] It's like slower pace, more deliberate, like higher effort.

[372] Twitter's like this high -paced, like ephemeral kind of stream.

[373] But there's the upvoting and the down voting works much better because you can do retweeting, right?

[374] Because the social network is much stronger than it is on YouTube, like the interconnectivity.

[375] On Reddit, you're going to get, the top replies are going to be the most refined ones, whereas Twitter, stuff flows to the top that's not super refined.

[376] But like you're saying, it's more off -the -cuff stream of consciousness, which a lot of people prefer because it's a little more personal.

[377] How do you think Twitter compares to YouTube in terms of how you see its future on Roll in 2023?

[378] I mean, I think YouTube's going to be YouTube and not much is really going to change, but it's going to keep growing just because, you know, that's just what it does because it's owned by Google.

[379] But Twitter, I don't know.

[380] I mean, it's one of those things, like, you can't predict if, you know, a year for now an economy is going to be in a recession or booming.

[381] And I think Twitter's kind of the same thing.

[382] One thing is for certain.

[383] A lot of things are going to be rolled out, but who knows, honestly.

[384] You responded to Elon saying Twitter's unlikely to be able to pay creators more money than YouTube.

[385] Why do you think that is?

[386] Well, yeah, because I think the tweet I responded to is one where he was saying that they, you know, users will jump over if Twitter can potentially pay more than other platforms.

[387] And I was just saying, obviously, because Google has Google AdWords, and I mean, that's Google's whole thing.

[388] It's putting ads on stuff.

[389] They've been doing it better than anyone else in the world for a very long time.

[390] It's very unlikely in the next few years that Twitter is going to just magically, or any platform, you know, give a creator the ability to make higher CPMs than on YouTube.

[391] It's kind of crazy.

[392] Like some creators in December, you know, Q4 because the ad rates are higher because of Christmas and everything, some creators literally make like $30, $30 .40.

[393] per 1 ,000 views.

[394] And that's after YouTube's cut.

[395] Like, it's almost, like, hard to think about, like, how high the RPMs get.

[396] And even then, once you pull out of financing cars, the high CPM niches, and you move into just normal stuff, it's still just crazy.

[397] There's sheer volume of creators and the fact that all of them get these multi -dollar CPMs at scale, it's pretty beautiful.

[398] So you do, I don't know what you would call them, but like integrated ads in your videos and you do it, I would say, masterfully.

[399] It's like part of the video.

[400] Are you talking about brand deals?

[401] Brand deals.

[402] Is that what you would call that?

[403] So it's a brand deal.

[404] It's part of the video.

[405] It's still really exciting to watch, and yet there's a plug for the brand.

[406] In general, just brand deals, since you brought it up, integrating them well.

[407] I think that's something a lot of creators don't do.

[408] They'll just do a brand deal out of the blue.

[409] They'll just be filming a video and then around the three -minute mark just start talking about a random company.

[410] And I feel like if you don't want viewers to click away and you want people to not get pissed off and call you to sell out, you got to find a way to integrate into content.

[411] And ideally, use the money in the video to make it better.

[412] Like, the easiest thing you do when you do a brand deal is just tell people how you're using money from the brand deal to make your content better.

[413] And if you do that, like, no one cares.

[414] Now they're supporting you for it.

[415] And you go from being a sellout to like, oh, I'm doing this to make better videos for you guys, you know?

[416] I don't know if you can share, but with those brands, when you have discussions with them, are they strict about how long you need to be talking about it?

[417] Or is it more about they're leaving control to you about the artistic element of it?

[418] The problem is the ones who don't give us artistic element, we just don't really work with anymore.

[419] Sure.

[420] Because it's just, you know, we get 100 million views of video now, and I can confidently say I know how to entertain them and convert them better than these random brands.

[421] So, yeah, if they don't give us that freedom, I just won't work with them.

[422] So you have that leverage, but for smaller creators.

[423] It's a lot harder, yeah.

[424] And they're going to just say, 45 seconds, here's what you say, take it or leave it.

[425] And it's, like, pretty brutal.

[426] because I think just in general if brands were more accommodating to let creators tell their story up the brand and talk about the brand in a way that felt a little more natural I think it would be less cringe people would be less likely to go you know tap tap tap skip and obviously it would convert better but they're just so afraid and they want this standardized thing say these words and 45 seconds right here at this three minute mark yeah I often think about how to resist that you just don't do them though right not on YouTube right on the audio, I do ads in the very beginning, and I say you can skip them if you want.

[427] The brand loves that.

[428] The point is they...

[429] So the funny thing about podcasts is different than YouTube videos.

[430] Podcast people actually do listen to ads a lot because it's slower -paced, and they like the creator voice, like talking about the thing.

[431] But in general, I just don't believe you should be talking about a thing for a minute exactly, and that's going to be effective.

[432] I want to see the data for that.

[433] I think what's much more effective is the way you do ads, which is like integrating into the content, like put a lot of effort into making a part of that, like doing the brand deals.

[434] I just, it's difficult to have that conversation.

[435] It's like a very strainingest conversation you have to have with brands.

[436] They have to each one at a time.

[437] And I just wish there was more of a culture to say, like the quality of the ad read matters a lot more than the, like the silly parameters like the timing of it like how long it is the placement of it all that kind of stuff what percentage of your viewers do you think have seen one of my videos before what percentage of the viewers on youtube right of your viewers of the viewers on youtube though most of people okay sure or all of them it's just interesting because you're you're speaking very specifically like about my brand deal process and so in my head I'm like I wonder what percentage of these people even have any idea what he's talking about that's interesting I love the thinking about numbers.

[438] The whole time we were having this conversation, it's all I could think about is like, God damn.

[439] There's probably like 50 % of these people have no fucking clue what he's saying and we're about to torture him for five minutes.

[440] Yeah, yeah, probably.

[441] But that's something I can't turn off in my brain.

[442] Less than 50%.

[443] Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

[444] Is that exciting to you that there's like 50 % of people don't have not watched a Mr. Beast video.

[445] Isn't that an opportunity like?

[446] Yeah, I guess there's an opportunity to grow.

[447] I don't know.

[448] Honestly, I was just kind of excited to hang out with you.

[449] Yeah, me too.

[450] Today was a lot of fun.

[451] Who cares of those mics?

[452] Yeah, so it was kind of like having a buddy to go along the journey as I'm just kind of eating shit and doing my normal grind.

[453] It was like kind of fun.

[454] And also you just say really wise stuff constantly.

[455] So honestly, no, I never even put any thought into like the demographics or what I could gain.

[456] It's just interesting because like my retention brain, when you talk about something, I'm instantly like, hmm, what value are they going to get?

[457] How many of them are going to be interested?

[458] What percentage of people do I think will lose?

[459] And I'm like running all those calculations in the background.

[460] And that whole conversation, like, it's just something I can't turn off.

[461] My, like, bells are like, error, error.

[462] This is bad.

[463] What are the different strategies for high retention for your videos and in general?

[464] It's like, how do you cook good food?

[465] You know what I mean?

[466] That's like the same kind of question.

[467] I see.

[468] So there's so many different ways that you, so it boils down to, I mean, do you think at the level of a story or do you think, like, literally watching five seconds at a time, am I going to tune out here?

[469] I'm going to tune out here.

[470] I'm going to tune out here.

[471] It's all of it.

[472] You need the overarching narrative, and then you also need the micro where every second needs to be entertaining.

[473] And basically, what's interesting is the longer people watch something, the more likely they are to keep watching.

[474] So you don't have to try as hard in the hypothetically back half of a video as you do it in the front.

[475] Like, even right now, we're so deep into this where a lot of people listening are probably just going to keep listening relatively close to the analyst.

[476] We just have a really boring part of this conversation because they're just, they're just in it.

[477] They're immersed.

[478] And so a big, like, to really boil it down to a simple level, you just want to get people where they're immersed in the content and then just kind of hold them there.

[479] We had this discussion offline.

[480] And by the way, I should mention that this is like late at night.

[481] It is.

[482] What time is?

[483] It's a 9 o 'clock.

[484] And I only slept one hour last night because I'm an idiot.

[485] And I flew to the wrong location.

[486] Well, here, we're like, hey, let's just book you a hotel to fly.

[487] He's like, no, I got it.

[488] We're like, you sure?

[489] We just do it.

[490] We always do this.

[491] He's like, no, I got it, I got it.

[492] He's going to have to rub it in.

[493] I know.

[494] And then today, come to find out, he flew to the wrong airport, an airport with the city with a similar name to ours.

[495] Same name.

[496] Same name in a different state.

[497] And I was like, that's why you should let us book it.

[498] And so he's on one hour asleep, and he's literally been dying all day.

[499] Before this podcast, he downed like two things and coffee.

[500] We've been going all day hard.

[501] Yeah, I've got to interact with you.

[502] I should say that this gave me an opportunity to, I got a ride from a stranger, and it was an incredible person that got to interact with them.

[503] So there's so many kind people around here, just like this kind of southern energy.

[504] And then I got to go to a diner because I could, you know, there's only one hour between me arriving and having to fly out.

[505] So I went to a diner.

[506] There's a really kind waitress that called me honey.

[507] So that was a beautiful moment, you know?

[508] I was so confused.

[509] You tweeted about that.

[510] And, like, Steele's like, my assistant, was like, Lex isn't here yet.

[511] And I saw your tweet and I was like, he's here.

[512] Steal's like, no, he's still flying.

[513] I was like, like, an hour ago, he just tweeted about a nice diner.

[514] Yeah.

[515] I didn't realize you flew to the wrong.

[516] It was a diner in a different state.

[517] And then you had to fly over here.

[518] And then I called you, you didn't answer.

[519] I was like, hmm.

[520] I was like, something's not adding up.

[521] Yeah, I feel like it's such an idiot because apparently the world has cities like Springfield, right there's like every single state has a springfield oh really i think so i think that's whatever that's like a simpson's joke right that like it's uh the city and the simpsons is the springfield and i think every single state or most of them have a springfield and the same is true for like uh georgetown i think the most popular i forget what the most popular one was but there's like a list of these people get when they run out of ideas they just keep using the same they're your achilles heel anyway i got to i got to meet a bunch of people from your team.

[522] It's just an incredible human beings.

[523] So let me just ask on that topic.

[524] How do you hire a great team?

[525] Like, what have you learned about hiring for everything?

[526] For the main channel that you do, for the React, the gaming channel, to Mr. Beasburger, to Feastables, all that?

[527] The big thing is, especially in this content creation, because it's not like anything that's done on Netflix or different content medians.

[528] I really need people who are coachable and really see the value in what I care about because it's a very specific way of going about things.

[529] And it's like a thing you, there's no one like plug and play.

[530] Like if Netflix wanted to hire someone to do a documentary, there's probably tens of thousands of people you could hire that I've worked on documentaries before.

[531] But if you want to hire someone to make super viral YouTube videos, you know, like we do, there's just no one you can really pull from.

[532] Like sometimes I'll hire people from game shows, right?

[533] They have all these preconceived notions about pacing and how a video should be, and you have to spend like the first year, like breaking all these habits and, you know, and they think they're better than you.

[534] Like a lot of people in traditional think they're better and they think their ways better than what we do.

[535] And so for me, it's almost easier to hire people that are just hard workers that are obsessed and really coachable and just train them how to like be good at content creation and production than to hire someone from like traditional, which is the only way to really do it because there's not that many YouTube channels that have scaled up.

[536] So it's not like there's a huge talent pool of people who've worked on YouTube channels.

[537] So it's easier just to train someone than just pull them from traditional because traditional people just, I don't know, they have all these opinions and things and they just think our way of going about things that's dumb.

[538] Yeah, so you want people who have the humility to have a beginner's mind, even if they have experience.

[539] And see the value.

[540] Like, actually, you'll still get it.

[541] It's so crazy, like, especially some of my other friends that are scaling up their YouTube channels, there's people that will come on and you'll ask them, like, what do you want to be doing in five years?

[542] And instead of saying, oh, I want to be working on this channel, they'll be like, oh, I hope to be working out movies or this.

[543] And they see like working on a YouTube channels as a launch pad to go into traditional.

[544] And it's like, no, like you just don't get it.

[545] This is the future.

[546] This is the end goal.

[547] This is your career.

[548] And so I'm just so tired of having those kinds of conversations.

[549] Like I feel like people really should be coming around.

[550] Are there like recurring interview questions that you ask?

[551] Is there ways to get?

[552] Yeah, but the biggest thing is like, what do you want to be doing in 10 years?

[553] And their answer isn't, you know, their answer is anything like movies or traditional stuff like that it's like just a hell no like it just won't even remotely work oh so you really want people to believe in the vision of youtube yeah i mean ideally it's like oh working here you know what i mean so it's less about the medium and more about just being on a great team that's doing epic stuff yeah well and yeah the media as well because those it's just it's hard to put it into words but there's just two completely different ways are going about things you know like our videos aren't scripted and you know it's a lot more run a gun and when we if we hypothetically blow up a giant car or whatever like you only have one take you know and it's not scripted and so you have to overfilm overshoot things overcompensate for like the dumb way of going about it and a lot of traditional people would be like well just plan what you're going to say and just plan the angles you can cut the cameras and have you can save 50 grand here you can save a you know 75000 dollars editing this and that and it's like yeah but that's not authentic that's you know you get it it's it's almost so obvious that it hurts that I have to, like, constantly have these conversations, but it's what we live in.

[554] But there's also detail, like, there's a taste.

[555] Like, I've watched a bunch of videos with you, and it's clear to you that you've gotten really good, I don't know what the right word is, style or taste to be able to know what's good and not in terms of retention, in terms of just stylistically, visually.

[556] I don't have to think.

[557] I can just watch a video, and it just screams in my head, like, this is what, this is what should change based on the, you know, million videos I've watched and all these viral videos I've consumed, like this is blah blah what's optimal and things like that it's almost like your brain's like a you know like a neural net and like if you consume enough viral videos and enough good content that you just kind of start to like train your brain to like see it and see these patterns that happen in all these viral videos and so that anytime I watch a video or a movie or anything I just can't stop thinking about what is optimal and so it's like it gives me a headache sometimes when I watch something too slower I don't think is optimal obviously my taste is the end all be all.

[558] But that's something that kind of torments me, if that makes any sense.

[559] Oh, you can't enjoy a slow -moving movie?

[560] No, I can't.

[561] And that's not to say there's attention on the godfather is horrible.

[562] Yeah, no, exactly.

[563] I've tried to watch that movie like three times.

[564] But that's not to say slow movies are bad.

[565] Like, there's an audience for it.

[566] It's just obviously not what I've trained my brain to like.

[567] And social media and YouTube right now, like, that's just not the meta.

[568] And in general, like you said, in neural network, you're training your brain in part on actual data.

[569] Right?

[570] So you're actually data -driven.

[571] So you're looking at, like, in terms of thumbnails and titles and different aspects of the first five, ten seconds, and then throughout the video of the retention, all of that.

[572] You're looking at all of that for your own videos to understand how to do it better.

[573] So that's where the neural network is training.

[574] Yeah.

[575] Basically, there are ways you can kind of see, like, the most few videos on YouTube every day and stuff like that.

[576] I just kind of consume those every single day, and I've been doing that for way too many years.

[577] And then you just start to notice patterns, like the thumbnail.

[578] on the most few videos or videos that go super viral tend to be clear, tend to not have much clutter, tend to be pretty simple, titles tend to be less than 50 characters, intros tend to be this, stories tend to be this.

[579] And you just kind of like, after you see those thousands and then tens of thousands of time, it just starts to click in your head.

[580] Like, this is what it looks like, you know?

[581] So how are you able to transfer that taste that you've developed to the team?

[582] So like, because you've said like broad things, but I'm sure there's a million detail of things, like what's zoom to use on the face you use in the thumbnail, right?

[583] the answer is whatever makes the best video because the problem is the more which i have so many friends who are like this they'll make like checklists for their editors so like you know at this be and this and you need to have like a three part arc and then this but the the problem is that's how you the more constraints you put on the team the more repetitive and less innovation you get and the more like you know after 10 videos people are going to be like all right i've already seen this so to me and i'm 24 and you know i'm probably my mindset will change in the next 10 years.

[584] I just haven't been in this industry too long.

[585] But the only way to really make innovative content and keep things fresh is to not put constraints on or put as little as possible.

[586] And so that's where I'm very hesitant all that stuff because the more I say, the more they're going to be like, oh, then that's what we do.

[587] And then, you know, I'll say one time like, oh, you know, ideally there's a cut every three seconds.

[588] And then next thing, you know, every video, there's like cut every three seconds or whatever.

[589] So it's hard because I try to give as little not training, but as little facts as possible, and more just make suggestions, if that makes anything.

[590] You mean publicly or to your team?

[591] To my team, yeah.

[592] So you talked about sort of teaching your voice or your style, whatever we want to call it, to other people on the team so they can be kind of a Mr. Beast replacement.

[593] So what's the process of teaching that?

[594] So you don't want to do actual constraints?

[595] You're more talking about, like, what I would call almost like cloning, right?

[596] Like Tyler and other people like that.

[597] So when we were hanging out today, I was showing him how we have multiple people in the company.

[598] It's almost like talking to the camera.

[599] Yeah, you turn slowly to the camera.

[600] I was like, it was habit.

[601] Is it weird to you to not be looking at the camera?

[602] This whole interview, I constantly have been turning towards the camera.

[603] I'm talking to him.

[604] It's a habit.

[605] Because my whole life, I've just been talking to a camera.

[606] Who are you thinking about when you're looking at the camera?

[607] Do you, like, imagine somebody?

[608] I'm fully thinking about the person just sitting, watching it.

[609] And I almost, it's weird.

[610] When I'm looking at the camera, I don't see a camera.

[611] I'm like in a haze picturing what the viewer is seeing when they watch it.

[612] That makes sense.

[613] And that's where I'll be saying things or doing something.

[614] And then like when I'm watching, I'm like, that's not what I want.

[615] And then I'll freeze up.

[616] It's very weird when I'm filming.

[617] And for people who haven't worked with me too much, they'll think like, I don't know.

[618] It's very weird, like, how I go about it.

[619] Because I'll just be doing whatever, like, lighting a firework.

[620] This is a $1 ,000 firework.

[621] And I'll go to light.

[622] And I'll, like, freeze.

[623] Because in my head, I'm like, this, I don't know.

[624] I don't like how that flowed or how that shot look.

[625] Because it's weird.

[626] I can perfectly picture what I'm filming by just looking at the camera and then putting myself through the lens of the camera while making content.

[627] I can do it at the same time.

[628] So you're like real time editing in my head.

[629] Yeah, yeah.

[630] That's something that didn't at the start come natural to me, but in the last probably like five years, it's happened.

[631] And so I would say it's one of my greatest strengths, but I don't know how I developed it.

[632] But anytime I'm filming anything, like, it's almost like the right side of my brain.

[633] I can just look at it and I see exactly what I'm filming and I can just picture it.

[634] Well, it's probably recording the video, being the talent for the video, and then watching the editing and like analyzing you carefully and do that over and over and over and over and over.

[635] Yeah, you do that.

[636] 10 ,000 times, yeah.

[637] You do the editing more than being in front of the camera.

[638] So, like, you start to see yourself from that third person perspective.

[639] Exactly.

[640] And maybe that actually helps with the nerves of it, too.

[641] Like, you see it as creating a video versus performing, right?

[642] Yeah, yeah.

[643] I think so.

[644] You know, it's weird.

[645] I've never been nervous talking to a camera.

[646] It's harder for me to talk to a person that is to talk to a camera, which I feel like a lot of people say that, though, that are, whatever, make content, right?

[647] Interesting.

[648] I've heard that so many times.

[649] Or maybe not.

[650] Maybe I'm just awkward and dumb.

[651] Maybe they're practiced.

[652] To me, I mean, both are terrifying, but being in front of the camera by yourself is most.

[653] So much easier.

[654] Really?

[655] Yeah, so much easier.

[656] I prefer it a million times over.

[657] But that's my whole life.

[658] You know, so it's just, that's why it's interesting.

[659] Like, you've spent more of your time talking to people.

[660] It becomes natural, and I talk to a piece of plastic.

[661] Oh, yeah, I guess you're talking to a person, too.

[662] There's just on the other side of the camera.

[663] Yeah, there's just a pixel on a screen.

[664] So, so cloning, how do you, how do you achieve the camera?

[665] Oh, yeah, that's right, this whole rabbit trail.

[666] So I was showing him that I have a lot of people in a company who were able to think like me and basically make decisions like I would make if I was, like, if you were asked, hey, in this video, should we climb a mountain or should we dig a hole?

[667] And, like, you know, they would pick the same answer I'd pick 90 plus percent of the times.

[668] And so, like, one example is Tyler, who I was showing you.

[669] And he was pitching stuff of content.

[670] And, like, you could see it.

[671] Like, this, he was on point.

[672] And basically, for just four or five years, we just spent an absurd amount of time together and worked on every single video together.

[673] And we worked side by side.

[674] And same thing with my CEO, James.

[675] He literally lived with me for a couple years.

[676] I'm a big fan of just finding people who are super obsessed and all -in and A players that, you know, they really just want to be great and then just dumping everything I have in them.

[677] And like you were saying, because I'd love to find that and develop that, you're saying you're basically for a long time just said everything you were thinking to them.

[678] Exactly.

[679] Like James, the guy who's basically my handman right now, for two years, he lived with me. And we probably talked on average of those two years, seven hours a day.

[680] I mean, anytime I had a phone call, I'd throw it on speaker, and I'd let him listen, anything, I was reading, any content I was consuming, like really just training his brain to think like me. So that way, he could just do things without my input, without me having to constantly watch over him or give him advice.

[681] And that's where we've gotten.

[682] So for the first six months, he didn't do anything.

[683] He just studied me and studied everything I cared about and how I spoke and blah, blah.

[684] And then the next six months, he started taking on some responsibilities.

[685] And now he can just run the company and, you know, I don't ever really have to check it on him.

[686] Most of the decisions he makes are exactly what I would do.

[687] And so I call that cloning.

[688] I don't know what other people would, but it's just like finding people that are really obsessed and they just kind of really want it and just being like giving them an avenue to like get it, if that makes any sense.

[689] Another way to see it is you're converging towards a common vision and that makes like brainstorming much more productive.

[690] Yeah, it just makes it where I don't have to be so involved in everything because I just have these people I know will think like I will.

[691] at least relatively, close to it.

[692] So I can kind of almost be in multiple places at once, per se.

[693] And so these things that, you know, I still approve every idea we film and, you know, everything before we film and all the creative, I approve it.

[694] But I don't have to, like, be in the weeds and nuances and do all this minor stuff.

[695] I can just let them handle it.

[696] I can just do the more macro things.

[697] I got a chance to sit in to a lengthy brainstorming session with Tyler and others.

[698] That was really cool.

[699] Can you talk about the process of that?

[700] people pitching ideas and you pitching alternatives or shutting down ideas and it's just going like plowing through ideas very cool.

[701] I mean you kind of just described exactly what we did.

[702] Yeah.

[703] I mean, but the ideas are really, really good.

[704] It's just tossing out like different categories of ideas and then also fine -tuning them to see like, how do I change?

[705] Like thinking about the titles and the thumbtons.

[706] I worked so well off of inspiration.

[707] It's like, that's a something, like give me anywhere i don't know make a relative space yeah like i went to space you know what happens if you love a nuke in space or i went to the moon i went to mars right because you said that one word it was able to inspire me to come up with four ideas and so that's just it's for me if you the way to get 100 million views on videos you need something original creative something people really need to see ideally never been done before all these like things and so you need like, if you want to consistently go superviolet, you need just a constant stream of ideas.

[708] And the only way I've really found that I can consistently come up with 100 million view videos is to intake inspiration and then see what my brain outputs.

[709] And so that's kind of at its core foundation what I'm doing there.

[710] It's just like intaking a lot of random inspiration to see what spawns in my mind so I can output it.

[711] But the neural network of your brain is generating the video, the title, the thumbnail, all like jointly.

[712] Exactly.

[713] And that only comes because I spent 10 years my life just obsessively studying all that stuff.

[714] Because you, I mean, it seems like you would literally potentially shut down a video just because you can't come up with a good title.

[715] Yeah, 100 % or a thumbnail.

[716] Yeah, I mean, that's what happened to 70 % of those in that pitch session.

[717] I was just like, oh, what was one of them, genius versus 100 people?

[718] Yeah, like maybe average intelligence versus genius or something like that.

[719] Yeah, I was like, what the heck is the thumbnail, even if the title was good.

[720] Yeah.

[721] I mean, there's so many.

[722] But, yeah, people don't click, they don't watch.

[723] that's so interesting but you developed over time the ability to kind of give it what what makes for a good title short not just short it's also I mean if someone reads it are they like do they have to watch it is it just so intrinsically interesting that it's just gonna fuck with them if they don't click on it you know what I mean so it doesn't have to be short but it has to be like you almost want to have a retention to word by word reading ideally It's a title also that, you know, because the titles don't live in a vacuum, right?

[724] So it has to lead into the content.

[725] So ideally the title represents content that you would want to watch for 20 minutes.

[726] So if it's a 20 -minute video and the title is, I stepped on a bug, it's not going to, because it's all of it combined.

[727] The click -through rate is going to be much lower.

[728] And then if it was like a five -second video, people might click it.

[729] So you got to, like, even nuances of the length of the video based against the title will affect whether people want to click it because sometimes they just all add up.

[730] I mean, it's that, yes.

[731] ideally you want to blow 50 characters because above 50 characters on certain devices, you run the chance of it going dot, dot, dot, dot.

[732] So, like, I took a light pole and I saw how many dollar bills I could stack on top and they would just go dot, dot, dot, because it's too long and it can't finish it.

[733] And that's the worst thing because then people don't even know what they're clicking on.

[734] And so it's going to do even worse.

[735] Short, simple, ideally, and just so freaking interesting, they have to click.

[736] And it is a good segue into the content, and it represents the length of the content.

[737] And there's probably stuff it's hard to convert into words.

[738] for you.

[739] Like, I stepped on a bug versus stepping on a bug versus Mr. B stepped on a bug versus bug stepping video.

[740] It's funny.

[741] It's like, yes, the more extreme the opinion, typically the higher the click -through rate.

[742] If you can like pay it off in the content, then it just supercharges it.

[743] So like...

[744] Oh, so you have a kind of estimate of the extreme.

[745] This water, right?

[746] You're like, Fiji water sucks.

[747] Yeah.

[748] That would do fine.

[749] But if you said Fiji water is the worst water bottle or the worst water I've ever drank in my life.

[750] Yeah.

[751] Way more extreme opinion would do way better.

[752] But you have to deliver.

[753] Yeah, but then you have to deliver because the more extreme you are, the more extreme you have to be in the video.

[754] Yeah.

[755] That's almost inspiration for you to step up.

[756] Yeah, but you can be more extreme in a positive way.

[757] A lot of people, it's easier, though.

[758] Positive, negative clickbait is much easier than positive clickbait.

[759] It just is.

[760] It's so much easier to get negative clicks.

[761] And so a lot of people are just, in my opinion, you know, a little bit lazier, and they just take the route like, oh, well, this one gets the same amount of clicks, and it's easier, less effort.

[762] The positive one is doing a large number of numbers of something.

[763] Like, I spent this number of hours doing this.

[764] Or whatever, if you just wanted to help people or, right, it's just harder to get 10 million views on a video helping people than it is to get 10 million views on a video tearing down a celebrity, you know what I mean, or whatever negative video you want to insert there.

[765] Well, that said, most of your videos are pretty positive.

[766] So what's, but not a lot of people do those kinds of videos because they're hard yeah they're hard yeah uh some of that is giving away money right yeah um what's the secret to that what's how do you do do that right yeah like give giveaway money or in a video that made to make it compelling um is it so there's a number that is better than another number right the higher number is always better than the lower number yeah for most part and you know it's interesting like some videos will give away a million dollars some videos will give away half a million there's not really core i guess so i'm retry what I just said.

[767] I was more joking with that, but there's no difference whether I put 500K or a million.

[768] There's probably not even really a difference between 100K or million.

[769] I haven't really looked into it.

[770] Like some of our, most of the videos are not us giving away a million dollars and sometimes the million dollar videos just don't do as well as the other one.

[771] So there is a certain point where a dollar amount is just a large dollar amount to an average human.

[772] And so I think that point is 100K