YouTube sensation MrBeast, also known as Jimmy Donaldson, recently revealed that he earned a substantial $260,000 from sharing a single video on X, previously known as Twitter. However, Donaldson has raised eyebrows by referring to this impressive figure as “a bit of a facade.”
This disclosure followed Donaldson’s acceptance of an invitation from X owner Elon Musk to test the platform’s revenue-sharing program. Despite the significant earnings, Donaldson expressed doubt about the genuine success of his content on the platform, stating, “Advertisers saw the attention it was getting and bought ads on my video (I think), and thus my revenue per view is probably higher than what you’d experience.”
MY FIRST X VIDEO MADE OVER $250,000! 😲
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 pic.twitter.com/nViVpZbWBb
— MrBeast (@MrBeast) January 22, 2024
The featured video was a comparison between a $1 car and a $100 million car, originally posted on YouTube in September. According to the metrics shared by Donaldson, the post garnered over 156 million views on X within a week, while on YouTube, it accumulated 215 million views over four months.
With a massive YouTube following of over 233 million subscribers, MrBeast holds the title of the most-subscribed person on the platform. On X, he boasts 26 million followers. However, questions arose among X users about the frequency with which they encountered Donaldson’s video on the platform, leading to speculations about undisclosed promotions.
Elon Musk’s invitation to MrBeast to join X had sparked anticipation, and Donaldson’s post on the platform added fuel to the speculation. Some users, who claimed they hadn’t updated their apps, reported that the post was marked as “promoted,” suggesting it was being treated as an ad.
A review of Donaldson’s post revealed that X users had the option to mark it as “Not interested in this ad,” a feature typically absent from non-advertisement posts. Neither Donaldson nor X responded immediately to requests for clarification.
The controversy doesn’t end there. Following MrBeast’s revelation of his earnings, other X users who monetize their posts expressed dissatisfaction, claiming significantly lower revenues for a similar number of views. Some even reported receiving no revenue during this period.
In response to the outcry, Donaldson announced that he would distribute his X earnings from the video to 10 of his X followers, adding a charitable twist to the unfolding drama.
This incident adds to the growing scrutiny of X’s metrics, with some users questioning the reliability and usefulness of the platform’s view counts. Unlike YouTube metrics, X measures the total views of a post, regardless of user engagement, leading to concerns about potential misinformation.
As the controversy continues to unfold, the broader implications for X’s revenue-sharing model and the trustworthiness of its metrics remain in the spotlight.
