X, Elon Musk’s ambitious social networking platform, faced a setback as attempts to lure renowned YouTuber MrBeast, also known as Jimmy Donaldson, were met with a polite but firm refusal. The incident unfolded following MrBeast’s latest YouTube video on December 30, 2023, documenting his week-long experience in an isolated prison cell.
When a fan suggested that MrBeast should share content on X, Elon Musk promptly chimed in with a brief comment, “Exactly.” However, in a gracious response, MrBeast declined the invitation, citing the substantial production costs of his videos. He emphasized that even if a video were to garner a billion views on X, it wouldn’t cover a fraction of the production expenses. Nevertheless, he expressed a willingness to reconsider once X’s monetization framework becomes more robust.
Since Elon Musk acquired X in 2022, he has been actively working to expand the platform’s user base. Collaborations with celebrities like Paris Hilton and live-streamed shows featuring individuals such as Tucker Carlson have been part of Musk’s strategy to draw attention to X.
MrBeast’s refusal, despite Elon Musk’s backing, underscores that influential content creators like him are not yet ready to make X their primary content destination or splinter their audience across various platforms. This decision reflects a hesitancy among creators to fully embrace X until it establishes itself as a more lucrative and sustainable platform.
In September, X CEO Linda Yaccarino announced that the platform had paid out nearly $20 million to its creative community, a move applauded by some content creators who were previously using X without compensation. However, the payout amounts indicate that X still has a considerable distance to cover before it can compete with larger, more established platforms in terms of financial incentives for content creators.
