The Audio Long Read Best of 2025 … so far: ‘The Mozart of the attention economy’: why MrBeast is the world’s biggest YouTube star
Aug 29, 2025
Dive into the captivating world of MrBeast, the YouTube sensation known for his outrageous challenges and philanthropic stunts. Discover the secrets behind his immense popularity and what makes his content irresistible to millions. Explore how childhood curiosity blends with digital fame, raising ethical questions in the process. Is he a savvy clickbait artist or a genius innovator? Join the discussion about the psychological and social forces driving modern content creation, reflecting on the intersection of entertainment and commerce.
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Scale Equals Cultural Power
- MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson) commands a global audience with 400 million subscribers and massive production budgets.
- His 2024 Beast Games cost ~$100m, showing YouTube-scale entertainment now rivals TV mega-productions.
Childlike Play Meets Algorithmic Precision
- Donaldson blends boyish playfulness with an obsessive, data-driven approach to grabbing attention.
- His videos strip away context and aim purely to maximize immediate viewer engagement.
Counting To 100,000 Sparked The Formula
- Early viral stunts like I Counted to 100,000 and 24 hours in slime established Donaldson's formula of endurance and absurdity.
- Those primitive videos seeded a career of escalating scale and cash-driven spectacle.