Elon Musk’s 2024 hasn’t started off on the best note. The owner of X, previously known as Twitter, tried to persuade popular YouTube star MrBeast to share his videos on the platform, but the request was promptly turned down.
On December 30, 2023, MrBeast, also known as Jimmy Donaldson, posted on X to announce the release of his latest video on YouTube. He said: “I uploaded, go watch or I’ll dropkick you.” The 20-minute video documented Donaldson spending a week in solitary confinement, a type of content that has gained him widespread recognition. In 2023, he reportedly earned around $82 million and boasts over 225 million subscribers on his main YouTube channel alone.
After a fan suggested that Donaldson should also upload on X, Musk chimed in with a simple “Yeah.”
Musk, the CEO of Tesla and owner of X, has been making efforts to attract more viewers to the social media platform since taking over in 2022. Initiatives have included partnerships with figures like Paris Hilton and streaming shows featuring individuals like Tucker Carlson.
With the assistance of CEO Linda Yaccarino, Musk has also launched premium subscription services on the platform. It allows users to appear as “verified” and send direct messages to other accounts. These moves were necessitated by a significant loss of advertisers concerned about their brands appearing alongside unregulated content.
MrBeast Declines Musk’s Request – He won’t make X his Main Outlet
Despite Musk’s efforts, MrBeast politely declined the request to share his content on X (Source). Donaldson explained that his videos cost millions to make, and even if they garnered a billion views on X, it wouldn’t cover a fraction of the production costs. However, he expressed a willingness to explore possibilities once monetization on X becomes more robust.
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This exchange marks a contrast to the previous interest Donaldson had shown in Twitter when his bio still referred to him as the “X Super Official CEO.” During that time, there was much speculation about who would take over the day-to-day operations of the platform from the busy Musk.
The YouTube star had playfully teased Musk about taking over the platform if Musk were to die under “mysterious circumstances.” In May of the previous year, Musk had jokingly agreed, stating that Donaldson could have X in that hypothetical situation. Donaldson even shared a screenshot of their exchange with the caption “No takes backsies.”
Elon Musk has been making efforts to turn X more attractive to content creators – but that has not been enough
Despite Elon Musk’s backing of X, it’s not surprising that creators like Donaldson are not eager to make the platform their main outlet or divide their audience across multiple sites. In September, X CEO Yaccarino shared that the platform had paid out almost $20 million to its “creator community.” This move has been appreciated by some content creators who were previously using the platform without compensation.
However, the amount paid to each creator on the platform is only a small fraction of what Donaldson earned in 2023 alone. This suggests that the payouts still have a long way to go before they can compete with larger platforms.
Challenges of X Creator Payments
Moreover, the creator payments on X come with certain conditions and have experienced delays in the past. In August, Musk mentioned that the program is open to “everyone” with over 500 followers and who are above 18. However, he clarified that to be eligible for ad revenue share, creators must be X Premium (Blue) subscribers. Otherwise, the ad money will be kept by X. The X Premium subscription has three tiers, with Blue being the middle option, priced at $8 per month or $84 per year.
Despite launching the program, Musk informed users that payouts would be delayed, stating on X. “Interest in ad rev share by content creators has far exceeded our expectations. So it will take a few more days to process.”
