In a recent online exchange, top YouTuber MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson) turned down Elon Musk’s proposition to upload videos on X/Twitter.
MrBeast’s videos cost millions to make
MrBeast, the popular YouTuber with over 224 million subscribers, politely declined X COO Elon Musk’s suggestion of posting videos directly on the platform. Musk was hoping to bring in more cash for X by getting MrBeast on board. However, MrBeast, who spends millions to produce his videos, explained that X’s current revenue share wouldn’t return nearly enough revenue.
“My videos cost millions to make, and even if they got a billion views on X, it wouldn’t cover a fraction of it,” MrBeast said. “I’m down though to test stuff once monetization is really cranking!” he added.
Different ways of earning: YouTube vs. X
On YouTube, creators in the YouTube Partner Program (YPP) can make good money through ads, earning between $3,400 and $30,000 for every million views. On the other hand, X pays creators about $7 for every million views through engagement and advertising revenue. So, it’s completely understandable why MrBeast wouldn’t want to post on X. Instead of watching on YouTube, a good portion of his audience may watch on X, leading to a major loss in profit.
Is there hope for monetization on X?
Ever since Elon Musk bought Twitter back in October 2022, he has voiced his plans to turn the platform into a strong competitor against YouTube. Even though MrBeast has declined to post on X for now, there’s a chance in the future he will end up posting on the platform if it improves its payouts.
So, for now, Donaldson is sticking with YouTube for now. But that could change if X makes big changes to its monetization.