Steven Kahn
- MrBeast shuns conventional job titles in favor of "friends of friends."
- Experts have concerns over the potential lack of safety due to informal work structures.
- Other influencers who have found themselves in hot water are cautionary tales.
YouTube megastar MrBeast doesn't like traditional job titles. Instead, he prefers to call his employees "friends of friends," or "FOFs."
He wants to promote a fun and modern workplace, "separate from the rest of the entertainment industry," one former staffer told Time as part of a recent profile on the influencer.
That may be so, but this decision may be one he comes to regret.
The employee, a filmmaker named Jason Zavaleta, said MrBeast would get "uncomfortable" and "angry" if people used terms like production assistant, "because it's too industry." But experts say these titles are there for a reason, and MrBeast's decision could create trouble in the future.
'Organizational chaos'
MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, holds immense power. He's the biggest YouTuber in the world with 240 million subscribers. His videos — where he shreds Lamborghinis, gives away massive amounts of cash, and performs ambitious over-the-top stunts — regularly rack up hundreds of millions of views.
He likes to do things differently, and it has often paid off. In a time where there appears to be a creator exodus from YouTube, Donaldson's influence is only growing.
In his recent Time profile, Donaldson said he doesn't consider himself rich, despite making up to $700 million per year, because he reinvests everything he earns from brand deals and ad revenue into the next major project. His recreation of "Squid Game," for instance, set him back $3.5 million.
Experts say leaning away from traditional work structures, like disregarding job titles, may give the illusion of an employer providing a better culture, but in reality, these frameworks persist because they are important.
It's not clear what type of job descriptions, if any, Donaldson gives to his employers. His representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Derek Bruce, HR and operations director at First Aid at Work Course, told Business Insider the kind of "camaraderie" Donaldson is aiming for is great for creating a welcoming culture.
"But without clear professional boundaries and defined responsibilities, your organization is likely to degenerate into organizational chaos and unproductivity in this increasingly informal workspace," he said.
"Get job titles defined and what someone's actually in charge of, and everyone will be able to hold each other to account about whether all the wheels are turning neatly."
The result may be that employees don't necessarily know what they're supposed to be doing day to day, and that can lead to less productivity, not more.
"It's an equation for disaster," Bruce said. "But also it's, like, just forgetting about the people who are working to make these digital businesses flourish."
A cautionary tale
Travis Lindemoen, the founder and CEO of the recruitment startup Enjoy Mondays, told BI that "friends of friends" set off "alarm bells" for him.
"We've seen this before with YouTubers — all chummy and informal, then bam, someone gets hurt or exploited because there's no proper HR or safety setup," he said.
David Dobrik's rise and fall may serve as a cautionary tale for influencers whose power far outweighs the concerns of their peers.
After years of his friends, known as the Vlog Squad, performing outlandish stunts that may well have endangered their lives but brought him views, Dobrik found himself at the center of two scandals in one year: one of his crew was accused of rape, and another friend, Jeff Wittek, was nearly killed when swinging from an excavator left him badly injured.
Dobrik's YouTube channel is now mostly defunct, and he is in the middle of a messy legal battle after Wittek sued him for general negligence and intentional tort. Dobrik insists that the stunt was Wittek's idea.
"Here's the thing: on one hand, a tight-knit group can be awesome for creativity and getting things done fast," Lindemoen said. "Plus, maybe participants in those crazy stunts know what they're signing up for."
On the other hand, he said, if there are no official job titles or HR representatives making sure people are as safe as possible, "that's a recipe for potential trouble."
"What if someone gets injured doing one of those insane challenges?" he said. "What happens then?"
A dozen former employees spoke to Time for Donaldson's profile and said attention to detail could slip when it came to health and safety, such as a reluctance to hire experts for stunts.
One former staffer, Troy Guthrie, said he believed he was fired after repeatedly bringing up concerns (a spokesperson for MrBeast denied anyone had been let go for asking questions about safety.)
Another former employee said safety is considered "being overly cautious or a weakness."
One said there was a "Days Without an Accident" board which was updated every day.
In response, a spokesperson told Time the company was "OSHA-compliant" and "safety is incredibly important and taken very seriously." They also said medics and "experienced professionals" were on set at all times.
Lindemoen said using FOFs isn't a sign Donaldson is necessarily doing anything wrong, but it does "raise some eyebrows."
"As his channel grows, maybe it's time to think about some more formal structures, for everyone's sake," he said. "At the end of the day, safety and fair treatment are important, no matter how cool your YouTube channel is."
BI has reached out to Donaldson's representatives for comment.