Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson, the most popular creator on YouTube, posted his first video on Elon Musk’s burgeoning social media platform X on Monday. The highly-anticipated video racked up over 30 million views in less than 24 hours, setting the record for the most views for a video in X’s short history.
Staggering Viewership Cements X as Formidable YouTube Competitor
MrBeast’s inaugural X video shows him giving away $100,000 Tesla Model X Plaids to 100 people. True to his YouTube formula of expensive stunts and massive giveaways, the stunt is his most extravagant one yet on X.
The viewership figures reveal staggering growth for X since its founding in late 2023. From zero users six months ago, X now boasts over 50 million monthly active users and over 5 billion video views. MrBeast’s debut comes right after X premiered live streaming and introduced gifting to allow fans to support creators financially.
| Date | X Milestone |
| July 2023 | X founded |
| September 2023 | 10 million MAUs |
| November 2023 | Live streaming introduced |
| January 2024 | 50 million MAUs |
Experts believe that the rapid growth places X in prime position to compete with the likes of YouTube and TikTok in a few years. Content creators frustrated by YouTube’s monetization policies have been defecting in larger numbers recently. MrBeast was among the few top creators holding out, but he appears to have now planted his flag firmly in X’s camp.
Musk Celebrates Partnership with “Greatest Creator on Earth”
Elon Musk tweeted praise of MrBeast’s debut on Monday:
“Huge thanks to MrBeast, the greatest creator on Earth! His first video on X just hit 30 million views in under 24 hours! Epic broadside attack on YouTube. This is just the beginning…”
Musk has been aggressively wooing top creators to X by promising far better economics. He claims that X will distribute 90% of ad revenue to creators, as opposed to YouTube’s 45% cut. Musk’s sales pitch is that joining X allows creators to earn previously unattainable incomes through direct fan support.
Relations between Musk and MrBeast have oscillated between friendly overtures and tensions over the past year. Musk first tried getting MrBeast on board in mid-2023. At the time, MrBeast expressed skepticism about X’s profitability for creators compared to YouTube ad revenue.
Their dynamic grew complicated last month when MrBeast called Musk’s offer to top creators “not enough” and said he makes “more from one YouTube video than most people make in their lifetimes.”
Musk appeared stung by the public rejection, responding that he sought the “greatest creators on Earth” for X and not someone focused solely on “money or fame.”
Yet the two mega-influencers were able quash the conflict fairly quickly. Just days later, Musk claimed he had a “good talk” with MrBeast to discuss improving creator payouts.
This pattern of discord followed by reconciliation defined much of their association over the past 12 months. But MrBeast’s leap to X likely signals brighter days ahead for the partnership.
Impact on the Creator Economy
It remains unclear precisely how lucrative X will prove for creators relative to YouTube. MrBeast likely still makes far more from an individual YouTube video than he would on X presently.
However, his warmup video on X seemed intended more as proof of viability rather than pure profit maximization. By demonstrating X’s ability to drive tens of millions of views overnight, MrBeast hints at its long-term money making potential as the platform grows.
His X account has already crossed 1 million subscribers, officially reaching the threshold to enable gifting his videos. MrBeast can now directly monetize his humongous X viewership. Experts estimate he made over $250,000 from gifts on his first video alone.
Moreover, Musk promises the January launch of paid live streaming on X, where popular creators can charge for exclusive streams. MrBeast’s dabbling on live streams suggests he may already be laying the foundation to unlock that revenue channel.
Between surging ad views, virtual gifts from fans, and paid live streaming, his earnings trajectory on X in 2024 appears steep, even if starting from zero.
If other top YouTube stars follow MrBeast’s lead, his shift to X may precipitate a mass creator exodus rarely before seen in the social media world. For now, his brand alone likely brings enough users to bolster X’s position versus YouTube. But the platform will need to keep rapidly innovating and expanding its money-making tools to maintain momentum.
Complicated Relationship Set for a Fresh Start
MrBeast catapulting X to another level caps off years of plot twists between him and Elon Musk. Their association has careened between camaraderie and conflict throughout Musk’s various ventures following MrBeast since around 2020.
In the early days, MrBeast made several videos about Musk’s companies like Tesla and SpaceX. He scored a meeting with Musk in 2021 and later said he looked up to him as an “innovator.”
By 2023, after Musk bought Twitter, their dynamic grew more turbulent. MrBeast tweeted criticism of Musk’s changes at Twitter, warning they would ruin the platform. In response, Musk mocked some of MrBeast’s video ideas on Twitter before deleting his post.
Yet when Musk unveiled X later that year, he resumed overtures to recruit MrBeast. The tension-filled back-and-forth prevented a partnership from materializing until now.
After previous false starts, MrBeast embracing X wholeheartedly likely closes the book on estrangement with Musk. It sets the stage for two of the internet’s biggest stars to instead fuel each other to even greater heights.
Outlook Going Forward
MrBeast migrating his empire to X accelerates the platforms entry into the top tier of social media. Some analysts even predict X may surpass Twitter itself in users by the end of 2024.
For MrBeast, despite likely relinquishing some revenue in the near-term, the long-run upside on X seems higher than persisting solely on YouTube. As the first titan of industry making the leap, he may inspire the next wave of creators dissatisfied with YouTube’s revenue splits.
If X continues on this trajectory, it may fundamentally alter the balance of power in social media and Creator Economy within a few years. Though YouTube still firmly controls video, having to fend off a deep-pocketed rival like X will challenge the Google subsidiary like never before.
MrBeast and Musk stand to gain the most from this revolutionary partnership. With the former’s unmatched influence among young people and the latter’s limitless ambition, X may soon transform social media forever. Fasten your seatbelts.
To err is human, but AI does it too. Whilst factual data is used in the production of these articles, the content is written entirely by AI. Double check any facts you intend to rely on with another source.
