Former MrBeast Employees Call Work Environment a 'Youth Cult': 'They Squeeze Every Drop Out of You'
Former employees have likened the work environment at the YouTube channel MrBeast to a "youth cult," where poor management practices foster a toxic work environment.
With 331 million followers, the internet page is managed by content producer Jimmy Donaldson and his crew. Known for crafting original viral content, the account also organized the competitive event "Beast Games," offering a grand prize of $5 million.
According to findings by The US Sun, a multitude of negative reviews about the organization have surfaced on Glassdoor, a widely used platform allowing present and past staff members to provide feedback anonymously.
Innumerable individuals claim that they have dedicated extensive hours without receiving acknowledgement, pointing fingers at the company for fostering a toxic work atmosphere, lacking empathetic leadership, and maintaining an ineffective human resources department.
In July 2024, a previous reviewer characterized the company as a "cliquey youth cult," saying, "They squeeze every drop of juice out of you."
Adding to the sentiment, another reviewer in August of the same year mentioned poor communication from management as a major drawback.
In another revelation, one claimed that the HR department is overseen by Susan Parisher, who happens to be the mother of a key figure in the company.
Others have been raised regarding the alleged lack of employee protection, with reports suggesting that staff are frequently required to work extended hours without adequate breaks.
According to another review, "Intense workloads, unempathetic upper management, horrible HR department, no protection of private employee information, promotion of unhealthy work-life balance, cult-like atmosphere promoting complete company loyalty."
Another reviewer expressed dissatisfaction with the HR department, describing it as subpar. The workplace was likened to a startup but with a less polished approach. They further claimed that communication is a significant issue, with the company relying on Discord rather than more professional HR messaging platforms like Slack.
The reviewer then cautioned that those hired on a part-time or contract basis should be prepared for potential termination, noting ongoing experimentation within the organization.
During the orientation session, new employees were provided with a simplistic Word document containing only three sentences, lacking even a recognizable logo. According to the review, while their video production skills are top-notch, their organizational management leaves much to be desired. Furthermore, the creative well seems to be running dry while MrBeast remains uninvolved.
This comes amid the fact that the channel is currently embroiled in legal battles with a former producer and contestants, adding to the challenges it faces.
In September, a civil complaint was filed against MrBeast's production company and Amazon Studios by five participants of the reality show "Beast Games." The contestants alleged experiencing "chronic mistreatment." sexual harassment and other forms of misconduct during their time on the show.
