When you think of key players in global development, MrBeast — the world’s richest YouTuber — probably isn’t who comes to mind. But increasingly, he’s become a major philanthropic player in his own right, giving away hundreds of millions of dollars, much of it in the global south, in an incredibly public way. And perhaps more important than that, his vast audience means that he’s influencing how a whole generation views aid.
Since starting his own YouTube gaming channel in 2012 at the age of 13, Jimmy Donaldson — or MrBeast as he is better known — has amassed one of the platform’s largest audiences. Across his multiple channels, more than 454 million subscribers follow his elaborate stunts and contests, which include recreating the “Squid Game” television series in real life and, most recently, having “100 pilots fight for a private jet.”
In 2017, Donaldson launched the Beast Philanthropy channel, which currently has 28.8 million subscribers. Through on-camera charitable acts, which some have dubbed stunt philanthropy, he has funded numerous health, housing, and climate initiatives. His own YouTube page boasts that he has “helped 1,000 blind people see …helped 1,000 deaf people hear … built wells in Africa,” among other things.