MrBeast reaches 500 million subscribers as ambitions expand beyond YouTube

What happens when a creator becomes so large that they begin to resemble the media institutions they once disrupted?

Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast, became the first individual creator to reach 500 million subscribers on YouTube last week, a milestone the platform marked with a dedicated blog post and congratulations from chief executive Neal Mohan.

"Today my channel hit 500 million subscribers," Donaldson wrote on LinkedIn on Friday. "I genuinely don't know how to process this number. The kid sitting in his bedroom at his mom's house, counting to 100,000, would never believe this."

Mohan described the achievement as "a testament to what's possible when a creator has the freedom to follow their creativity and be their authentic selves."

The milestone comes as Donaldson continues to expand beyond the YouTube channel that made him famous. Beast Industries already operates consumer brand Feastables and Prime Video series Beast Games, and earlier this year acquired Gen Z banking app Step.

Last month, the company outlined plans for a membership platform and new content verticals spanning food, fitness, gaming and entertainment. Attendees told The Daily Influence the plans echoed the cable television era, when media companies built multiple brands around different audience interests.

Institutions move in

Creator-led businesses are attracting growing attention from investors. Competition for established creator brands is also intensifying.

Last month, Jay Shetty announced he was taking his podcast On Purpose to Netflix under a new Spotify partnership, with full-length video episodes no longer available on YouTube from July.

YouTube and Netflix are increasingly competing for viewing time. Earlier this month, analysis by Digital i found YouTube had overtaken Netflix in average daily viewing globally.

Last week, CAA and TPG launched a $250 million vehicle targeting creator-led companies, while creator agency Whalar recently agreed to be acquired by Accenture Song.