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Ex-MrBeast staff accuse YouTube star of running ‘youth cult’ where work was like ‘living in a soap opera and mom ran HR’
Former MrBeast team members have written negative reviews
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It creates unique viral videos and also ran "Beast Games" in which participants competed for $5 million.
The U.S. Sun can reveal there is a slew of negative reviews of the company on , a popular website where current and former employees can anonymously comment on their experiences.
Many claim to have worked long hours with no recognition, and accuse the business of having an unhealthy work environment, unempathetic management, and a bad HR department.
One former reviewer described the team in July 2024 as a "cliquey youth cult," claiming, "They squeeze every drop of juice out of you."
A second gave a list of alleged cons, writing in August of this year that they dealt with bad communication from managers.
They claimed the head of HR is Donaldson's mother, Susan Parisher, and the business doesn't "protect their employees at all" who are often allegedly made to work long days with no breaks.
One review from 2024 also complained of "intense hours/workload," and accused the company of sexism.
Yet another former worker alleged, "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."
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In a detailed review from September 2023, someone echoed the same issues, writing, "HR dept is terrible. This place feels like a startup but much more amateur. Communication is horrendous. The entire company uses Discord instead of real HR messaging apps like Slack.
'CULT-LIKE ATMOSPHERE'
"If you get hired as part-time or contract just get ready to be let go. They are experimenting.
";On orientation day they gave a Word document with 3 sentences on it, not even a MrBeast logo. Just very amateur operations.
"You would think it would be better but it's not. They know how to make great videos but not run an Org. Someone help this place.
"Also they are running out of ideas while Mr beast does nothing. Also they give min wage for a lot of the jobs."
When asked on the website to give their advice for management, they said, "Hire some real corporate people to organize this disaster. Move out of Greenville. No one wants to live in that sh**hole. You will find better talent in bigger cities."
In a section about pros of working at the company, they only claimed, "The name. The content. That's about it. Way more negatives at this barebones startup company."
There are 37 reviews on the website for MrBeast, and many only list the real pros as being paid travel and "free stuff" while working for the YouTube channel.
The U.S. Sun has reached out to the company for comment but did not hear back.
MrBeast's production company and Amazon Studios were hit with a civil complaint in September from five unnamed contestants who took part in the reality show, "Beast Games".
They claim they were subjected to "chronic mistreatment," sexual harassment, and more.
'SEVERAL HOSPITALIZATIONS'
Amazon Studios and MrBeast declined to comment and have not yet responded to the suit.
A hearing on motion to seal the complaint first amended complaint has been scheduled for late 2025.
The lawsuit involving Beast Games went as far as to claim people were injured during the challenge, which reportedly has a $100 million budget.
The complaint also references an investigation by , after the outlet reported that "over a dozen people who participated in the first installment of 'Beast Games' said they
had not received adequate food or medical care and that some competitors had suffered injuries from the physical challenges."
The news report also claimed some contestants left the competition arena on stretchers, while some vomited and appeared to pass out. They claimed there were "several hospitalizations."
A spokesperson for MrBeast told The Times it “was unfortunately complicated by the CrowdStrike incident, extreme weather and other unexpected logistical and communications issues."
They added that a formal review was being carried out and they had "taken steps to ensure that we learn from this experience."
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MrBeast is also being sued in a separate suit by a former producer who alleges he wasn't paid overtime after working up to 75 hours per week.
The company is yet to comment or respond to the suit.
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