Linus Media Group Explained

Linus Media Group Inc.
Type:Private
Industry:Entertainment
Divisions:LTT Labs
Hq Location City:Surrey, British Columbia
Hq Location Country:Canada
Founded:[1] in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada

Linus Media Group Inc. (LMG) is a privately held Canadian digital media entertainment company with a focus on technology, founded by Linus Sebastian and Yvonne Ho in 2012. The company owns and operates several technology-oriented YouTube channels and podcasts, most popularly Linus Tech Tips (LTT), serving as their production agency and distributor.[2]

LMG's other channels, including Techquickie, TechLinked, ShortCircuit, and GameLinked have earned a total of million subscribers and billion video views between them.

After serving as the CEO of Linus Media Group for 10 years, Sebastian retired from this position effective July 1, 2023, replaced by Terren Tong. Sebastian and his wife, Yvonne Ho, remain the sole shareholders in the company, and Sebastian became Chief Vision Officer.[3] [4] [5]

History

British Columbia native Linus Sebastian and several others launched Linus Media Group in January 2013 out of a garage,[6] while the company was incorporated in October 2012. Previously Sebastian worked for the now-defunct Canadian online computer retailer NCIX and later on served as a host for the retailer's online video content.[7] Due to high costs and low viewership during the early days of the channel, Sebastian was instructed to create the Linus Tech Tips channel as a cheaper offshoot of the NCIX channel, to allow for lower production values without affecting the NCIX brand. He described TigerDirect and Newegg as competitors.[8] Linus Tech Tips was created on November 24, 2008.[9] He eventually left NCIX following a dispute regarding company management, negotiating an agreement in which he could keep the channel as long as he signed a non-compete clause.[10] Within two years of its establishment, in 2014, Tubefilter named Linus Tech Tips as being within the "top 1% of Google's preferred advertising channels" on YouTube for the technology category.[11]

Currently, LMG is headquartered in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada.[12] it has over 100 full-time employees.[13]

The company has several subsidiaries:

NameIncorporation datePurpose
LTX Expo Inc.January, 21 2020Used to handle the LTX Expo, an annual summer event which LMG has hosted since 2017. It is described as a "convention featuring tech-focused content creators and personalities".[14] [15]
Creator Warehouse Inc.September 17, 2018Merchandise company founded by Sebastian that creates and sells LMG branded apparel through its own dedicated website, LTTstore.com.[16] [17]
Floatplane Media Inc.April 3, 2017Online streaming service founded by Sebastian that offers creators a platform to upload and monetize their content. One of its main selling points is its support for higher bit rate compared to YouTube. All videos are behind a paywall[18] [19] [20]

In 2022, Sebastian announced the creation of LTT Labs, a division dedicated to testing the validity of manufacturer claims.

On May 18, 2023, Sebastian announced that he would be stepping down as Chief Executive Officer and would be transitioning into a creative role, effective July 1, 2023. Terren Tong, previously an executive of Corsair Gaming and whom Sebastian worked under during his time at NCIX, was named to replace Sebastian as CEO. In the announcement, Sebastian mentioned he had received a buyout offer for the company from an unnamed entity, valuing it at around $100 million. Sebastian declined the offer.[21] [22] [23]

March 2023 hack

On March 23, 2023, Linus Tech Tips, TechLinked, and Techquickie were hacked and subsequently terminated due to a security breach.[24] The hackers changed the channel names, changing the main channel name to Tesla and started broadcasting two identical live streams which appeared to show deepfakes of Elon Musk, Jack Dorsey, and others having a conversation about Ethereum, GPT-4, and other topics.[25] The hackers also unlisted many videos and later re-published them as well as uploaded videos with titles that stated "DONOTUPLOAD" and subsequently changed the name to LinusTechTipsTemp to seem more legitimate.[26] Sometime before 11:51 am UTC, all hacked channels were terminated,[27] although it is unclear if it was by the hackers or by YouTube. Around 3 pm UTC, Sebastian published a message on Floatplane, saying that he had everything "locked down" and that he is working with Google to get everything reinstated.[28] At approximately 3 am UTC, all hacked channels were reinstated, with most unauthorized changes reverted some time later. A video was later published on the Linus Tech Tips channel about the incident explaining that an employee had downloaded a Trojan horse in the guise of a PDF file from a seemingly legitimate sponsor email.

Notable videos

On January 2, 2016, Linus Tech Tips released a video demonstrating a computer capable of supporting seven individual users at once, with an estimated total cost of $30,000.[29] The video made technology news on a number of websites.[30] [31] [32]

In August 2017, the Linus Tech Tips channel uploaded a two part video where they were able to game at 16K resolution (15360 by 8640 pixels) using 16 4K monitors in a 4 by 4 configuration.[33]

In April 2018, the Linus Tech Tips channel uploaded a video claiming that Apple refused to repair Sebastian's iMac Pro after Linus Tech Tips staff damaged it in a product teardown,[34] a refusal that VentureBeat speculated is illegal.[35]

In December 2018, Linus Tech Tips released a four-part series detailing their experience buying a gaming PC from 6 systems integrators representing 3 different market tiers. The series has gained over 12 million views and was covered in PC Gamer.[36]

In 2021, Linus Tech Tips released a three-part series showing the process of making an 18-carat gold Xbox Series X controller. The first video showed the prototyping, the second the making of the gold shells, and the third the reactions of employees at their headquarters.[37] [38]

Controversies

Allegations of misconduct by Gamers Nexus

On June 24, 2023, Linus Tech Tips uploaded a video demonstrating a prototype dual water block from Billet Labs.[39] The video involved Linus and fellow LMG employee Adam Sondergard testing the block with a GeForce RTX 4090 graphics card, even though the unit had been specifically designed for the GeForce RTX 3090 Ti. Sondergard advised that they re-test the block using a 3090 Ti; however, Sebastian decided to publish the video of testing with the 4090, justifying this by saying that re-testing would not change the outcome of the video. Sebastian concluded that the dual design had no advantages and criticized the building experience, saying that consumers should not buy the product.

The review led to a video from Gamers Nexus, a tech YouTube channel, in which Gamers Nexus editor-in-chief Steve Burke stated that Linus Tech Tips had sold the prototype during a silent charity auction at LTX 2023 without the consent of Billet Labs. More broadly, Gamers Nexus accused Linus Tech Tips of "rushing content out the door" and tarnishing its "accuracy, ethics, and responsibility". They cited a number of videos in which Linus Tech Tips had made mistakes which in the eyes of Gamers Nexus were corrected in an insufficient manner, or not at all.[40] [41]

Sebastian made a written response to Gamers Nexus, saying that the company had experienced "growing pains" and would strive to increase the quality of their work in the future, but he defended not retesting the prototype with the proper graphics card as he saw that it would not improve the results and called the product an "egregious waste of money." Burke criticized this response as "unhinged" and "unapologetic." Linus Media Group later agreed to compensate Billet Labs for the cost of the prototype.

A video featuring Sebastian, CEO Terren Tong, and CFO Yvonne Ho was later published to the Linus Tech Tips channel on August 16, 2023 apologizing for the handling of the prototype water block along with their response to the situation. In the video, Linus Media Group also announced that video production would be paused for a week while changes were made at the company.[42] The production pause actually lasted 9 days, confirmed by Sebastian in a follow-up video. The apology video was criticized for being monetized as well as featuring jokes about sponsorships and links to the channel's store page. The video was demonetized following the criticism.[43] [44] The store page was also linked in the video's description, but Dexerto noted that this could have been automated by YouTube and not purposefully placed. In response to a comment on Floatplane, Linus Media Group's video sharing platform, suggesting the jokes be removed, Sebastian responded through the Linus Tech Tips account, saying that "We won't be able to make everyone perfectly happy, so what we're going to do is be ourselves—the best version of ourselves—and move past this", and asked "Is a little humor a bad thing...? Honest question".[45]

Allegations of hostile work environment

On August 16, 2023, former Linus Media Group employee Madison Reeve, who was previously hired after appearing in a Linus Tech Tips video with Sebastian for winning a competition and left the company in late 2021, alleged within a Twitter thread of a hostile work environment while she worked at the company, including instances of assault, sexism, and other inappropriate conduct. She was reportedly scolded for taking sick days, which drove her to commit self-harm, because she saw it as "the only way in my mind to take a day off without being harassed for a reason why".[46] [43]

Reeve said that she did not previously make these allegations public, because she "feared even more backlash from a community that was already attacking, defaming, and sending [her] death threats", and that her experience has been "eating away at [her] for 2 years." According to Reeve, the company suffered from problems with "ego and the bottom line" and that there was an "internal paranoia" about employees leaving the company and setting up their own content creation platforms.[47] [48] [42] [43]

In an email to The Verge, Linus Sebastian said that Reeve's allegations "aren't consistent with [his] recollections", but said that Linus Media Group's human resources department would be conducting an internal review. In an additional comment, CEO Terren Tong said that along with the internal review of the allegations, the company would be hiring an outside investigator and publish its findings. The company published the outside investigator's findings in a statement in May 2024, stating the third-party investigator found the allegations of sexual harassment, bullying, abuse of power and retaliation were not substantiated. Allegations of process errors and miscommunication while onboarding Reeve were partially substantiated.[49] [50] [51]

List of YouTube channels

ChannelDescriptionSubscribersViewsVideosCreation dateHosts
Linus Tech TipsFlagship channel; long-form technology-related videos15.7 million7.8 billion6,906November 25, 2008
TechquickieShort-form technology-related videos4.27 million863 million1,201January 15, 2012
Channel Super FunMiscellaneous videos and game show–esque challenges[52] 1.28 million369 million194May 28, 2014Dennis Liao
TechLinkedTechnology and gaming news, produced thrice-weekly; also a podcast[53] 1.86 million508 million965May 3, 2018
LMG ClipsHighlight clips from popular videos and livestreams[54] 556,000249 million1,698September 21, 2019
They're Just MoviesFormerly active film-related vlogcast and podcast[55] 141,0004.61 million161December 20, 2019)[56]
ShortCircuitTechnology-related unboxings[57] 2.2 million542 million801January 24, 2020
Mac AddressApple-related videos, hosted by Jonathan Horst[58] 610,000123 million111January 26, 2021Jonathan Horst
GameLinkedGaming news videos, produced twice-weekly.452,00019.4 million79July 22, 2022
PSU CircuitStandardized analytical insights into power supplies2,0708,0313February 29, 2024

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Linus Media Group Inc. . OrgBook BC . . 2023-05-20.
  2. Web site: Ovide . Shira . February 15, 2022 . This YouTube Star Is Also a Retail Empire . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220313230138/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/15/technology/linus-sebastian-youtube-company.html . March 13, 2022 . June 24, 2022 . . en-US.
  3. Web site: Scraper . OC3D . 2023-05-22 . Linus Sebastian is Stepping Down as Linus Tech Tips CEO . 2024-03-17 . OC3D . en-UK.
  4. Web site: 2023-05-19 . Popular Tech YouTuber Linus Is Stepping Down As CEO Of His Companies . 2024-03-17 . Kotaku . en.
  5. Web site: Carnevale . Robert . 2023-05-19 . Linus, Tech Youtuber, Steps Down as CEO of Linus Media Group . 2024-03-17 . TheWrap . en-US.
  6. News: The History of Linus Media Group . Linus Media Group . dead . January 3, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151130212029/http://www.linusmediagroup.com/history/ . November 30, 2015.
  7. Web site: I'm Linus Sebastian of LinusTechTips, and This Is How I Work . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180110172436/https://lifehacker.com/im-linus-sebastian-of-linustechtips-and-this-is-how-i-1719745217 . January 10, 2018 . January 3, 2016 . LifeHacker. July 29, 2015 .
  8. Web site: How I became. How I became: LinusTechTips (Linus Sebastian). YouTube. January 3, 2016. October 17, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181017175359/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJbLHLnTrd4. live.
  9. Web site: About. Linus Tech Tips. YouTube. January 3, 2016. March 13, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160313110834/https://www.youtube.com/user/LinusTechTips/about. live.
  10. Web site: Why Linus Left NCIX. YouTube. March 25, 2021.
  11. News: Meet The Top 1% Of YouTube's "Google Preferred" Channels For Advertisers (Exclusive). Tubefilter. January 3, 2016. March 4, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304193010/http://www.tubefilter.com/2014/04/18/youtube-google-preferred-channels-top-1-percent-advertisers/. live.
  12. Web site: Linus Media Group .
  13. Web site: Our Team . 2023-12-18 . Linus Media Group . en-US.
  14. Web site: 2020-01-21 . LTX Expo Inc. :: British Columbia (Canada) :: OpenCorporates . 2024-05-08 . OpenCorporates.
  15. Web site: February 22, 2019 . DreamHack to Provide Festival Experience at Linus Tech Tips Expo . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231029221714/https://archive.esportsobserver.com/dreamhack-ltx19/ . 2023-10-29 . January 14, 2021 . The Esports Observer . en-US.
  16. Web site: 2018-09-17 . Creator Warehouse Inc. :: British Columbia (Canada) :: OpenCorporates . 2023-08-19 . OpenCorporates.
  17. Web site: Tait . Amelia . December 26, 2021 . Meet the 'Influpreneurs': The new breed of YouTube influencers staffing up and building business empires . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231029222002/https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/culture/article/meet-the-influpreneurs-youtube . 2023-10-29 . February 12, 2023 . GQ.
  18. Web site: 2017-04-03 . Floatplane Media Inc. :: British Columbia (Canada) :: OpenCorporates . 2023-08-19 . OpenCorporates.
  19. Web site: Tait . Amelia . December 26, 2021 . Meet the 'Influpreneurs': The new breed of YouTube influencers staffing up and building business empires . February 12, 2023 . GQ.
  20. Web site: Passaris . Christie . The ultimate guide to Floatplane . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231029222225/https://clipchamp.com/en/blog/ultimate-guide-to-floatplane/ . 2023-10-29 . January 16, 2023 . Clipchamp.
  21. Web site: Linus Is Stepping Down As CEO Of Linus Media Group. Kotaku. G/O Media. May 19, 2023. May 19, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230519045615/https://kotaku.com/linus-tech-tips-youtube-retire-step-down-quit-ceo-pc-1850452995. May 19, 2023. live.
  22. Web site: Davis . Wes . May 19, 2023 . Linus Sebastian doesn't want to be the boss anymore . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230519160927/https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/19/23729721/linus-sebastian-doesnt-want-to-be-the-boss-anymore . May 19, 2023 . The Verge . Vox Media.
  23. Web site: Thubron . Rob . May 19, 2023 . Linus Sebastian is stepping down as CEO of Linus Media Group, rejects $100 million takeover offer . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230519145920/https://www.techspot.com/news/98751-linus-sebastian-stepping-down-ceo-linus-media-group.html . May 19, 2023 . TechSpot.
  24. Web site: March 23, 2023 . Popular YouTube Channel Linus Tech Tips Pulled After Scammer Hack . March 23, 2023 . Kotaku . en.
  25. Web site: Warren . Tom . March 23, 2023 . The Linus Tech Tips YouTube hack is the latest in a line of crypto scam breaches . March 23, 2023 . The Verge . en-US.
  26. Web site: Howarth . Jack . March 23, 2023 . LTT YouTube channel hacked to promote Deep Fake scam . March 23, 2023 . WePC . en-US.
  27. Web site: March 23, 2023 . Linus Tech Tips - YouTube . . March 23, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230323075140/https://www.youtube.com/user/linustechtips . March 23, 2023 .
  28. Web site: Mark Tyson . March 23, 2023 . Linus Tech Tips YouTube Channel Hacked to Promote Crypto Scams . March 23, 2023 . Tom's Hardware . en.
  29. News: Richards. Rae Michelle. EVER WANTED TO BUILD A$30,000 COMPUTER? BECAUSE THIS GUY DID IT!. January 7, 2016. Broken Joy Sticks. January 9, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160109072809/http://www.brokenjoysticks.net/2016/01/03/ever-wanted-to-build-a-30000-computer-because-this-guy-did-it/. live.
  30. News: Khan. Imad. $30,000 gaming PC defies logic, lets seven people game at once. January 7, 2016. DailyDot. April 23, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160423164229/http://www.dailydot.com/technology/ultra-expensive-gaming-computer-linustechtips/. live.
  31. News: Youtuber gasta equivalente a R$ 120 mil para montar supercomputador . pt-br . Youtuber spend equivalent to R$ 120,000 (US$ 30,000) to build supercomputer . UOL . live . January 7, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160108225933/http://jogos.uol.com.br/ultimas-noticias/2016/01/06/youtuber-gasta-equivalente-a-r-120-mil-para-montar-supercomputador.htm . January 8, 2016.
  32. News: Utomo. Riandanu Madi. Computer Can Be Played By 7 People Simultaneously. January 7, 2016. Metro TV News. https://web.archive.org/web/20160105234035/http://teknologi.metrotvnews.com/read/2016/01/04/207687/komputer-ini-dapat-dimainkan-7-orang-secara-bersamaan. January 5, 2016. dead.
  33. Web site: Orland . Kyle . August 3, 2017 . What kind of gaming rig can run at 16K resolution? . January 27, 2021 . Ars Technica.
  34. Web site: YouTube channel claims Apple is refusing to fix its broken iMac Pro. April 19, 2018. Hanson. Matt. TechRadar. May 20, 2020. September 7, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190907235642/https://www.techradar.com/news/youtube-channel-claims-apple-is-refusing-to-fix-its-broken-imac-pro. live.
  35. Web site: Apple refuses to fix iMac Pro damaged in YouTube teardown. Horwitz. Jeremy. April 18, 2018. VentureBeat. https://web.archive.org/web/20181106032235/https://venturebeat.com/2018/04/18/apple-refuses-to-fix-imac-pro-damaged-in-youtube-teardown/. November 6, 2018. live. November 5, 2018.
  36. Web site: Lilly . Paul . Linus Tech Tips finds a range of issues in $1,500 gaming PCs . PC Gamer . Future US Inc . February 27, 2019 . December 26, 2018 . February 27, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190227182010/https://www.pcgamer.com/linus-tech-tips-finds-a-range-of-issues-in-dollar1500-gaming-pcs/ . live .
  37. Web site: Xbox Series X Controller Made From Solid Gold Is Very Expensive. March 17, 2021. ComicBook.com. en.
  38. Web site: Bonthuys . Darryn . The Most Expensive Xbox Controller In The World Is A Solid Gold Masterpiece . GameSpot . 2021-03-09 . 2023-11-07.
  39. Who let them do this?? - The $800 Solid Copper Cooler . YouTube . Linus Tech Tips . June 24, 2023 . August 17, 2023.
  40. Web site: The recent criticism of Linus Tech Tips, explained . August 15, 2023 . Chalk . Andy . . August 15, 2023.
  41. Web site: Oliver . Nickel . Das Drama um Linus Tech Tips . Golem.de . de . 2023-08-16.
  42. Web site: Cranz . Alex . Linus Tech Tips pauses production as controversy swirls . . . August 16, 2023 . August 16, 2023.
  43. Web site: Murray. Conor. 2023-08-17. YouTube Channel Linus Tech Tips' Inaccuracies And Sexual Harassment Allegations, Explained. Forbes. limited. en-US. 2023-08-18.
  44. Web site: Chalk. Andy. 2023-08-17. Linus Tech Tips temporarily halts production, releases apology video: 'Linus made a clear and egregious judgment error'. PC Gamer. en-US. 2023-08-18.
  45. Web site: Loynds. Joel. 2023-08-16. Linus Tech Tips apology video under fire for being monetized & having jokes. Dexerto. en-US. 2023-08-16.
  46. Web site: August 15, 2023 . To stop the speculation and DM's I am receiving. I chose to quit my role at LTT because it, and the working environment I was facing, were ruining my mental health . Twitter (X).
  47. Web site: Ahmed. Sayem. Ex-Linus Tech Tips employee alleges mistreatment and poor conditions: 'no one gets a break'. 2023-08-16. Dexerto. en-US. 2023-08-16.
  48. Web site: Ethan . Gach . Popular YouTube Channel Linus Tech Tips Taking Break Following Massive Controversy [Update] ]. . . August 16, 2023 . August 16, 2023.
  49. Web site: Murray . Conor . YouTube Channel Linus Tech Tips Says Sexual Harassment Allegations 'Not Substantiated' After Investigation . 2024-06-12 . Forbes . en.
  50. News: Andy Edser . 2024-05-23 . Alleged harassment and bullying at Linus Tech Tips 'not substantiated' and 'false' according to third-party investigation organised by tech channel . 2024-06-12 . PC Gamer . en.
  51. Web site: 2024-05-23 . Linus Tech Tips reveals allegations from ex-employee "were false" following investigation . 2024-06-12 . Dexerto . en.
  52. Web site: May 28, 2014 . Channel Super Fun: About . YouTube.
  53. Web site: TechLinked . 2023-05-18 . Linus Media Group . Apple Podcasts.
  54. Web site: September 20, 2019 . LMG Clips: About . YouTube.
  55. THE FINAL EPISODE: Joker (2019) . December 30, 2022 . They're Just Movies . en . March 16, 2023.
  56. Dune: Part Two - A Masterpiece? . en . 2024-03-31 . www.youtube.com.
  57. Web site: Huerta . Gabriel . February 9, 2022 . Steam Deck: unboxing, release date, price and verified playable games . Diario AS . Promotora de Informaciones, S.A..
  58. Web site: June 8, 2022 . Something's Wrong with the M2 MacBook Air – WWDC22 TalkLinked . TechLinked (But Just the Audio) . Apple Podcasts.