World's richest influencer is a billionaire; donates all earnings, still richer than Tom Cruise, Johnny Depp, Shah Rukh

Hindustan Times

6 days ago

The term billionaire was first used for John D Rockefeller, the American oil tycoon who revolutionised the American economy during World War I. Since then, countless businessmen have attained the status. Of late, even celebrities have begun to breach the $1-billion mark. In the 90s, Steven Spielberg became Hollywood's first billionaire. And three decades later, a 27-year-old has upped the ante by becoming the first content creator to enter the exclusive club.
James Stephen "Jimmy" Donaldson, better known by his internet alias MrBeast, has become the youngest self-made billionaire in history. Celebrity Net Worth recently reported that the 27-year-old is now worth a billion dollars. In 2022, Forbes estimated MrBeast's net worth at $500 million. However, since then, Jimmy has seen a massive upswing in his work and fortunes, including several new projects, chiefly a reality show called Beast Games. According to reports, MrBeast is the only person in the billionaire list under the age of 30 who has built his fortune independently.
MrBeast's $1-billion wealth dwarfs not only other rival content creators like PewDiePie ($40 million), but also some of the richest actors in the world. Tom Cruise ($900 million), Shah Rukh Khan ($877 million) and Johnny Depp ($100 million) are all below him in terms of wealth.
MrBeast began his journey as a creator on YouTube in 2012, uploading videos under the username MrBeast6000. His initial videos were about gaming and streaming. His breakthrough came with a viral video in 2017 that got him millions of views. Following this, he dropped out of college to focus on his YouTube career. He adopted a strategy of reinvesting his earnings into the channel, leading to exponential growth. In 2024, his channel became the most subscribed in the world.
Jimmy also diversified by investing in fast food chains, cryptocurrency, and a chocolate brand. He also began his own game show called Beast Games. It streams on Amazon Prime Video. Court filings in 2024 revealed he earned over $220 million in 2023, with projections of $700-million earnings for 2024.
The content creator is also known for his charitable actions. In 2024, he committed himself to donating all of his YouTube revenues after subtracting operational costs. So far, he has raised over $60 million for various causes and given away over a hundred cars. He has also sponsored over 1,000 cataract surgeries for the underprivileged.