MrBeast announces internal research results

On Friday, Jimmy Donaldson, aka Mr. Beast, tweeted the findings of a three-month investigation into allegations about his company’s “work environment and culture,” as well as specific allegations against current and former employees.

According to the email shared by Donaldson, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP discovered that allegations of sexual misconduct “between company employees and minors” and “allegations that the company knowingly employs individuals with tendencies or histories of illegal or questionable legal conduct” are “unfounded.” The letter was signed by Alex Spiro, who is also the lead attorney in New York Mayor Eric Adams’ current federal corruption case. The law firm said in a statement that it would add “nothing at this time.”

The study’s conclusion came after a fraught summer for Donaldson, who runs the largest channel on YouTube. On July 24, Donaldson tweeted that he and his company had parted ways Ava Kris Tysonwho had been his second in command since the channel was founded in 2012 due to allegations she made inappropriate conversations with minors, including her Discord moderator LavaGS. Days later, Tyson’s former executive assistant, Jess, tweeted in a now-deleted thread that she had been “sexually assaulted” by the creator, who had used her status within the company to extract sexual favors. Jess also claimed that Tyson ended their professional relationship after she no longer wanted to perform sexual favors with the MrBeast star. On July 23, a message on XTyson denied any allegations of grooming or sexual misconduct, adding: “I humbly apologize to anyone I have hurt with my unacceptable social media posts, past actions, and to those who may feel betrayed by the way I used to trade online.” (Tyson did not comment Rolling stone She also did not respond to a request for comment about the conclusion of the investigation.)

This is the first public comment Donaldson has made about Tyson since those initial allegations and only the third tweet he has posted since July. According to the email he shared, they identified “several isolated cases of workplace harassment and misconduct” but took “swift and inappropriate actions” to address the incidents. They did not specify what those specific incidents were, or who was punished.

There are also a series of recommended changes that MrBeast has “already implemented or is in the process of implementing,” including “mandatory company training for all employees,” “developing new policies set out in an employee handbook,” and “quickly terminating individuals who violated company policy.” The company will also hire a new CEO to replace the venture capitalist Jeffrey Housenbold who was hired in June, as well as a CPO, CFO and General Counsel. (It is unclear whether these roles existed previously.) In early August, an internal email was leaked to it X account DramaAlertwith many of these changes announced internally, including the hiring of a new general counsel and CFO, “mandatory training,” “listening sessions,” and “anonymous review.” (A spokesman for MrBeast declined to comment.)

The email also mentions a cease and desist letter the law firm sent to YouTuber and former MrBeast employee Dawson French, who has posted multiple videos under the name “DogPack404” alleging inappropriate workplace behavior at MrBeast (although some have criticized him for sharing information he didn’t have fully vetted). “If MrBeast wanted the truth to come out, why would they threaten the whistleblower with legal action,” French said in a statement to Rolling stone. Although he says he was not interviewed for this investigation, he notes that “they have taken action against the people I reported.”

Those whose stories were investigated have mixed feelings about Donaldson’s tweet. LavaGS, who was 13 when he first started talking to the then 20-year-old Tyson, tweeted commenting that “private investigators have been reviewing all my DMs and interactions with” Tyson. “I was not taken care of, these were false accusations from other people with my name in them.” The moderator made it very clear that he had not been cared for since his story broke. tweeting in July 23: “I’m not a victim” and “Nothing bad happened between me and” Tyson. When reached for comment, LavaGS directed Rolling stone to his statement.

But Jess says the post made her ‘sad’. Although none of the allegations were named, her story was the catalyst that launched the misconduct investigation. She had contacted MrBeast HR on July 10. Although she was interviewed as part of the investigation, she said their last correspondence took place on August 14. “They stopped answering me,” Jess says. “This public statement is the only update I have on this situation.”