MrBeast aka 25-year-old Jimmy Donaldson is the biggest solo performer on YouTube. He’s followed by over 400 million people who watch his insane stunts and his enormous acts of philanthropy.

So, who is this introverted twenty-five-year-old and what makes him tick? Did he really figure out the YouTube recommendation algorithm, and what makes him different from thousands of similar creators on YouTuber? For answers we contacted a writer who for three days, embedded herself with MrBeast, in his enormous compound, in Greenville, North Carolina…Ej Dickson.

Ej is a Senior Writer for Rolling Stone and covers internet culture. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, New York Magazine, Elle, GQ, and Playboy, among others. She's also been featured on NPR's All Things Considered and This American Life, as well as the Hulu docuseries "Only Fans: Selling Sexy," The New Yorker once called her "ineffably cool."

ON THIS EPISODE:

• YouTube was birthed after a wardrobe malfunction.
• What's MrBeast’s strategy for becoming the biggest YouTuber?
• How he created an old-school, Hollywood-style, studio system.
• MrBeast’s parents, his house, and seeing 1 million dollars in cash.
• MrBeast cracked the YouTube algorithm. Or did he?
• Some call MrBeast’s charitable videos - “inspiration porn” Is it?
• MrBeast and Tyler Perry - What they have in common.
• How long can MrBeast dominate?
• Ej introduces us to the odd world of Skibidi Toilet. Really???
• Googleheim: The most popular social media star across ALL platforms is…

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