Why did Michael Saylor tell MrBeast to buy Bitcoin?

On October 5, 2025, one of the most famous Bitcoin proponents, Strategy founder Michael Saylor, told YouTube star Jimmy Donaldson, known as Mr. Beast, to buy Bitcoin. This was in response to a post by MrBeast in which he expressed concern about the future of YouTube creators, saying they could lose their jobs due to AI-generated videos. Does a top-ranked YouTuber known for handing out thousands of dollars to strangers really have financial concerns, and how savvy is he with cryptocurrencies?

MrBeast’s concerns

MrBeast, a YouTuber with over 443 million subscribers on his main channel, has a murky track record with artificial intelligence. On October 5, 2025, he published an X-post reflecting on the threat of AI to YouTubers. Donaldson posed the question of what will happen to professional YouTube creators when AI videos become “as good as regular videos.” “Scary times,” he concluded his post.

The post received more than 63,000 likes and 6,200 comments within 24 hours. The post received a variety of replies, both supporting and contradicting. One commenter said, “MrBeast has realized that the machine that created him is now replacing him,” implying that it was YouTube’s algorithm that helped MrBeast get to the top. Someone reminded everyone that it was MrBeast himself who promoted an AI tool to create video thumbnails for YouTubers.

Donaldson’s thumbnail generator, called ViewStats, was announced in June 2025. This project was not well received. Designers criticized MrBeast for stealing their work. He quickly reacted by canceling the project and pointing out that Viewstats plans to gather users and hire real designers in the future. Soon after, Donaldson expressed solidarity with those who associate AI with job theft.

Previously, MrBeast expressed concern about potential disasters caused by AI. In 2023, a deepfake ad video featured an AI-generated MrBeast clone and offered viewers the chance to buy an iPhone 15 Pro for just $2 as the “world’s biggest giveaway.” Real MrBeast warned viewers about scammers and asked, “Are social media platforms ready to deal with the rise of AI deepfakes? This is a serious problem.”

The Crypto Journey of the Number One YouTuber

Although MrBeast has never mentioned digital assets in his videos, he knows a lot about cryptocurrencies. During the 2021 bull market, he made several posts about Bitcoin.

For example, on February 20, 2021, he tweeted that he would donate $10,000 in Bitcoin to random people who retweeted his post. He also urged people to follow him on Twitter.

Previously, he posted a poll asking people whether they owned Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies. On another occasion, he told fellow YouTuber Ludwig Ahgren that he had received a $10,000 donation in Bitcoin. In November, he informed his followers about an environmental initiative accepting donations in BTC. In September, he teamed up with Coinbase to give away giveaways to random people who follow MrBeast and Coinbase on Twitter.

Generally, all X posts about Bitcoin were released between January and November 2021. Since then, MrBeast has not posted on X or mentioned it on YouTube.

In the same year, MrBeast was busy promoting NFTs and tokens via XReply. In 2024, Loock analysts claimed to have identified 50 crypto wallets linked to MrBeast. Donaldson reportedly used them for insider trading, pump-and-dump schemes, and misleading investors. For example, they brought up his support for the SuperVerse token in May 2021.

In addition to Super, Loock pointed to MrBeast’s efforts to promote EthernityChain’s NFT collection, AIOZ token, and Refinable NFT marketplace in exchange for tips. According to Loock’s investigation, MrBeast was involved in insider trading with projects such as ShopX, XCAD, and Boson Protocol.

Donaldson reportedly made more than $23 million from insider trading and the sale of tokens that he and his affiliate YouTuber KSI were promoting. In most cases, this activity dates back to 2021. MrBeast was involved in such activities several times in later years. Gizmodo Media characterized Look’s research as “compelling and incomprehensible.” Blogger Stephen Findeisen, known as Coffeezilla, published a video echoing Loock’s claims. Mr. Beast has denied any wrongdoing.

read more: YouTuber MrBeast allegedly made $23 million from a cryptocurrency scam

In September 2025, Lookonchain analysts detected an influx of $1 million worth of ASTER tokens into a wallet linked to MrBeast. The YouTube star denied that the wallet was his and claimed he had no knowledge of the ASTER token. Additionally, Donaldson said he had no intention of creating a meme coin and warned people not to trust anyone pretending to be him and making claims to the contrary.

MrBeast’s financial struggles

MrBeast gives strangers huge amounts of money and expensive gifts in his YouTube videos. Videos are usually expensive because they feature luxury cars being destroyed or amazing locations being built from scratch. The average cost of a single MrBeast video reaches $3-4 million. These days, Donaldson spends most of his money on his videos, which is why he repeats that he has “very little money.” Donaldson’s mother had to give him money for the wedding.

Donaldson has an idea that could bring in more money. He plans to start an animation studio, a video game platform, and write a thriller with famous author James Patterson. Currently, MrBeast sells a brand of chocolate bars, snack kits, and software tools for vloggers called Feastables. Mr. Donaldson’s company, MrBeast Industries, has 450 employees.

Feastables brings in revenue, but expensive video production eats up all the profits. The company lost money from 2022 to 2024, with losses in 2024 reaching $110 million. Much of the loss can be attributed to Beast’s attempts to team up with people who think differently, Donaldson told Bloomberg. In 2024, he finally hired a CEO who had to cut costs for MrBeast Industries.

Michael Saylor advocates a Bitcoin accumulation strategy as a way for the United States to solve the curse of national debt. It makes sense for Mr. Saylor to advise Mr. Beast to buy Bitcoin, as Mr. Donaldson’s losses are much smaller than those of the United States, but Mr. Donaldson may have his own views on how to use cryptocurrencies to fill the hole in the budget.

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