The well-known tech YouTube channel Linus Tech Tips faced heavy criticism for its work at the end of 2023. Linus Sebastian, the head behind the channel, appeared contrite and promised to improve. Now there has been an official investigation, but it clears the channel.
What was the situation at Linus Tech Tips?
- We reported on the allegations against the channel on MeinMMO on August 16, 2023. A competing channel accused Linus Tech Tips of misconduct, particularly regarding the testing of a prototype.
- Further allegations came from a former employee. A former social media manager stated that there was a toxic work environment in the company and she had to complete a huge workload.
- This overload made it “undesirable” to call in sick. She ultimately severely injured herself to justify a day in the emergency room and get a day off.
What kind of investigation is this? An investigation at Linus Media Group took place. This was conducted by Roper Greyell, a large law firm based in Vancouver that specializes in labor law, tasked with carrying out a third-party investigation.
Roper Greyell describes itself as “one of the largest labor law firms in Western Canada”. They work with both private and public employers. In this case, with Linus Media Group.
Allegations against Linus Media Group are “misleading and unfair”
The Linus Media Group announced on Twitter/X that there were the following findings after the investigation. Overall, the allegations were deemed “unfair” and not substantiated against the company. It states:
– The claims of bullying and harassment were not substantiated
– Claims that sexual harassment was ignored or not addressed were false.
– All concerns raised were investigated. Furthermore, the investigator is confident, based on a review of our history, that if other concerns had been raised, we would have looked into them.
– There was no evidence of “abuse of power” or retaliation. The individual may have disagreed with our decisions or performance feedback, but our actions served legitimate work-related purposes, and our business reasons were valid.
– The claims of procedural errors and misunderstandings in hiring this person were partially substantiated, but the investigator found numerous pieces of evidence that LMG was working to rectify the errors and treated the individual generously and with respect. If the person had questions, they were answered and addressed.
In summary, the accusations against the team, as confirmed by the investigation, were largely unfounded, misleading, and unfair.
What happens next? After the massive criticism of Linus Sebastian and his Linus Media Group, he stated in a conversation that the harsh criticism against him was justified. He said he was “rightly” criticized, and he deserved it. However, he limited this by stating that many of the criticisms raised have been worked on for months and years. Therefore, they also hired a new CEO.
