The Twitch streamer Madison “Suop” Reeve worked as a social media manager for the popular YouTube channel Linus Tech Tips. Now she reports on the devastating working conditions.
This article originally appeared on August 16, 2023. We added a statement from LMG, the company behind Linus Tech Tips, on August 17.
What is the current situation? On August 14, Gamers Nexus, a tech channel focused on reviews of computer hardware, released a video making serious allegations against Linus Tech Tips and the channel’s founder, Linus Sebastian.
With over 15 million subscribers, LTT is one of the most well-known tech channels. New videos are posted almost daily, and 5 other channels are also produced. According to Gamers Nexus, this high output leads to sloppy work and incorrect information appearing in the videos.
You can read all about the allegations here:
What is the current development? In response to the allegations, Linus Sebastian initially issued a written statement. Shortly thereafter, a video appeared on the LTT channel, in which some high-ranking team members apologize for the situation and explain how things will proceed.
However, in the meantime, more and more allegations are surfacing. A former employee painted a picture of a toxic workplace in a Twitter thread.
Note: Madison “Suop” Reeve uses the pronouns she/they.
Former employee says: high workload, toxic environment
What does the former employee say? Madison “Suop” Reeve, who produces her own content on YouTube and streams on Twitch, was the social media manager for Linus Media Group until the end of 2021, which operates the channel.
She gave up the job because it ruined her mental health, Reeve said. In a long and detailed thread, she describes her experiences with the team.
You can find the beginning of the thread here:
She reports a high workload: reportedly, a whole team is now responsible for the work that was expected of her as a single person. She also speaks of extreme micro-management.
In the team, there was a “grindset” mentality that did not allow for days off. Even sick notes were unwelcome. Reeve said she had injured herself badly enough to justify a trip to the emergency room. That was the only way she saw to get a day off without being questioned about the reason.
Moreover, she was treated condescendingly. Her work was belittled, and she was called “incompetent”. Reeve faced a toxic work atmosphere, but her attempts to defend herself only led to a worsening of the conditions.
“We are proud to maintain a safe and inclusive environment,” said Tong. The HR department will conduct a thorough review of the allegations.
Additionally, they plan to appoint an external investigator to examine the allegations. The LMG is committed to publishing the results of this investigation and taking any corrective measures that result from it.
Linus Tech Tips has not publicly addressed the new allegations so far. However, in the 20-minute apology video, it is mentioned that the high content output is due to the early days of the channel.
Nowadays, they could technically afford to reduce the output, as they are no longer “fighting for survival”. However, it was different in the beginning. This kind of “self-exploitation” can be observed in many content creators who want to kickstart their online careers.
It seems that this mentality, however, has been extended to the entire team at Linus Tech Tips.
Update, August 17, 11:50 AM: The former employee has now commented on the CEO’s statement:
