Toxic boss: Several of Donaldson's former editors said in a New York Times story that he routinely yelled at them, insulted them, and forced them to work overtime. As a result, the blogger's fans became so angry at those who spoke out that they were forced to delete their videos.

Mr. Beast himself denies it. “I’ve worked with over a thousand people. And two of them felt like my standards were too high, and that’s fine,” he said. “We have high standards, but it’s not a toxic work environment.”

I still don't understand what "The Squid Game" is about. The most expensive video on YouTube at the end of 2021 gave rise to a discussion about the blogger missing the point of the series and doing what was criticized in the show. A privileged rich man organized a battle for a huge prize between hundreds of participants and made entertainment out of it, and even made a profit.

However, Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk approved of the blogger’s idea, thereby dispelling doubts surrounding the video. “The guy who came up with the show literally said, ‘I love that these people recreated the show,’” Donaldson commented on the situation.

He does charity work "for show". The blogger's system of earning money is often criticized. Viewers reacted especially sharply to a video in which he helps a thousand blind people from all over the world. We are talking about serious but reversible vision problems - an operation that costs several thousand dollars helps.

The video has collected over 49 million views in just a few days since it was uploaded and has sparked heated debates on social media and in the media. The blogger was accused of exploiting people with visual impairments.

Some viewers noted that they felt uncomfortable watching the videos. One possible reason is the clickbait and problematic inspiration porn format, which exploits the impersonal image of a person with a disability to inspire able-bodied users.

Journalist Matthew Wade noted the video's caricatured portrayal of people with visual impairments, either as those overcoming difficulties or as those awaiting a rich savior. As a result, the characters' personalities and individual aspirations unrelated to their condition are completely ignored.

In response to criticism, the blogger explains that content about helping others allows him to earn more money to make life easier for even more people.

Some see a larger problem with this business model. Mr. Beast isn’t advocating for a systemic solution to poverty or access to education or health care, but for millions of people to simply hope that one day a blogger will approach them and give them a wad of cash or a gold bar.

Journalist EJ Dixon compares these initiatives to trying to treat a brain tumor with a band-aid. “It may attract attention, but [the concept] ignores issues of structural inequality and cyclical poverty,” she writes.