- cross-posted to:
- linustechtips@lemmy.ml
- games@lemmy.world
- videos@lemmy.world
- cross-posted to:
- linustechtips@lemmy.ml
- games@lemmy.world
- videos@lemmy.world
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The “haha, we’ve made an oopsie” tone of the video (sponsorship jokes, plugging their store link, possible sex joke, deflecting to “I’m just a human” instead of fully taking the blame) don’t sit right with me. I was also hoping they would address Madison’s comments on why she quit.
Agreed
I think Madison’s post happened after the video itself was planned, recorded, etc, so it’s understandable why that’s not addressed. But Linus really has to address what she’s said on the forums ASAP at least, because there’s a lot of damning claims towards his company from her. Like seriously, wtf Linus?
Also, they should stop deleting all mentionings of the Madison thing on the apology video as they doing are now, makes it all seem very disingenuous and fake.
Can confirm. They appear to be doing it manually, so lots are still up (for now), but entire threads are being disappeared.
It should be it’s own topic of discussion. It makes sense why they’re trying to control the comments on that video specifically.
Given his responses so far, he’s probably just going to dig his hole even further.
I really want to make a joke about how they could have added an annotation on the video to address it and how it would have taken “$500 of people’s time” but her post was super gross (about the company, not her) and that’s more of a poison pill for a company than the sloppiness IMHO.
I don’t watch LMG content and I have intention of starting to so I don’t have a dog in this fight but I always thought of LMG as “decent content but too over the top and silly for me”, the “decent content” part is in question now and the workplace allegations leave a bad taste in my mouth for sure.
I thought this video was very well done aside from:
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“I don’t agree with ALL the criticisms” - ok, then expand on that
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Store plug - read the room, I thought the sponsor joke was ok but then they did it twice and plugged the store.
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“6 9’s” - didn’t we just talk about filtering for sexual innuendos? Look I don’t give a fuck but, again, read the room
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Linus’ whole section - it really felt genuine then he came on and came off as a petulant child
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Sex joke?
Yeah I get the various other critiques others have for this video but complaining about the “potential sex jokes” is a stretch.
“6 9s”
Thats not a sex joke, that’s just a server uptime thing
🙄 I want you to tell me with a straight face that you honestly believe someone could say something like “six nines…” whilst simultaneously quirking their eyebrow and striking a dual fingerguns pose without an implied double meaning…
For Pete’s sake, the editor even inserted a zoom cut and delayed the next shot transition for comedic effect!
Worth noting that the “69… Nice” joke is not just a universal meme, but also specially part of LTT in-jokes. So it’s very much in character for Linus or others at LMG to say something like that, but I am honestly disappointed that it came from Luke.
To quote poetry:
Uwu We made a fucky wucky!!
A wittle fucko boingo!
The code monkeys at our headquarters are working VEWY HAWD to fix this!
Call me a fanboy but this is not the worst response.
A few things that still annoy me ofc:
- Madison’s concerns were not addressed (she JUST wrote it, so fair enough, but that shit needs to be addressed)
- everything sounds a bit scripted. Shit, just let them say what concerns them and the specifics of what they actually wanna address. Like give examples, so we know that you guys get it.
- Linus blaming others sticks out. I wanna give him the benefit of the doubt and say he’s doing it unconsciously but it really bothers me and I hope it’s just truckloads of stress that he’ll be able to work through. This is not meant as an insult, but it sounds to me he should get a therapist to talk himself through the feelings. It helped me, and I can smell the pent up emotions through the screen.
It’s not perfect, but it’s a start. Let’s see what comes in response in the next while.
Also whoever hurt, degraded and ruined Madison’s mental health fuck you. I know it won’t happen, but if you read this Madison, what you went through was wrong and unfair and fuck everyone who hurt you, you did the right thing and now that you’re gone, life will improve. If you got through your worst nightmare, you will easily get through the next weeks.
… a bit scripted? They were clearly, mechanically, reading from a teleprompter. Your high school “newscasters” are less obvious
For the scripting, that honestly makes sense for it to be scripted. You can proof and clear what is said beforehand instead of in post w/ retakes. Im not really invested in all this but it does make sense to me.
Linus should have taken the $100 mill
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Yeah, a couple of months ago there was an offer to buy LMG from him for a total of 100 mil. I believe it was 60% cash 40% stock in the acquiring company. They turned the offer down.
He said he did, at least.
LOL! This is the best comment I have read about this whole fiasco.
After all that has come out…
Did the 100m exist?
Changes nothing after what Madison has said about her experience working for them. LTT has had ethics and journalistic issues for most of its life, but it’s come clear that it’s deeper and more sinister than even I had imagined.
Hear Hear.
After reading that, I fully expect their plans “to improve” will involve abusing and blaming staff unfairly. Seems like they’re already doing that when they blame “human error” for the videos being bad rather than taking personal responsibility, as management should.
Yup. Most of their journalistic problems are self-imposed by Linus and his demand for super expensive equipment for no purpose but cloutchasing/content farming.
The obsession with an 8K editing workflow and hosting their own poorly-managed content server has already led to staff losing hours of work multiple times (though it indeed made them some ✨content✨).
I can only imagine how stressful it is working as an editor for a man who completely replaces your hardware and workflow on the whims of whatever tech trend is popular on twitter.
More juicy nerd drama. Lemme grab my popcorn.
You mean Lemmy
Hi spez
Wait, so people used to take this guy seriously? I watched a review he did on some sim racing gear a few years back and it was obvious the guy didn’t google even the most basic advice on how to set up a sim rig properly.
Well yea, same with the old mechanical keyboard video, but their new Mechanical Keyboard video is pretty well researched.
I knew he was full of shit, because hell talk about really complicated things like ram timing like he’s an expert, then when he tries to use Linux, a package manager is too complex for him and he becomes less tech savvy than my 75 year old mom, so its pretty obvious he knows nothing when he’s not being feed answers by some marketing goon
That Linux video was so frustrating
Indeed it was. That was the shark-jump moment for me, and I wasn’t even a part of the community.
My impression was that the linux video was meant to be more of a vlog “Watch Linus Do Something” style and not a researched video. And its obvious that he would know very little about an operating system he has never used before.
it was a different style video, but he had used linux before.
he even knew he should use the package manager, but for some reason didnt ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
This is so amusing to me, because I had no idea who this Linus was - I was only somewhat familiar with Linus Torvald of Linux fame. I looked up last night just to check that the old Linux nerd wasn’t running around stealing water coolers and such.
Extra funny to see a comment the next morning that this Linus knows zero about Linux.
For those who aren’t aware why errors are an issue because all they’ve seen is wacky LTT videos where they mess around with stuff–Linus is the most popular (and profitable) computer hardware Youtuber, and he’s always done hardware reviews, but to some degree this whole scandal came about because of him wanting to be taken more seriously. Recently he’s been using his millions in an attempt to become the most authoritative PC hardware critic by building and staffing a state-of-the-art testing lab. It was one of his lab technicians who made the comment about how their testing was better than that of more respected channels like Gamers Nexus and Hardware Unboxed that kicked this whole thing off. And the whole lab thing makes the continuing inaccuracy of the videos seem that much more egregious.
You should see the shitshow when he tries to use Linux. It’s astounding someone that uses a computer can be so fucking inept. Pretty sure it’s all an act to further shit on opensource, which surely won’t pay the bills for them.
yeah the linux videos were when I first noticed their lack of research, I always suspected it, but the linux videos made it obvious. Linus did absolutely NO research and put no critical thinking in those videos whatsoever
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Linus knows wtf he’s talking about
As a pedantic f*cking weirdo who goes WAY too deep into things until I’m satisfied that I understand them, he very much does not.
Eeeh, I don’t know about that. He may have experience, but it never seemed to me like he had much understanding. Or even knew how to learn, like with the Linux stuff.
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Well I watched his Linux videos and to any mildly experienced GNU/Linux user he was laughable in that video, but not in a funny way, I pitied him for his lack of understanding combined with his usual stubbornness.
His stubbornness was incredibly frustrating in that one. Kind of even worse is how he acts like this is how a typical user would do when trying Linux, it’s just insulting the intelligence of his own fans… Well some of his fans
To anyone who may read this comment as overly critical or unfair. It is not. It is apt.
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He has the technical competency of your average best buy employee. Not even geek squad, just like a normal employee. Just look at their channel, they constantly make videos about their mission critical servers breaking.
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I can empathize with that, but that is sorta the problem to me. He frames himself as an authority on a lot of these subjects, and then goes on to demonstrate a clear lack of understanding. Those who know better can take his bad advice as purely entertainment, but to those who don’t, he’s misleading consumers, and potentially changing their purchasing decisions as a result. You can be a tongue and cheek entertainer with a theme, or you can be a journalistic authority, but it is wildly irresponsible (in my opinion) to try to be both at the same time. Especially when he has a demonstrable track record of misleading consumers with his lack of understanding. Its not on any of his viewers or fans that they were mislead, it’s on him for making the waters murky with inadequate experience, biased reviewing, unclear context, and conflicts of interest.
You could know absolutely everything about building computers and still know absolutely nothing about sim racing rigs. Knowing some domains doesn’t make you an expert at all domains. He could reach out to an expert for areas he’s not familiar with but he’s more concerned about clickbait and shitting out videos as quickly as possible.
And this is true for anyone whose business depends on the monetization of YT content. Imo.
There is a difference between understanding technology and doing the homework before a video. You can be super smart/experienced, hut if you don’t care to learn about the thing you’re talking about it becomes a goof off very quickly. I’ve (and many others out there) have watched enough content to know when things are straying from legitimacy.
There is no way to set up a sim rig properly. No matter what you do it would still barely feel nothing like real driving, nevermind racing.
Source: I drive IRL.
LMG and Linus in particular have not been reliable to me for a while. It all started with the screwdriver. First it was the full of year of videos teasing the product, it was just absurd how long it took to come out. Then when I watched Linus react to the project farm review is where things really turned for me. Project farm fairly rated the screwdriver and as he always does called out pros and cons of each product. Linus seemed to not be able to take the criticisms and seemed to almost get mad at project farm about it. The main criticism I remember is that in the ratcheting screwdriver market there are several companies that offer lifetime warranty and same day delivery/replacement. Project farm noted that LMG does not offer this level of customer service and they are being new to marketplace may not be equipped to handle common problems other supplies easily fix. Instead of admitting that LMG isn’t trying to compete with companies like Mac tools or Snapon Linus immediately gets defensive and tries to discredit the need for 24/7 support.
I have also noticed the high amount of corrections in recent videos. I could see not wanting to reshoot a portion of video where Linus is speaking on camera. But why not show some B role and have Linus record a corrected voice over? Edited well viewers wouldn’t even notice.
Linus adamantly refuses to offer any kind of long-term guarantee. He got flak for the warranty on the backpack for that reason; there are plenty of competitors selling bags at the $250 price point that back up their offerings with long or even lifetime warranties. When pressed, Linus put out a mealy-mouthed “oh I don’t want to open up my family to liability” statement which both managed to say absolutely nothing (why would his family be personally liable? LMG is a separate entity) and shame critics. It seems to me Linus personally can’t handle criticism, like at all.
Wait, backpacks cost that much? I got one for 25 bucks 8 years ago and it only needed some sewing to be perfectly usable. The brand is Polo Power.
Brand name bags like Samsonite can cost quite a lot. Why anyone would buy a bag from LTT for $250 in lieu of buying one from a reputable company with a warranty is beyond me.
My Peak Design bag cost more than my camping bag and it’s worth every penny.
Remember: No one ever lies about anything, ever.
amazing that something as bone dry as tech is now about nothing but drama and personalities and cliques
It’s always been that way lol
now
Uh… I think you need to check out the history of computing.
no i know, it’s all a big drama… sells a lot of subs…
Things are not looking good for linus, especially now that an ex-employee is making accusations about terrible working conditions, sexisim, and harassment of all types…
People who follow a tech reviewer whos now a Multi million dollar company and who’s always come out as fake are mentally ill. Simple as. Can’t grasp my mind about people worshipping this dude/company
That would imply Gamer’s Nexus is equally ridiculous for thinking its important to call out this behavior.
This video is odd to me. The thumbnail of the video is of Linus but you don’t see him in the video until almost the end. Even though technically Linus is no longer the CEO of the company the responsibility still falls on him because bulk of the controversy was created by his terrible response post on their forum. Also the tone of this video is very off putting. The awkward half joking “we’re human so feel bad for us” tone by whole bunch people other than Linus feels evasive. I think LMG is treating this as a PR problem but clearly it’s a serious systemic internal problem and I don’t see how the company culture can be changed when Linus is still very hands on. Maybe I’m being cynical here but it feels like they’ll just go back to business as usual after this blows over in a week.
They have said there will be a third party audit/inspection of which the results will be published. I am a little hopeful, though remain skeptical.
Also the allegations didn’t squarely fall on Linus (though I guess the end-responsibility does lie with him). After his blow-up post on the forums I don’t have faith he by himself will correct the ship. In that regard I’m also a little hopeful about their new CEO.
You know there is something wrong in an individual when said individual resorts to emotion/“imjusthumantism” and other type of fallacies to answer facts and logic.
PR damage control
This situation sucks and was something I would have been willing to see through. But after reading the thread from Madison this morning I’ve decided to cancel my Floatplane subscription. While the accusations she makes are currently accusations, they’re pretty damning and worth taking seriously in case they are more than allegations. I await LMG’s response to her thread, as I feel that will be the deciding factor in whether or not I continue to consume and support anything LMG does going forward.
Her thread: https://twitter.com/suuuoppp/status/1691693740254228741
You can hear James’ voice in some of the more heinous quotes :(
Gonna pop the ThreadReader link here for those who don’t want to log into Twitter: https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1691693740254228741.html
On the Floatplane thing, I am a bit worried for DankPods, who put a lot of backing into Floatplane after he got screwed over by Twitch. This whole thing might have some collateral damage towards the other creators on there, including him. Was considering subscribing to Floatplane for him and his drum streams before this.
I may not agree with a lot of things Madison does as a content creator, but what she’s described in that thread is absolutely egregious. This goes so far beyond “trust me bro”, and is already bathing in the gas that the company is actively lighting under them. Makes me wonder what kind of NDA and contract all of them have, to keep it hush-hush. I’m worried for the people there
what she’s described in that thread is absolutely egregious
*If true and complete.
None of us were there, none of us know what happened, none of us knows the context of anything discussed. There’s a universe where everything she described is misinterpreted banter and she’s just an overly sensitive whiny zoomer. There’s also a universe where everything she described is an understatement to the unfathomable conditions she may have been subjected to, and Linus is a prototypical millennial edgelord piece of shit who can’t read a room, and gets off on belittling those under his domain.
It’s important, I think, to not be impulsively reactionary towards individual accusations. Doing so disincentives discourse and transparency. I’m going to let this play out for a bit before I make any decisions with my wallet. If Madison deserves the benefit of the doubt, so does LMG.
Maybe Dankpods can get into the Nebula sphere instead.
Ha, Nebula is not the answer, either. It’s a gated community that doesn’t even have a way to sign up as an uploader. They expect you to make it on YouTube first before they consider moving to their network, and then you’re doomed to constantly advertise for Nebula for the rest of your career.
DankPods is the only reason why I’d consider using Floatplane, but I’ve already been a Patron of his for a long time and could just up my tier sub if I wanted to support him more, which I may do if this effects his streams.
Ah shit, I forgot how much dank went in on floatplane
Thank you for this, I don’t normally use twitter but I read some people saying the Threadreader app wasn’t up to date with all the comments.
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So you would create in 3-4 days, the co tent she has to create each days…
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A former employee shitting on their employer during a scandal to draw media attention has been the oldest trick in the book. If more stories come forward or others corroborate the individual claims, it’s worth notice. Until then, all I see is someone who took a high pressure job, couldn’t hack it, and now they’re trying to cash in on the negative experience for media attention.
Exactly this ^
Until there’s actual evidence put forward (and not just her word), I’ll happily defer pulling out the guillotine and grabbing my pitch fork.
I get the community as a whole is rightfully shitty with how LMG has handled themselves over the last week, but I’m certainly not taking her accusations alone at face value, regardless of how abhorrent they are
Absolutely, the criticism from gamers Nexus was fair and earned by LMG, but these allegations are not only completely separate from the issue with quality, they’re completely unsubstantiated. Should she start corroborating her story with things like the ER report from her reported incident of self-harm, or other employees confirm her story and are willing to state that they actually witness these accusations, that would be another story.
One party versions are always … tricky. If this was the case then people that support her need to step up and talk. It is hard to belive a company with such ethics also had good enough enviroment for a colleague to transition and publicly anounce it to the world. Something is off…
Exactly. Something doesn’t smell right. If she wants to corroborate her story, she can start by showing her ER report for the supposed incident where she self-harmed to get out of work. That would be an easy paper trail to share and since she’s already disclosed that information, she wouldn’t be giving anything else up.
Words themselves have no value in these instances.
