My Biggest Regret

[@Adam.Robert]

The funniest possible answer would have been “hiring Colton.”

[@Rayos_Catodicos]

Not firing him enough lol

[@oMoM-dj2cg]

Can't get rid of him now

[@noahkelly8907]

Yes

[@AnAnonymousAuditor]

@@oMoM-dj2cg What do you mean, they've already gotten rid of him. Multiple times, might I add.

[@ashleyobrien4937]

I thought it was Dennis he wanted to murder...

[@Struggle-Snuggle]

My biggest regret is that Linus didn't find Dan sooner. We will never get those years back that we watched LTT without Dan

[@NineEyeRon]

Dan Dan Daaaaaaaaahhhhhnnnn

[@Kyle_116]

@@NineEyeRon Hey I'm Dan, I'm also Dan- Daaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn.

[@alexhiatt3374]

agreed

[@Ranger.TomGunna]

you spelled Anthony wrong

[@eccomi21]

@@Ranger.TomGunna they are all equally unique and important. they are a team that works as a team, and that is so great to see

[@TrevorsMailbox]

$420,691,337. Final offer. Take it or leave it.

[@drogerflav6350]

Double it because he’s canadian he would only get half

[@TrevorsMailbox]

@@drogerflav6350 Done. 🤝. Congratulations on your purchase of LMG. Please clear a room for Tivy, he'll be at your home in 30 minutes.

[@govindsharma7738]

what is 1337 in reference to?

[@TibleUWU]

@@govindsharma7738 LEET

[@rrwakc]

​@@govindsharma7738 "leet" speak I would assume

[@johanlahti84]

From paying Luke 5 bucks per video to being offered 9 figures for LTT. What a journey it has been!

[@ashishbarthwal6961]

Finally, now he'd be able to pay him 6$ per video.

[@nottaibo]

Little known fact! He still pays Luke 5 dollars, but now they're usd instead on Canadian dollars!

[@Yakuzaka1412]

And NOT taking it...

[@Robinzano]

But Luke could've left, but he saw Linus' vision... And they overshot that dream tenfold.

[@Adahop]

HOLY CRAP that's a fat stack. From experience, that is absolute light years ahead of the value of most KZbin channels.

[@Gnarfendorf]

True, but most yt channels also dont have an actual company with over 100 employees behind it. Dont quote me on the number tho, im getting old :x And id imagine most channels also rely on their owners as the main personality, if pewdiepie for example sold his channel the value would drop massively id imagine. 9 figures for all of LMG makes sense if you think about what you get as opposed to say 10mil subs on yt.

[@Spookyhoobster]

It would've been more than just the multiple KZbin channels. Merch store, (likely) Floatplane, brand deals, infrastructure, inventory, equipment, etc. etc.

[@kstricl]

Don't forget as well that not many tech channels have the reach of LTT/LMG now. Linus himself is a Meme, randomly recommended tech videos have the LTT screw driver, major players in the industry pony up big cash to sponsor videos. It's all the "moats" as Linus put it that are the true value to a player in the game.

[@untitled795]

the answer is monopoly.

[@abraxas6326]

I mean you have some youtube channels right now that can be estimated over a billion dollars. 9 figures isn't that insane especially when he has a company not just a youtube channel.

[@blackrippin]

From garage WAN shows to 9 figure offers. You guys are the reason I work in IT. It's so crazy to see the growth

[@PLxFTW]

If someone offered 9 figures for LMG?? Assuming the people that offered actually had some idea as to LMGs true value, what is their annual revenue and profits?

[@jgal7979]

I’d say revenue is probably around the 20m mark if I had to guess.

[@xXBeefyDjXx]

They don't particularly lay down numbers but have you seen the videos where Linus has gone through the yearly markups and shown the percentage splits for income? IIRC it's been discussed multiple times on WAN so there's bound to be clips here somewhere too...

[@vatomais]

just in salaries, 102 people, roughly 100k each (benifets, employer taxes, etc) leads to 10 million... likely a good 20 of those make well into 100k, plus literally everything else.. likely around 25 million revenue a year

[@jgal7979]

@@vatomais it’s been said (not by LMG) that junior writers which are a large portion of staff only make around 50-60K per annum so there’s that as well

[@collincreeden2862]

And rough numbers, 32000 people on floatplane just subbed to ltt, at $5 a piece that's revenue of $1.9m on just LTT on floatplane let alone the other creators. That doesn't include merch, KZbin revenue, sponsors, etc and all the other pieces of their previous videos showing where there money comes from. They are a huge company and most people don't know it.

[@rileymannion5301]

Man Luke is the real mvp, he went through hell, glad he's getting what he deserves now

[@realJeffDunham]

I had a dream a couple weeks ago I worked at LMG. Please send me my check for the hours I worked when I was asleep.

[@MattieBW]

get this man his paycheck

[@michakurczynski868]

I have the same dream around 1-2 months ago

[@digby_dooright]

😂😂😂

[@xXBeefyDjXx]

Dude for real I've had dreams like this too, I once had a dream where for some reason despite LTT being a pretty sizable company with departments now, Linus was showing me around and training me 😂

[@MediocreTCG]

Me too. That's OUR check.

[@kepler656]

Linus getting offered 275,000,000 for LMG and turning it down is such a baller move tbh

[@BaBaNaNaBa]

next time they better offer more like 20,000,000,000

[@GlorifiedGremlin]

How do you know it was 275 and not 100?

[@arjix8738]

Imagine if he accepted, then made another company and all the previous employees followed him...

[@FvD714]

@@arjix8738 do you know what a non-compete is lmao

[@ruzzcraze1862]

@@arjix8738 most companions are sold including the talent. Largely it’s just a change in leadership and ownership.

[@HopeForTheBrokenBand]

Listening to your stories of the past struggles.. make a video on this! It's motivating to hear where yall came from.. been apart of the journey for almost half of my life watching since I first saw you unbox this sexy nzxt case back in 2013..

[@user-mt4zr5kp7h]

Linus, I've been watching you and Luke since you guys were still sitting on the couch in the living room. One of the things that always attracted me to your Channel was that you were so open and honest about what it was you were doing. As you grew and grew that attitude never changed. There is an integrity in the two of you, and as a result, those around you as well. You've been unapologetically honest in your reviews, as far as I can tell, and when you're put between a rock and a hard place, you let us know what's going on. Your fan base will never leave you if you maintain that integrity. You keep that Integrity going, and you hang on to that company privately until you are absolutely 100% certain that you can walk away from it.

[@JessieTrinket]

"By the way, Dan, I _do_ monitor the floatplane chat." "NO YOU DON'T!" 😆

[@ButterStubs]

Luke's unfettered laugh fills my heart.

[@xXBeefyDjXx]

I'm glad that throughout the rollercoaster, LTT has remained true to it's core values and is in the place it is today. It is a real example of sticking to your passions and the gamble paying off, in itself the dangers of such has always been made clear though. It's a very delicate balance! Also, long time viewer here but I had completely missed the Christmas Album, I don't use the forums as much as I have an account there, wild to see that it's on bandcamp for a dollar, spotify, then still on LTT Forums for $3 😂😂

[@Bonezmi16]

Can we all just take a minute to thank him for not selling up! What LTT and LMG is worth to us mere mortals is not measurable! Thank you Linus!

[@ZesPak]

I think the best way of showing appreciation is buying some merch. I was holding back on the screwdriver but going to order it now. Linus has stuck to his values time and time again.

[@bhblais]

Such a fantastic video! Thanks for your transparency Linus. That is one of (if not "THE") quality that makes us want to come back again and again. Also, your description of the moats (barriers to entry) shows that you truly *are* a savvy businessman... on top of everything else.

[@Numbnuts007]

Somebody offered at the minimum 100 million for lmg? Of course pretty much everybody in the community that follows Linus long term, knows he would have never taken the deal because he wants to do his own fun things that aren't necessarily profitable long term. Keeping the business private and to himself allows him to do stuff like labs that won't have huge profitability long term but is a necessity for the larger community of those in the technology space and those that want to get into the technology space.

[@jimbobu]

If any of his employees have equity they won't see this potentially multimillion dollar payout though.

[@chrisparky]

Linus could have taken the money and built it all up again, I think he enjoys the grind.

[@35manning]

​@@chrisparky no, almost ALL sales of this nature come with a "no compete" clause in the contract. Meaning, he legally wouldn't be allowed to start over for a set period, say 10 years.

[@ugur3527]

Sennheiser got sold for 200 millions. I'm really surprised LTT worths minimum 100 millions.

[@RAndrewNeal]

The lab is probably profitable in the long term, as they only have to buy the equipment once, maintain it indefinitely, and pump out videos utilizing it, which will make them money. Short term, they're in the hole; but long term, they'll break even at the very least, as long as things keep going well for the company.

[@Amphibax]

When you look at how far LMG has come other the last years, I've been here watching them grow for a few nears now, a 9 figure number isn't that crazy. Lets not forget Linus said a few times he doesn't have to work anymore and still life a really comfortable live

[@guihamelYT]

This is, IMO, one of the best clips I've seen in a really long time, if not forever!

[@jetbot33]

Really? I had to skip through out of boredom

[@gnualmafuerte]

I talk about that with my associate often. The "I couldn't do what we did 16 years ago when we started this company". We each had several jobs *in addition* to building our company, which was mostly working all nighters and weekends. Most income from those jobs went to keep the company afloat, and eat (sometimes). I lived in another city, so I actually traveled back and forth (like 6 hours each way), and I actually sneaked into the train every time to avoid having to pay a ticket. When you make it, and you look back, you realize it's very easy to get used to the good stuff.

[@HauntedSheppard]

We need more people like linus that are in it with their hart and principles

[@mattymattffs]

Heart would be good too

[@LiveseyCat]

Hey leave Kevin Hart outta this

[@Warlord_Megatron]

I'm in it with my fart

[@Brendan_Keyport-WA7BMK]

I would love to see the invoice from Luke to Linus.

[@williamyt6174]

Also, $5 a video is WILD. Seeing as Luke was filming, that'd be like $10/hr, not even. Including commuting, that'd be like $3/hr, below min wage

[@PlatypusVomit]

More than I ever made for a youtube vid.

[@mancominiaturas]

People surprised by the offer forget Joe Rogan got payed 100 000 000$ just to upload exclusively on a different platform. And LMG is way more profitable than the JRE.

[@ControversialOG]

Luke deserves the success that came to his way, dude got paid $5 per video still stuck with LMG and LTT, proved that he is the real one.

[@MindstabThrull]

The problem with regrets and "do I wish this never happened?" is a lot of the time, you get growth out of it, whether that means personal, a better understanding of why not to do things, or anything else. Some people hear "don't do X" and even if it's explained to them why, they don't really understand it until the fallout from doing X happens - and then they really understand it.

[@Adroit1911]

You too are truly awesome people, keep on doing you. And we'll keep being happy and proud.

[@Szaboo92]

I love those funny old stories, especially with Luke losing it multiple times :D

[@CoalitionGaming]

This clip makes me feel like I'm doomed for having pivoted to become a tech channel in 2016, instead of 2008-2010 when some people, and family members, suggested I do "tech reviews online" but I had just gotten my degree and wanted to explore job opportunities related to that. 😮‍💨

[@NBAYUGIOH]

Starting in 2016 is thousands of times better than starting in 2017, let alone 2023. You’re good bro

[@deslow7411]

Mate being successful on youtube is less likely than winning the lottery.

[@greatcaledonianpenicillin5378]

Love the smug look on Linus' face when he was suggesting the offer price. He deserves his success.

[@resprite]

Taking LastPass as a sponsor

[@GlorifiedGremlin]

Yeah you definitely DIDNT tell us it was upwards of 9 figures lmao I'm pretty sure I remember you talking about it, and I was under the impression that it was somewhere in the 8 figure range this whole time

[@schraderclemens6122]

If someone offered $100M for LMG that means that they at least make $5M in EBIDTA with good growth rates. Actually crazy how successful one can be with youtube. (Not saying that he is "just" a youtuber it's incredibly impressive what they have built). And that is a very conservative estimate. Linus even said in his video: 5,7 or even 9 times EBITDA multiple. The $5M in EBITDA assumes a 20x multiple which is almost surely too high. If you go with the 9 times it is more like $11M in EBITDA and that is assuming they "only" offered 100M for the whole company, which obviously would be the lowest 9 figure amount. Crazy to think about.

[@Abd121]

Linus said multiple times that almost all his profits from the the store. not YT

[@Stickerz-]

Years and years ago when I was still into the tech field I disliked Linus but I've grown to like him over the time and I'm glad his channel has grown to the extent that it has and I'm genuinely happy he decided to keep his channel and not take the money and run. Some things are worth more than money and having something you'd like to do with life is one of them

[@mattthemouse1]

11:24 should have paid Luke in Tacos; he would have come out ahead

[@u1f98a]

13:10, while a LTT East would be good for NA East people for accessibility reasons, it'd also be great for EU folk. A flight from London to Toronto is half the price from London to Vancouver

[@alvindelacruz4282]

Congratulations guys you’ve made it👏👏👏

[@tristangates2797]

While as someone who works in production I can see the huge amount of work Linus puts in to his channel both in front and behind the camera, as well as the obvious value he's bringing as the "face" of things... that is an insane amount of money for one person to solely be the beneficiary of when so many other people put in work behind it. It would also put the people still on board basically "in the hole" on all the hard work they did themselves as the new owners tried to squeeze that value back out.

[@tomtech1537]

I genuinely hope that he has carved up the ownership given the criminal underpayment of people that are still with him... They are literally describing him living in poverty to support Linus. There is likely silent/money partners but I can't imagine Linus personally owning less than 50% which still makes it an outrageous amount of money for a business that's value is basically derived by it's on-screen talent which can walk out in a couple of years and dunk the value by like 80% and start their own entertainment business.

[@ericepperson8409]

Seriously hoping the LTT Labs investment pays off huge. The in depth analysis that they are setting themselves up to do could be invaluable to the community. I wonder if this offer came in about the same time Linus posted his 'retiring' rant. Right at that point it felt like he'd gone even more and more into DGAF about pressure from manufacturers for positive press.

[@NeverlandSystemZor]

I am glad you DIDN'T sell and kept it in your own hands. I LOVE that you're independent and entirely your own thing.

[@FlamingPhoenix40]

I love that Linus has a button on the Stream Deck that put's a camera pointed to Dan on the screen hahaha

[@Toppot2]

The Xmas album is fire! I demand the Dan Remix/Remaster!

[@philsbbs]

I love old company history videos look forward to more.

[@carlover78]

Sincerely one of the most interesting LMG clips!!

[@maxzett]

Tbh i would've sold for 9 figures. That evaluation seems outrageous high.

[@collincreeden2862]

It's not when you think about how big they are. He mentioned on wan he invested over 7 figures into the backpack and screwdriver that they sell at a profit, I just did the math on another comment and they netted atleast $1.9m a year on people subbed to LTT on floatplane alone not including other creators, they make money from KZbin ads, sponsorships, etc that's shown in the revenue videos they have made in the past. People buying businesses are buying on a multiple. They are not buying on what it did that year but what they did x3,4,5 depending on the business I can clearly see how someone would offer 9 figures. They are a machine that pumps out content that makes money on multiple channels all with their own sponsors and merch

[@collincreeden2862]

Plus all their highly trained employees in their fields to make everything run

[@josiahhumber4775]

They make 7 figures on LTT main channel alone. Not too crazy when you take into account the multiplier thing

[@Volvith]

Depends on the timescale the valuation would have been in the ballpark of. ... Honestly, if we're talking any kind of plans on serious expansion and coverage, 9 figures seems pretty apt when we're talking 5-10 years of media. Not to mention LTT already has the serious core audience. It's hard to get the 'specialist viewers', the mainstream you can just cater to. The longer i think about it, no matter how stunned i am, that 9 figures makes a _lot_ of sense if there was any sort of corporate weight behind that offer.

[@Jimmy_Jones]

Let's not forget the value of the buildings alone. If I remember correctly, the building with the empty cardboard box storage (may have a different purpose now) was $500,000 when they bought it.

[@fe3bal]

You know, it's just nice to hear from someone who is financially head and shoulders above me and my peers, be so humble and honest. But also, have done it through sheer hard work and what would seem little exploitation.

[@OLBastholm]

Luke was definitely exploited, but apart from that, Linus would be a very ethical hundred millionaire if he had sold LMG.

[@CanIHasThisName]

@@OLBastholm Not by LMG. His contract at NCIX was shit.

[@PhsycoRed]

Soooo can't wait for Dan's version 😉

[@voxelfusion9894]

Motes is a nice way to say "pulling up the ladder". it's what all companies do, either by being good, or shadily by lobbying regulation, to crush any upcoming competitors.

[@the_undead]

Lobbying regulation is not a moat, emote is a defensive measure so if we're talking about corporate stuff it would be investing in a better r d lab than your opponents, It would be investing in a better business team to more effectively advertise your product or whatever.

[@diotough]

Considering that LTT is now diversifying with the lab offering probably the best testing infrastructure for electronics that are not run by the manufacturers themselves it just means LTT is establishing itself probably well beyond the video production part itself. Floatplane is another thing - the platform runs itself without LTT on it and there's a lot of potential in there. Sure, producing videos both for the public and for internal use for clients will probably be the biggest revenue source for a while but eventualls floatplane and the value of in depth testing and review capabilities might eventually grow beyond the video division. At that point LMG could be sold without revenue tanking and a massive brain/creativity drain. At that point however the price tag will probably high 9 to low 10 figures.

[@grandad40]

LINUS YOU MADE THE RIGHT CALL AS THE OTHER WAY THE SOUL WOULD HAVE FELL OUT OF IT , NOW REINFORCE WHAT YOU GOT AND ARMER

[@andre-le-bone-aparte]

Mr.Beast changed the business model, Linus is shooting for a Billion.

[@jelkk0349]

"You're not going to have a version, Dan, we've been through this" - Dad Linus talking to his oldest child.

[@64Gianfar]

What I like about LMG and their channels is they are honest & entertaining.

[@hyenalingo]

Something I've always tried to remember, if I regret my past then I don't like where I'm at. And I love where I'm at.

[@andrewcosten]

Good on linus for not selling out.....if it was for the money he might have sold it.....but its not about the money for LTT....fantastic on them

[@michaelelliott3559]

EBITA is an acronym that refers to the earnings of a company before interest, tax, and amortization expenses are deducted.

[@testdasi]

You know how important Yvonne is to LTT when Linus has no idea what EBITDA stands for. 😊

[@Ikxi]

When he said "It wasn't 8 either" HOLY SHIT

[@georgehatzopoulos7509]

Not Yvonne cringing at Linus explaining EBITDA 🤣🤣

[@thetechq]

We want the remastered version…

[@mikstratok]

Luke is the real trooper here

[@anttilehtoranta3152]

EBITDA = Earning before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization. (i.e. the sales minus the direct costs of sales -- e.g. the cost of producing and shipping the screwdrivers)

[@mikep3900]

Finance guy here, being offered 9 figures of liquidity is insane for a youtube channel. wonder what hes cooking up behind the scenes.

[@christiangalloway8]

Talking about getting paid 5$ per video, brings me back to my early college days broke as hell. The struggle made us who we are today.

[@yocobicus]

Even though the whole Intel tour was censored almost everywhere. I still say that was the best tour I have ever seen.

[@BillAngelos]

Always great to hear companies actually reinvesting profits back into the company so they have long term growth, and not just just worried about what the quarter looks like. This is why companies that pander to shareholders and their short term wants end up getting edged out by new companies all the time.

[@firalia]

I never knew they made a Christmas album... Time to buy it, the preview video is hilarious 🤣

[@fellzer]

You gotta hand it to LMG. When that white labeled screw driver hit the scene, every literally soy boy I knew bought one. It was just like on their desk at work. They didn't fully know why they bought it. They knew it's features but they had exactly one reason a year to use it for a 30 minute build. Genius target marketing.

[@celdur4635]

5 dollar per video, is the reason why minimum wage is really bad for small businesses, what you need are negotiated wages and loads of companies so there is at worst a slight shortage of workers.

[@jacobjamersony]

Linus and Luke are really lucky to find one another.

[@Gundam08thMSteam]

Give Dan his Christmas album!

[@rasmusvedel]

I LOOOOOVE Dan! The sass!

[@wethermon]

His laugh is wonderful. 😂

[@matthiasknutzen6061]

What? Someone offered 100 000 000 for lmg, that seems crazy

[@TheNpcNoob]

The offer would be for the entirety of Linus Media Group, not just the YT channels and given the revenue & profit LMG creates, the offer is hugely reasonable.

[@mryellow6918]

Don't forget it's a big company they have alot of employees. + when buying a company your not just gonna pay a years revenue

[@rfreaky4717]

at least 100 000 000. It was probably even more

[@hughgreen7114]

Not that crazy LMG as a whole includes a 10M+ following youtube channel built and runs a dedicated streaming service with paid monthly users several big buildings and a lot of expensive tech/equipment and a merch store before you even before you factor in the turnover that's already looking expensive

[@EtherGaming604]

I'd say it was probably in the 250million range.

[@vinstaal0]

When people do a taxation of companies they look at EBIDA yes, but the cashflow is even more important. The cashflow which is already taking a hit due to the investments. However that could actually turn out better in the long run.

[@Grymyrk]

I once logged into my email that was provided by my mobile carrier and I ended up receiving all the emails of what looked liked a server admin.

[@zeroxception]

You cant ask a businessman what his regret is. They simply answer you with what they dont regret.

[@TheOnceAndFutureDoug]

The great thing about an LTT is that you can not care that it's down if the reason is aggressive reinvestment into the business. You're making a bet and you're happy about it.

[@cobralyoner]

LMG is what you get when you stay true to yourself and big companies have no idea how to do that that’s why they always try to buy this value elsewhere and eventually destroy it because they don’t get the concept of not taking shortcuts.

[@AndiVx]

Now I want Dan to make his version

[@64bit-]

How old were linus and luke when they were talking about ncix?

[@JohnDrogado69]

Is it just me or is the audio and video slightly unsynced?

[@bb55555555]

was that offer in US or Canadian dollars?

[@crenshaw1979]

Who was the offer from, that LTT turned down?

[@berkan5578]

100+ million? Ima be honest, I have 100% respect for Linus not taking it (also as a fan probably the best outcome), but I would not be able to resist that

[@WarrenGarabrandt]

Linus, I wouldn't have blamed you for a second for taking that offer, but I'm selfishly glad you didn't take it.

[@Vilmar22]

Dan is not giving up on the xmas album 😂

[@vincarro5078]

Dropping the inventory has to be Top 5

[@RemizZ]

Please just don't sell. It has *never* ended in a good way for the consumer (in this case us) or the employees. Linus always says it himself: The only thing those guys care about is shareholder value and extracting every possible cent out of the businessses they acquire. If you sell, I give LTT 2 years max before it completely shits the bed and most employees leave.

[@willlive6845]

This why I’m glad you guys aren’t public, you guys are able to grow and invest in the company freely and are able to take less every few years in order to benefit the company overall. With investors you aren’t allowed to do that because they just expect you to make more and more money every year.

[@DwAboutItManFr]

Not gonna lie, a millionth of this value is life changing already.

[@Matticitt]

4:10 even if that's true I don't think you could've called yourself an idiot for getting 100 mln dollars.

[@Jvk1166z]

Lmao I think that guy who was Lukes roommate was recently my co-worker at a previous job. Would be about the right age, same area too. Description at least fits.

[@STRmw2]

he'd have gone stir crazy not working at LMG but BUT that's a lot of 0's and plenty to pay every employee a life changing sum

[@k9man163]

I see the vision. I've been watching Linus since 2014. They will soon be a huge independent verifier of consumer goods across all industries. You will first see "LTT Quality Verified" across all consumer gaming and computer parts, then general tech like security cameras, external drives, and phone chargers. They will soon be larger than a media company, they will be a cooperative. It will be a well-known company outside of youtube.

[@tomaszkorytkowski1399]

I was asking myself why why microphones are EQed weirdly. Today I calibrated my speakers with a smartphone and Spectroid app. Wow, huge difference. However, The eq app I am using (Realtek) is limiting. If anyone knows a better more precice one I'd love to know it.

[@Belanthiel]

Check out Boom 3D, it isn't just for headphones ;) I use studio monitors instead of cheap computer speakers and the sound is just amazing.

[@techwolfcave]

You guys are the best.

[@aidanjosiah02]

Oh I remember watching Linus' videos back in 2014. I'm so glad he didn't take the offer; keep this train moving.

[@EricFixalot]

Could’ve sworn Linus would say the biggest regret was going threadripper