The Truth About Donut and Why James Left

[@kennyhrabar1151]

Kenny with the Robin here… I could see/feel the amount of effort Tiernan/James and Team put into the videos! Thanks for highlighting the Robin and making it look so cool, it was such a blast working with you guys!

[@autotea]

Thanks, Kenny! You were amazing to work with, especially because we nearly destroyed your car!

[@genericsomething]

The lesson here is whenever your company is bought out, start looking for a new job.

[@talksoloxtl]

Correction: When a private equity firm buys a company, you better start updating your resume. The new owner has only one duty to its investors not the employees.

[@BananJumper]

The same applies to companies that have gone public. Suddenly, you are accountable to suits who are interested only in profit.

[@dirtmonkey4x435]

Can confirm, as a now former automotive journalist and presenter from Australia.

[@thomasolson8417]

Two companies I worked for were bought by private equity firms. Within months, both companies were destroyed. Capitalism and billionaires ruin everything. Those were some great people I worked with, and some profiteering a-holes came in and broke up great relationships.

[@forpetesake20]

talent should learn to play these money grabbing investment firms. they are the talent and its the talent that people watch. sell, make the cash and move on

[@syedmakbul8414]

Thinking the corckscrew isnt famous tells me how much this manager knows the car community

[@marcoss.lopez0]

Probably thinks the car community doesn't know Nurburgring either

[@xVietvenomx]

i didnt know it was called a corkscrew but i've been screwed by it a lot.

[@jeanaprewitt9658]

We can all show our support by unsubscribing to Donut. The algorithm will still bring their videos to you, but unsubscribing is the best way to show what we think of corporate management.

[@NuclearMinnow]

Almost everyone in your audience has worked for a manager or ownership like this. So we all love to hear you spilling the tea and naming names. Put their incompetence on blast!

[@piedpiper1172]

Even those of us who haven’t experienced it first hand still post up for tea time.

[@jeanaprewitt9658]

Unsubscribe to Donut to show corporate management what we really think about their style.

[@SB-kw6oo]

If any of the Donut guys deserves his flowers is James

[@someperson7]

🌸🌹🌺🌼💐 Flowers for James

[@evilofalfa]

Agreed

[@brokensmilephoto]

James was the only watchable person on there. The others are pretty much just fly by night "car guys" who do it for popularity, acceptance, or likes.

[@danteyasargo3897]

And Nolan. Their relationship on camera made them inseparable in our eyes. I saw his video he posted a cpuple days and i broke down in tears because i have watched him since i was in highschool. Remember gents, the gang we have been watching so long has had to go separate ways due to corporate greed. Wish we could get them all together to make content again. 😢

[@anthonyrieux3525]

@@brokensmilephotoyou’re smoking crack

[@civilrant4889]

This whole Donut drama just reminds of the saying. Built vs Bought.

[@Mcowling]

100% with Donut's decline I hope that those in charge can see the writing on the wall and course correct. If not I fear it will go the way of Hoonigan which has become nothing but this vs that.

[@theman0015A]

Thanks for all this insight and exposing the situation for what it is. As fans, we deserve to know this stuff so we can make informed decisions on the content we consume. Alot of people in your place would either be too intimidated or have signed NDAs stopping them from truly commenting on the situation. I really appreciate your transparency, and you have definitely earned a new sub!

[@someperson7]

Anyone that has ever played Gran Turismo (ie the entire Donut target demographic) knows about the corkscrew

Correction: anyone that has ever played almost any racing game ar watched almost any racing series knows the corkscrew.

[@colinbriggs8998]

I’ve only played F1 racing games and EVEN I know the corkscrew lmao

[@REXae86]

Never played it

[@TKsGarage]

I'm glad everyone that was there has created there own channels. Im glad you all have ownership over your journeys moving forward

[@RonaldjamesF3]

Seeing the perfectly linear growth chart of Donut is impressive.

[@colenado]

I wonder what the retention looked like though?

[@_carlosamontoya_]

That Reddit AMA remark you made is well deserved, I saw that and instantly knew it was a relational against James. That man grew Donut into what it is today, he deserved their support.

[@HeavyDutyPillow]

I was naturally watching Donut less and less, none of the content was really intriguing enough for me. I can't tell you exactly when I stopped watching but I know it wasn't recent. I did keep on paying into Donut Underground and subscribed in the hopes that content would get better. I've known about the buyout for a while as well and knew that any future videos would be more profit driven (and drop in quality) but still kept up hope. Once you mentioned that nepotism was going on and you had employees who were "fans" of the channel but really were just friends of the exec, I went into my settings and canceled my membership to Underground, then unsubbed from the channel. My only regret was not doing it sooner. I wish those that had left would be more scathing in their details as to why it exactly fell apart. Like... when you love something so much, especially something you had a hand in creating, there's going to be a point where you need to let it go. It's a bittersweet moment as love for someone or something can't last forever. However, when you love something like Donut and it gets to the point where the systems in place keeps you alienated from your work and your community, and you start questioning why you continue, then in my opinion the only option left is to leave while burning it all to the ground. I know you might still have colleagues you care about at Donut, but what had happened to you will eventually happen to them. I hope they see the light and leave with middle fingers way up in the air and onto bigger and better things.

[@TomLichti]

Sooo...anyone going to name names in the comments? I'm currently still subscribed to Donut, but after the Ranger series is done I might call it quits. BigTime is killing it so far, and we have yet to see what Speeed will bring, but I'm looking forward to it. Donut, not so much.

[@Zardif]

There's another series of hi-lo coming with jobe and jerr, they said they were contracted until after that. You should probably wait until that's over. The ranger race isn't until oct 11th anyway.

[@kuebby]

I unsubscribed already. KZbin will keep showing me recommended videos but unsubscribing is important.

[@youtubehandleofficial]

On LinkedIn there’s one particular person listed as the general manager of Donut who works at Recurrent - started a year and nine months ago, has a bunch of big media connections, and previously worked at Omaze… still not naming names ! :-)

[@StopItRyan]

The Porsche Macau lolol

[@umarmars47]

When the "Big 3" shown in Donut video last month without James, (the de facto face of Donut), I knew something's terribly wrong...

[@budsodastories]

They have Nolan as their only big name I hope they didn't make him sign something saying he can't leave unless something catastrophic happens

[@palpitateguy5764]

damn the longer I watch the Why I quit videos the better I understand which level is now the fire alarm. Basically the boss of an automotive channel, really doesn't understand cars

[@autotea]

Not just the boss, either. Understanding cars became optional to work there, even in high-level creative positions. Which is pretty messed up.

[@SmallBikeStuff]

@@autotea Reminds me of time time working at an electric bike start up - the guy they had designing the brake system for 6+ months didn't know that there was different fluid types. When I asked what fluid our new system would be running he had no clue. Blew my mind and that was only a few months in. Should have seen the light a lot earlier than I did but I hung around for another 12 months watching upper management burn through cash like it was going out of fashion all while genuine in market product issues were ignored in favour of more budget for positive press. Good times.......

[@wes8398]

Why is it that @AutoTea is the only one really gunning to be the whistleblower in all this? Is it a contract thing with the others? Your insight is incredibly interesting, i just wish i could hear such unfiltered accounts from the other guys, too.

[@autotea]

Some people have contracts with non-disparagement agreements that extend beyond their employment term. I don't. But the biggest reason I'm willing to say things others can't is because I don't care to maintain certain relationships. I'll only work with companies that are creator-owned, and so far creators *love* what I've been saying. If that bothers execs at large media conglomerates, good.

[@wes8398]

@@autotea That's what I expected to be the reason... just makes me itch even more to hear the FULL story from the others. At least they/we have you doing an awesome job of what you're doing, though. Truthfully, I wish there wasn't any of this drama to follow, but realistically it's just the nature of the beast. Successful grassroots companies can't always remain "grassroots"... growth is inherent in their success.

[@piedpiper1172]

@@wes8398Idk, Arizona Tea puts that to the test. Organic growth is fine, but there is such a thing as “enough” for privately owned enterprises. 5-10 million subscribers is a very big base to generate ongoing revenue from. It’s also a strong sign that you’ve got a formula that is continuing to attract an audience. The issue is when people reach a point that wealth and success aren’t enough, and now they need all the wealth, all the success, etc. that’s when you see things like what’s happening at Donut now: massive erosion of the company’s foundational success elements in pursuit of immediate pay profit return.

[@waygonner]

@@autoteaI just subscribed because of this comment. It’s an incredibly powerful statement and good on you for forging your path.

[@jossege]

@@autotea this makes sense. Non-compete clauses have been invalidated, but nothing changed regarding non-disparagement or non-disclosure

[@manhattanskylinesnow]

Loving the videos. Gives more information and paints a bigger picture about what's been going on! Keep being your awesome self and keep us informed! 🖤🤘

[@autotea]

I can't express how much it helps my motivation to get positive feedback. Thank you so much!

[@manhattanskylinesnow]

@@autotea Anytime! Keep being strong and keep being you!

[@Xicor111]

I did feel VERY weird seeing all these random guys just showing up in the videos, when for the most part its only the Hosts that typically should show up. Now I know where they came from lol.

[@miguelangelem]

Bruh even Top Gear went down. Great video! keep it going.

[@drnick0]

this is some great insight into the goings-on behind the scenes...keep it up! I guess the silver lining to all of this is instead of having just one channel giving us great automotive content (as Donut used to do, and still does to a certain extent), we now have at least 3 new additional channels !

[@garylucas2126]

All this stinks, but I wholeheartedly believe that this allows for the growth of bigger better things. These videos help us understand alot and we appreciate it my guy. Great video, thanks!

[@autotea]

Totally agree. I wish other creators were able to jump ship too, because I think they'd be better off. But it's scary to give up the security of a stable job so I don't fault them.

[@user-sx4yu3nw4j]

That limo Econoline was such an embarrassment for Donut and really revealed the decline of the channel’s professionalism/expertise. It was such a noob mistake, but several years after launch… making it inexcusable.

[@courtney5796]

noob mistake you say? How many channels you running lol

[@Mondos2001]

^​@@courtney5796

[@adamwalters4709]

​@@courtney5796I think you missed the point

[@courtney5796]

@@adamwalters4709 Since you took the time to type that, help a brother out and explain the point,

[@adamwalters4709]

@@courtney5796 it's clearly over your head. The valid point was this was an established channel, and doing a comparison of the F series, you'd want an F-450, not an E-450........

[@SerendipitousProducts]

You 100 percent just talked about my old company a friend and I built from the ground up just him and I for 7.5 years. Had a huge following in the Apple Community. We mother with a new company and they couldn’t care less about our ecosystem even less about our customers. I was finally pushed out. Took my severance and left quietly. Honestly best move that could have ever happened to me. So much happier where I am now. Hindsight being 20/20 I would have never left because I loved what we built.

[@tranceholic8384]

13:00 This is all we needed to know honestly to understand how F* up the situation was!!

[@barlowjmb]

The video only goes to 11:25 now… what happened?

[@elwynmabila1385]

Drop the stories, the 'OG' donut team deserve to have these stories be known and most importantly, US the viewers and long time subscribers deserve to know who these corporate people are so we can steer clear of their future endeavors and support the actual creators that make the content we want to see them make because THEY WANT to try things and not because management made a 'strategic' decision about it.

[@langtonkwedza4239]

wait a minute , the big boss guy is the bro that drives the telsa right ?? he was in a video not long ago where everyone at donut drag raced their dailys

[@DucatiPaso750]

Thank you very much for keeping us in the loop. I hope you do consider giving us more insight. It truly is a shame that instead of paying their star employees a fair wage or even royalties, they brought in a PR firm for crisis control and spin (to basically insult the intelligence of the viewers). In my opinion, the most positive thing Donut has going for it at the moment is Angelina and Sandro on Real Mechanic Stuff. I like Nolan, but I miss James.

[@pegassusbartholomew]

Man I like your delivery and the content. Good luck!

[@omarlopez7089]

A donut “behind the scenes” chronicles series would be sick

[@practicallyemo]

What really set me off in the most disgusting way was that Chinese Ev video with the representative…That was so uncharacteristic and forced of them and I immediately could TELL that management was the one who set that video up. Absolutely no way the creative team would have a representative for the car with horrible previous reviews on the set. Absolutely insane to me that was my 3rd strike.

[@nthkl]

I support you and KZbinr Content Creators. What is a hard moment in is when you accepted a paycheck and you signed an NDA, you lost ownership of the content. I support Speeed and Big Time. Let's invest in new content vs talking about Donut.

[@joseochoa6267]

It's sucks that happened. I'm glad you guys left and definitely looking forward to your content. Donut was a huge part of keeping my sanity during Covid. Tho that the old Donut is gone. I will continue to put the Donut logo on my car to show the love and dedication you guys showed us

[@GoodMenstruationAttitude]

so tasty this is well-seasoned tea tyvm! :9

[@RassoolRacing]

One day we'll talk about the good that came from the buyout, like the fact that Donut would have never hired you or me as full-timers without the influx of cash from recurrent, but today is not that day. Awesome video as always!

[@autotea]

Yeah, that might be on point. Joe was trying to get them to hire me for at least six months before they did. By that point I was pitching and writing 4 videos a month.

[@Mountain-Man-3000]

You guys are some rad dudes. I hope you can all coalesce into something special again, if only for the briefest of moments.

[@branstark123]

I'm hoping for some amazing collabs that brings them all together from time to time, but I'm really excited to see what they do individually. Best of luck to them all, they all deserve it!

[@ryanlbates01]

I did find it a bit muggy the donut commented on James video. I wonder who’s deciding/pushing to do these podcasts and AQAs on Reddit? Such a shame cos it makes the hosts on those look a bit dick’ish and I’m sure it’s not their fault

[@endarior]

It's def the PR company pushing that. Nolan even said in the podcast he was meant to be leaving for a trip the morning of the AMA

[@ryanlbates01]

@@endarior ah yes he did, didn’t he. Must be putting those guys in a really uncomfortable position.

[@car-nivores]

It's all Justin's fault. He joins, the channel grows, and everyone leaves. WOW Justin 😅

[@branstark123]

lmao!

[@rainrainwebdesign]

exactly like in ghostbusters ... ;-)

[@andrewgee241]

You should do a video about how Doug Demuro's channel is now just a commercial for Cars and Bids. Almost all the autos reviewed are for sale on the auction site.

[@autotea]

GET OUT OF MY HEAD (that's on my list of future videos...)

[@BrunodeSouzaLino]

You know Doug is the one who started and owns Cars and Bids right? So it's in his interest to have his videos complement his other business. Or should we forget that most of the car reviews he did before were either to talk about Turo or his Auto Trader column?

[@FEWEDZI]

Its Interesting to learn about what goes on behind the scenes at automotive KZbin channels

[@caiocysneiros]

Your videos are amazing! Please keep going, give us more of that. Tell us more about what happens, give us more details, teach us about this industry. As consumers, it is our right to know what we consume. This way you also help us to better appreciate who make good honest content, like James, Jeremiah & Jacob, and you. The corporative world likes to deal with lies and manipulation. Well let's have some open honesty instead.

[@tro2094]

This video was incredibly informative, and it really sucks to hear how things went down. All the original creators basically got treated like dirt and I don’t blame them any of them for leaving. It’s sad to see Donut fall apart but I’m glad that the creators all have their own channels now with creative freedom

[@ProductivityMotorWerks]

same thing was going on at hoonigan friends hiring friends getting people fired

[@brandondorame]

I’m surprised and not surprised the previous owner didn’t give James and other og crew a buy out bonus or portion of the sell

[@najjmx2422]

I really like how you explain the situation, very clear and easy to understand

[@babyluvangie]

Super informative

[@IanKorf]

I think you should do a video on how awesome and crazy Lemons racing is. You were on a Lemons team after all.

[@REDLINETV___]

Good video, definitely helped me understand the whole deal at donut. I love there vids but they definitely need to fix their management and support the day 1 creators

[@Rascofresco11]

Its crazy how Bart seen it coming years in advance. I truly miss Science Garage.. it's what got me more into cars on a technical level beyond looks

[@Shylock0031]

Glad to get an idea of what happened - just wish that he had fleshed out James' actual leaving (timing, deciding reason, conversations, etc.) a little more.

[@eltrainlane]

We come here for the "Tea" so yeah! More tea please.

[@makesx7]

We Love you Pumphrey! Thanks for sharing this scoop. ❤

[@SLVRGTP]

I’ve said it before, creating the daily content like Donut did during the pandemic wasn’t sustainable. And while many of us really enjoyed it, and appreciated the hard work going to each episode, it’s not why we stayed on supporting. I’ve been subscribed since seeing to old ladies ripping it in a Lambo. It was the quality of content that we all loved that kept us here. That quality has greatly diminished in the past two years. If all we got was two 30 minute episodes of Donut and one 15 minute episode of Real Mechanics each week that were high quality, entertaining, informative car content, we’d all be stoked. But that’s not what we get anymore. It’s low tier clickbait crap. And we all know it’s coming from the top. The handful of people that we’ve supported for years that are still there aren’t to blame. We know this. Hopefully they all get in a position to branch out on their own someday. I don’t watch Donut nearly as much as I once did. If the video I watch isn’t good within the first few minutes, I click dislike and turn it off. I believe by being as vocal as we have been is the only way to see a change. Don’t watch an entire video, dislike it, leave real feedback expressing your disdain with the product. While guys like James, Zach, Jeremiah, Nolan, Justin, etc. gave us much to watch, we are the ones who helped this channel grow as big as it did. And if we quit supporting the shit being released, then change has to come or they go out of business. Unsubscribing, disliking, and skipping the videos will hurt them. And either they change focus or they disappear in obscurity. Whatever the case, my support for Big Time and Speeed outweighs whatever support I had for Donut Media any more.

[@ECHOFOXTROT289]

keep these behind the scenes videos coming!

[@PrinceofPwnage]

The original Bumper 2 Bumper with the car there was amazing, and Up To Speed was fantastic. I wish they weren't cancelled but maybe turned down from weekly to every other week or every 3, 4 weeks

[@Therealabadjay]

Please spill the tea! I would like to hear more about the REAL stuff that's happening.

[@mattbrown5921]

Wonder if thats why it was recommended for a lot of people until 3 days after he uploaded the vid

[@Spacepilot616]

I got mad that Donut said anything about James and the new channel on the big 3. Like wtf guys. They even talk about not ruining the surprise while they're ruining it.

[@crave809]

So is safe to say we are going to see SpeedCo & Big Time collabs????

[@X9Adventures]

Spill the T brother!!! We have the popcorn 🍿 ready

[@hermesjuan]

Really interesting what’s behind a 2m views video. More stuff like that would be cool.

[@BrunodeSouzaLino]

You can already see the impact of James and most of the OG Donut crew leaving with Nolan being the only one still remaining: despite having 8.9 million subscribers, they struggle to get 1 million views on new videos. But one of the examples which really gives some perspective was a podcast where AutoAlex mentioned after CarThrottle was bought having to beg for 150 pounds so he could buy a car for a video he was certain would do well, having to spend it out of his own pocket and not getting any compensation after said video made millions of views.

[@walterr.2619]

Thanks for the honesty

[@Gorgabesch]

I like cars, racing, sim racing and all that. Unfortunately I don’t have the time, and well mostly money, to be as I to and involved as I’d like to be. But if the word “corkscrew” comes up, even without any context or relevance to the track, my first thought is Laguna Seca.

[@eF154]

James was the worst actor on the whole channel. I purposely didn't watch any of his content

[@automotiveaffairsshorts]

Been in this situation wayyyyy too many times! Company gets bought by new conglomerate, and then the changes start happening! They want to replace the original team with people they know, and the downwards spiral begins.

[@StagrLee]

I get hypnotized by your hands moving around and forgot what you were talking about.

[@autotea]

Lol! Yeah, I probably talk with my hands a bit too much

[@StagrLee]

@@autotea run with it… edit in a Trump clip to wake me back up.

[@jasonjavelin]

Not being knowledgeable about the subject matter in which you manage or have a high level position in is the quickest way to kill a company or piss off an audience. Same old story but sucks it happened to Donut. Glad to see the creators branching out with their own stuff

[@28SHAWNSHAWN]

James was the whole reason I started watching Donut.

[@toms_garage]

So surprised he left as he is whom I think of when thinking Donut

[@Rrodfer]

"You'll never have to hear the word "no" If you keep all your friends on the payroll The non-disclosure pages signed Your secret's safe between those lines" As Ben Gibbard says on "good help" song

[@mlwilliam213]

I started watching Donut pre-covid when I clicked on an Up To Speed video. I watched practically everything on there. Without knowing about a buyout, I stopped watching as much around that time. It just wasn’t nearly as entertaining or informative. To me Donut was and always will be James, Jeremiah, Jobe, and Nolan. Fortunately, so far Big Time is to me, what Donut used to be. I watch the videos all the way through and I’m thoroughly entertained and learning new stuff. I think Donut is gonna learn that the people who built it are necessary for the success. With just a handful of videos Jeremiah and Jobe have reminded a lot of us what car enthusiasts enjoy watching, and what Donut used to be. I’ve watched more Big Time since they started than I’ve watched Donut in the last 18 months or so.

[@baja-automotive]

When donut first surfaced I knew the bubble would pop very soon; just like Roadkill. KZbin shows that stay tuned unique and raw do better. Once the corporate sponsors take control the narrative is lost

[@nirvana54961]

Roadkill was always a corporate sponsored show. It sucks that motortrend took it from KZbin and put it behind a paywall but that show isn't free to make.

[@RADkate]

"roadkill will always be on youtube"

[@technobyrd8]

Why is so much of donut from the Midwest 😂. Hi from a fellow Hoosier!

[@the_old_dirty_b]

We just wanna see a group of people making videos about something they're passionate about.. It's that simple

[@cheefukeefu]

this situation with people leaving due to lack of creative decisions/feeling undervalued is awful, but doesn't seem that bad due to just having these kinds of expectations when working for a big boss. but wow, hiring the same PR Company that handled some of the worst people for damage control over leaving really puts into perspective what a dumpster fire the executive team there can be

[@BrunodeSouzaLino]

The biggest mistake was Donut not owning the content they made. If they did, it would've turned into a Top Gear situation where the BBC had to comission the production company owned by Jeremy Clarkson and Andy Wilman because they owned the Top Gear brand and show. It took them decades and the show's viewing figures to start dwindling for the BBC to finally manage to buy Top Gear and find a reason to get rid of Clarkson.

[@niospartan]

I dont get why big corporations or investment firms come in and buy organisations at their peak to make money, strangle it creatively and financially, and make all the people that made it leave. They basically spend tons of money for the name then destroy it to "save money" for the investors. Its happening in tons of industries.

[@someperson7]

I think the AMA was actually a backdoor way to help James channel gain visibility. Especially considering who did it. I could be wrong.

[@hegyesipeter5457]

Brilliant

[@dflood75]

Moaaaar stories, please!! I'm loving these tales of endstage capitalism destruction of things I love.

[@autotea]

Lol!

[@dflood75]

@@autotea enshitification of EVERYTHING, it seems 😕

[@davidharris4004]

One of my most formative car memories as a 90s child was watching Clarkson see if he could take an R34 GTR through the Corkscrew at the same pace as he does it in Gran Turismo 4. That anecdote of assuming what we love is a standalone reason to unsubscribe. It’s easy to be angry about Donut’s management doing what corps do, but tbh I’m just sad about this entire saga. Long live BigTime and Speeed 🙌🏼

[@joeypooschke7914]

Keep doing it

[@tonydecko7866]

great insight

[@bobyjeans1452]

More, please. Thanks!

[@nathanking8396]

You’ve earned yourself a sub with me.

[@Bug_Man_Semo]

I just hope we get Up To Speed back.

[@GOICOBA]

I am interested!

[@BSFJeebus]

anyone who has EVER been in the middle of a buyout, knows exactly why everyone is fleeing from Donut.

[@Commander_Cody7]

Always interested in hearing more about the corporate bullshit that ruins everything. Helps me understand what happened and why

[@DavidGossettMusic]

After watching the Donut 1 shot engine part explanation video: "Maybe we were too harsh on 'new Donut'... It's not that bad." "They thought our audience wouldn't know what the Corkscrew is." 🔥 *"Let it burn..."* 🔥

[@autotea]

Lol! Don't be too hard on the *creators* who still work at Donut, though. They definitely know that you know what the Corkscrew is and are still fighting to make good content.

[@marcotruitt19]

Yo this is how a lot of jobs work. I was fired from my job just so my "supervisor" could hire his brother

[@EdwinCristobal]

All the youtube channels that have been bought by investors or a company... they have ALL had a complete downfall. Can't name a single one that hasn't. Eventually a very very few get reownership of their channel and have comebacks like Ray William Johnson.

[@autotea]

Hot Ones (First We Feast) may be an exception, but I'm not sure they were ever fully independent.

[@Zardif]

Smosh being bought by mythical is a rare case of a channel being saved.

[@EdwinCristobal]

@@Zardif but wasn't smosh also first bought by maker studios? which is why Anthony and Ian left? then they were resold to mythical later on

[@Crowskie04]

@@autotea kzbin.info/www/bejne/n5TLZayMq5JjmbMsi=0_WNQtVseme5OZy5 If this is true, there are also problems at Hot Ones. TL;DW: Because Sean Evans doesn’t have any ownership and is the face of the channel, the owners are struggling to sell.

[@LightHawk328]

Shoot you all could have borrowed my F-450 platinum that thing was so sweet it had massage chairs. Anyway sold it and got an sti haha

[@AutoAuctionRebuilds]

If you don’t mind me asking why did Donut sell to begin with?

[@autotea]

It's a good question, and I don't really have a good answer. I've got some guesses. One of the owners/founders had spent 60 or 70 hours a week building the company for six years. I think he was near burnt out and ready to step away. I also think selling to a larger company with resources like HR, IT support, marketing dept, etc. seemed like a good idea at the time. In theory, that meant business-y problems would be handled by business-y people, leaving creators with more time and resources to create.

[@Bubtomsan]

Tell us more stories!

[@jf8188]

Why was there a buyout anyways??

[@keyboard-commentator]

you should poach the last 2 hosts from Donut, AND the real mechanic stuff folks. completely clean house. i don't even want to subscribe to Donut anymore, but they're still putting out good content with old hosts. but when that stuff is gone, the channel is gone, and honestly after hearing this story, I'm looking forward to seeing donut go down.

[@TophMaGoats]

The Robin video seems like such a long time ago

[@autotea]

No kidding!

[@cs1375]

Where did you get the See See Motorcycle shirt?

[@autotea]

Donut did a coffee collab with See See, so we got a bunch of shirts. I was also a regular at their coffee shop when I Iived in Portland years ago.

[@cs1375]

@@autotea I never went into their coffee shops but I have been to The One Moto show the last two years. I don't live in Portland but they did have a shop in the next town over. I'm not a big coffee drinker though.

[@luxormartin1096]

8:00 a.m. tea is delicious😂😂😂

[@Rosendick]

Opposite Jeremiah and Jobe, who tried to hide their feelings in order to show a merry-go-lucky vision, James gave an emotional scope of a good product that he and others (who he thanked half of the video) helped to nurture and solidify. It's true, money talks, But let's face it, is is based on passion (of Cars, tho) what drives an idea between beers and friendship, into an Big(time) thing goin' at its max (speed).

[@BrunodeSouzaLino]

James has pretty much been with Donut since it started, so his views on the thing might be different than Jeremiah's and Jobe's.