Kim Dotcom: The Man Behind Megaupload

Like VICE News? Subscribe to our news channel: bit.ly/Subscribe-to-VICE-News
In October 2013, VICE News was invited to visit the infamous tech mogul and creator of Megaupload, Kim Dotcom, at his palatial property in New Zealand. Even though Kim is under house arrest-since he's at the center of history's largest copyright case-he's still able to visit a recording studio in Auckland. So check out this brand new documentary we made at Kim's mega-mansion and in the studio where our host, Tim Pool, got to lay down some backup vocals for Kim's upcoming EDM album while talking about online surveillance, file-sharing, and Kim's controversial case.
Check out the Best of VICE here: bit.ly/VICE-Best-Of
Subscribe to VICE here! bit.ly/Subscribe-to-VICE
Check out our full video catalog: bit.ly/VICE-Videos
Videos, daily editorial and more: vice.com
Like VICE on Facebook: vice
Follow VICE on Twitter: / vice
Read our tumblr: / vicemag

[@maxwell_lb7120]

They came in his house like he was Pablo escobar or something ...

[@NelsonMandela1999]

They always take down the good bro

[@tajatajat]

They were directed by FBI who convinced nz police he was a dangerous criminal

[@johnnyblues16]

He might be earn money as much as Pablo, and the legal terms of what he was doing are questionable for us. But who knows, i'm not judging but who knows

[@Gregsterr]

mAxWell_LB7 I’m the 1000 like and ima change your life

[@secretissecret1764]

He is a german, ofc they need an army to stop him.

[@Dkbay]

I'm surprised at how friendly and welcoming this guy is... just wow

[@anik729]

Th3dkbay yeah...

[@thomaas.1]

Th3dkbay a

[@Chillerlutschefinger]

*Thats how germans are* _but this guy has this tipical german thought that women can't drive hahah_

[@MegaMapper]

+Niklas Bollwinkel -Be nice -Be German pick one

[@oraalid0nitsi]

I think the hospitality is from his finnish side :--)

[@semperfidelis9083]

It feels like the guy that was sent to interview kim seems more interested in playing around the house than actually doing the interview.

[@emjaiz]

trust me he wasn't. he was on kim's side the whole time. tim pool is his name and he's an independent journalist now.

[@ENCXBG1]

Tim is also a founding member of Vice. He has blown up now and is probably one of the best, most honest, reporters of our time.

[@dxshawn532]

@Matthew G I wnated to see hie p meuh wait bo k no

[@thomassencindiver]

@@ENCXBG1 Ehm. I think you're wrong about that. Tim seems like a great guy, but being a founding member of VICE which was started in 1994? I have no idea how old he is, I HIGHLY doubt it though. Are you perhaps thinking of VICE news, or other parts of VICE?

[@gordonshumway6128]

@@thomassencindiver He founded Vice News. The other guy didn't know what he was talking about.

[@dieterdreck4148]

und jetzt dreht er 50er spins mit Knossi haha

[@Mario-jr9vl]

Hahaha

[@fraleb527]

500er

[@goeran0]

Boss

[@profdrharry3666]

erstes comment direkt lachkick

[@MattNOV1509]

dieter dreck hahah

[@BadAssEngineering]

Then in 2016 Mark sells private Facebook information and nothing happens...

[@pauldriessens715]

$5 billion fine

[@mswen1983]

@@pauldriessens715 You mean the government took a $5b cut.

[@donjuantrumpetajohnson]

@@mswen1983 Did users who's private info was sold got a piece of that 5 billion?

[@mswen1983]

@@donjuantrumpetajohnson That's not how a protection racket works.

[@JamesJames-bf5uy]

@@mswen1983 👍👍

[@blakesasha3517]

Reporter be like “Do you have any games on your phone?”

[@sdds50]

Can’t believe they sent a child to interview him

[@MCJimboy10]

But if it was a official suited man or older person it probably would not bring out the whole gamer and joker side of Kim as much. They seemed to get on too, I doubt he would have bombed that hill on the cart if it was a serious interview.

[@kobod]

@@MCJimboy10 I mean them bombing that hill didn't add a lot to the interview. They wouldn't need to send a suited up interviewer, but this interviewer was not the best choice either imo. There could've been a middle ground.

[@89elmonster]

Kim is genuinely having fun with the guy shut up

[@thealphas1]

Jarmahent exactly, people wanting some boring ass old man to go and ask lame ass questions

[@Titi-pu2hl]

what's your problem ? the interview was fun

[@TheSerwow]

"so the government is doing crimes against humanity " "yeah man, can we play gta 5?"

[@TheSerwow]

wanna slap that bitch so bad

[@KIL0.G]

@@TheSerwow 🤣

[@glitchmanshandle]

@@TheSerwow slap 2 more times for me men.

[@MrTigerlore]

Alleging that Kim Dotcom has done something wrong with MegaUpload is like saying that someone should be arrested for building a road if someone drinks and drives on it.

[@Seamo57]

Tiger H. Lore A perfect metaphor

[@garrett3631]

Simile

[@Seamo57]

WaffleshTheBrave Damnit you're right.... LOL... I don't even remember typing this.. must've been a blurry night..

[@GypsyEncounters]

Best metaphor i have heardl!!

[@darknightcorexd7227]

its not that they uploaded pirated content,they just refused to delete the content and made it impossible to find for publisher,you could find entire anime series uploaded on megaupload for months.

[@KILO993]

Not gonna lie; he seems like a pretty chill dude. And I love his interior design style lol

[@originalunoriginal4055]

Yhh considering how rich he is, really level headed guy! No fancy suit, no arrogance, no degrading others. No expensive bling, flashy props

[@plangiQQ]

He really has good style. I was outraged back then when he got arrested. I think it was the first case that proved for me that we live in a fucked up world. I hope he will be succesful in international politics

[@Crank4life1]

@@originalunoriginal4055 This man litterly played coinflipp with 100k

[@firegames1001]

Yeah man he spends thousends of € to a streamer called : "Knossi". Its a slotplayer

[@Crank4life1]

@@firegames1001 And he doesnt even care😂😂, this ma made 250K a day😂😂

[@rachidg9522]

Awsome , he’s wearing Crocs in front of his Gwagon 😂

[@Electr0fleur]

4:42

[@Isabel-ge1ou]

LMAO I was thinking this also… I was like “ nice look, except the crocs.”

[@ihateevilbill]

The government should be ashamed of themselves. The fact that they went after him because he encrypts data transmission (like every site should) and doesnt keep any logs doesnt make him a criminal. Its disgusting.

[@fatherlandchild2780]

US is extremely corrupt and led by Israel.

[@hassan0098]

@Fatherland Child find the truth here: www.trunews.com and www.banned.video

[@hassan0098]

find the truth here: www.trunews.com and www.banned.video

[@ansiaaa]

I wish they sent someone better to do this interview, I bet it would have been way more interesting with all the things that Kim had to say

[@steffanymayor1953]

Exactly, this guy seems like an uninterested douche.

[@jasonkingman8382]

I wish they never stopped megaupload

[@demonshaz]

ansiaaa true

[@Wulfcry]

ansiaaa The man is always watching.

[@G4rg4m31_]

ansiaaa I completely agree. This interviewer is the most idiotic I've ever seen. I can't believe that VICE sent this tard to film this with Kim.Com. All the idiot cared about was xbox, gaming and kim's possessions. Horrible interview

[@TastyTyrone]

Why in the hell did they need that big of a raid. I mean he wasn't a violent criminal or anything.

[@_Ojeii]

+Yael Malespin He lives in New Zealand.

[@afifsulaiman8597]

and im sure he cant even fucking run

[@jeffms2]

That is how the left deals!

[@misstigerbubbles]

New Zealand government are basically liberals

[@wjustinn]

that's because he plays GTA

[@SladeForelly]

I feel so bad for Kim, he seems like a really cool kid who got rick and kept being friendly to everyone. And "they" just wanna ruin his life because he created the drive concept before the owners of the world allowed

[@nickbarrett7163]

This host is to immature. He’s more focused on the shiny things instead of Kim

[@The.Dude.Abides.]

too*

[@ENCXBG1]

Are you kidding? Who else could connect with Kim than Tim Pool?

[@rustinweiner2568]

@@ENCXBG1 your mom

[@dionysimov]

Tim Pool was young back then. This video is 6 years old. Of course he would be distracted by shiny toys. Good old days of Vice. Listen to him now and you’ll see, he matured big time.

[@metamodern409]

Tim fucking Pool v0.1

[@KoopaKart]

I really like this guy, can't find one negative thing to say about him

[@HassHansson]

Guys, he could probably buy your families and then buy a mega jet and buy a volcano which he drives the airplane stuffed with your families on it. And then he buys explosives to sink the island. And there he just lost some pocket money

[@KoopaKart]

***** Someone sounds jealous.

[@KoopaKart]

***** Quite the opposite hahaha, fuck off back to 9gag young one

[@DaveBudness]

Right with yeah Like to have a fun video game friend like him

[@chrispercy1499]

Well, he's attacked journalists, refused to pay his workers and even forced one to work for him for a few days non stop with out sleep, he's done prison time for stealing people's credit card information and selling it on, and he's been charged with embezzlement. Just to name a few things.

[@thatdopekiddcasper]

See this is like "hey all these terrorists are using these cars to commit terror acts, let's ignore the terrorists and go after the man who invented it and ruin his life"

[@user-zu1ix3yq2w]

thatsonyou nailed it

[@TheRaveJunkie]

"ruin his life" - he's in a fucking ridiculously large mansion, sorrounded by appaling abundance. this predilection for wealth that many commenters display is disgusting.

[@TheDetass]

Most of it was confiscated at first. He's only been able to hold on to some of it by fighting in court relentlessly. He still may yet lose it all if the new Zealand court decides to extradite him to the USA. The whole process is also hugely defacing to his character. If the western governments win, he'll be left with none of it and having to take care of a wife and 5 kids. Don't take it all in at surface value, do a little research.

[@vendelinnn]

0:44 wtf? could have just opened the gate. lmao

[@CALISUPERSPORT]

That's not tactical enough

[@KlausBahnhof]

@@CALISUPERSPORT LMAO!

[@billyherrington6663]

I was looking for a comment about that🤣🤣

[@DCFXJoe]

The guy that struggles over the little gate when raiding is too funny

[@BaDMrFr0zty]

playing around on his segway while this man is talking about fighting for his family and internet freedom FFS...

[@cleopatrastarseed8558]

Vice has gone downhill

[@lovemetwicetoday]

@@cleopatrastarseed8558 Yeah, possibly if we weren't watching a video from 2014 lol.

[@Karrimor18]

I enjoyed this video and I think this guy had a lot of smart and interesting things to say but honestly, this reporter came across as very unproffesional to me. He treated this interview as a chill/jam session in some parts. I mean riding around on his segway whilst the guy was speaking, getting him to set up his Xbox room to play GTA V and asking him to make music in his studio? I wouldn't mind that sort of thing if it was a "cribs" style interview but really, I expect a bit more proffesionalism here, y'know? Anyway, besides that, it was an enjoyable video

[@apan77]

he didn´t question the morals of distributing illegal software, he didn´t question how IP creators should protect the work, that dude was just impressed by the cool stuff and money that guy had. Hailing him as a king or freedom and other propaganda.

[@cornerstone6692]

This might be a message to him that if any real reporter with a name went there they would never work again.So Green is what you get.

[@UhhNon]

You must be new to Vice news then. Hell, in one of their interviews they got the real Walter White and the talked about Meth and how he operated in a 20 minute interview.

[@RickyMOSH]

I thought the same. He clearly checks his phone in the middle of his conversation with Kim. Like, come on guy.

[@Nayr747]

apan77 Comcast distributes more pirated digital content in a day than Dotcom ever did.

[@user-xg7fj2bb8t]

When Kim said 'imagine a leader using this spying system to attack their political opposition', he was preemptively describing Joe Biden and his criminal network........

[@lucasbesbati]

He literally founded MEGA after Megaupload was taken down, this guy is unkillable

[@chrizizdaman]

America, guilty until proven innocent.

[@Ry-vh3js]

Chris614 well it's obvious they are guilty

[@GravyyTrain]

that was in New Zeland, did you even watch the video?

[@chrizizdaman]

USmadeInChina Did you watch the video? The US is trying to extradite him back to the US to charge him

[@chrizizdaman]

Mathias What do you mean?

[@Ry-vh3js]

Chris614 he wants prove that they guilty

[@davidthetechguy1]

This man protected my internet... but he's still a console peasant.

[@natep2236]

David Torres and your just a peasant

[@davidthetechguy1]

Nate p go back to COD, console peasant.

[@natep2236]

I don't even play. You a real life peasant

[@davidthetechguy1]

Let me direct you somewhere. It's called r/consolemasterrace. I hope you have reddit.

[@muccmaster]

You're not even old enough to purchase COD kid. Go play your shitty Mac ports.

[@hermes769]

I honestly can't even count how much pirated content can be accessed though major companies. Google drive, Facebook and MediaFire just to name a few... But ofcourse mega gets it

[@hussein6173]

Especially on drive. You can watch literally any mainstream movie you want

[@solomonnguyen3155]

I’m just mind blown that Kim is just as tall as the interviewer is on a Segway.

[@kararose1317]

Yeah, Kim is 2 meters tall

[@TEAMGETHELP]

Tim is a short Asian guy.

[@traida111]

Damn this guy is smart. I hope the people stand behind him

[@Celevie]

traida111 fuck us govt

[@crystalball020]

then you wouldn't be able to see everyone

[@kaskahea1274]

traida111 mr too.

[@brouderpri575]

Furyan da gebe ich dir recht und die Merkel ist an der Führung und am korruptesten

[@brouderpri575]

Rechnung A dort würde ich lieber sein als in diesem land das sich als staat aufspielt wo es gar keins ist ich bin kein Reichsbürger oder des gleichen mir stinkt es da die deutschen menschen so verarscht werden und die Merkel auch noch unterstützt das es den deutschen Bürgern sehr schlecht geht die in dieses land kommen bekommen eine Abfindung und werden gut beschenkt von deutschen Steuergeldern

[@c4ged305]

Kim seems like a really nice guy

[@Queenbee90s]

C4geD he is

[@horvathbotons0]

Not gonna lie that sounds really wrong

[@Celevie]

C4geD i never knew his wife is lebenese

[@adamyahan9263]

Inherent Emperor why does it matter where she is from.

[@BengVideo]

der deutsche akzent ist immer noch vorhanden :D

[@lanzortiz3199]

Is this dude really interviewing him? Or is he secretly jealous of this guys life, he seems like he wanna try all he have.

[@alexanderorr2528]

That's tim pool, he's the worst. He regurgitates hollow and super biased talking points on his web show while troglodytes dance around him and declare him based. Unaware that they are simpletons being click farmed for ad revenue.

[@metamodern409]

Lol Tim Pool's alright...

[@dxshawn532]

@@alexanderorr2528 Wrojg, tim ool id a modarn days filiosifer. The Stuffs he said are had saying are very deep. he best reporter. U just soun like a karen ir boomer.

[@SAVOTYB]

@@dxshawn532 why do you type like that multiple comments all in your weird ass language or whatever that is.

[@noneofyourbusiness1114]

Tim pool has a compound of his own now. His strong point with journalism is not interviews, that's all this is lol.

[@FuriousFurricane]

Mr. Dotcom seems like a cool and laid back guy, good luck to him.

[@tyler3753]

The United States of America few years later playing fortnite with ninja

[@gonk1673]

I love this man, he got billions of dollars , cars , an enormous house and a lot of awesome things BUT wear crocs

[@brouderpri575]

elgamer 41 da diese Crocs eigentlich sehr Bequem zu Tragen sind man muß aber öfter die Füsse waschen wegen Fußschweiß ich Pfeife auf die neue Rechtschreibung.

[@dpjtpa]

Yea I laughed like hell when I saw that

[@pete7354]

and now he is broke

[@berncasper3985]

all of us super millionaires wear what is comfortable, we don’t care what your opinion is.

[@dearingly601]

@@pete7354 he's not even close to broke money is frozen he has money but is being investigated boi get the facts straight

[@ElliotBrownJingles]

Great episode! Informal, relaxed interview has a great effect. We get to see the everyday, humourous side of Kim yet it's juxtaposed with the horror of choppers descending on a civilian house like it's a warzone.

[@gatrow581]

Bro wtf 😂😂 I open this up and see Tim Pool wtf

[@v0b0ner]

He's a nice guy who didn't deserve this. He created a nice service that everyone liked. He cares about everyone's privacy, unlike every other website like facebook and such, they were all known to give information to the government and NSA. No one owns internet. Piracy does not hurt economy. If you don't spend those 5$ for a movie and you just pirate it, those 5$ will go to something else anyways, be it babyfood. Piracy feeds babies ~AdultSwim.

[@jamesambrocio]

And after piracy feeds those babies. Those babies will grow to be talented individuals that has potential to be recruited by the government, be it the NSA. So piracy helps feed NSA babies.

[@oyvindipid]

James Ambrocio

[@TheLobstersoup]

Michael Shulski I have a problem with the self-image of a "modest" man, Kim is trying to push here. Even if his yacht days are over, he still poses and behaves like a gangsta, even though he's just a pale fat man. I think he is genuinely talented, but at one point realized how much easier it would be to exploit the system than trying to change it. That's why I don't believe he wants change for the world, but merely for his business. As for piracy - it will always be there. I owned a C64 in the 80s. Guess how many games I'd bought for it? Zero. Because we all copied from each other back then already. The same goes for music. The infamous mixtape, for example. The thing is nobody earned from these copies. They were often the only way for us to get our games of music (I recorded lots of radio shows and cut them later - on my dual tape deck ^^). What Kim does is becoming the middleman that earns from these copies. It is a business after all - and not a small one. I think the problems we are discussing are rather ethical than jurisdicial ones. From the lawyers standpoint, Kim may be innocent, but from a moral standpoint he surely deserves some of the heat he is getting. The problem again is that he isn't the only one, and I think too that the US government is trying to state an example here. So, despite all reserves against the man and his nepotism, I do think he has to be supported in his case. I think the winner won't be the general public though, the winner will just be Mr. Kim Schmitz or Mr. Dotcom as he is known now.

[@Ufomongo1]

TheLobstersoup C64. We even sent floppys with mail with stamp covered in plastic, with a note please return stamp so we could clean it and use again.

[@hazaonly]

+Arthas Leks If he is so good then why he give all his money to poor. How piracy is a good thing. Its like u work all day and paid at night. When u r moving ur house u see a beggar and give all money to him. BTW which one gives his pirate content money to donation. Your fucking logic sucks, man!

[@hometeamhistory806]

He just might be the most interesting man in the world

[@jamiereilly5972]

I could not agree more

[@hiota45]

I disagree. He is just a rich guy with a half-assed attachment to some vague libertarian ideas All bark, no bite. Nice house though.

[@guerillagripcatchclub]

I agree with you hiota45 He probably spends more time playing call of duty now instead of really being active in his cause.

[@lolpower4076]

Stuart Gordon dude hes under house arrest give him a break

[@kody1654]

I don't always play Call Of Duty, but when I do, I am the number one.

[@tttiiaa]

Disappointed. This feels like a MTV Cribs episode since the reporter only focuses on Kim's wealth. There is a way to be casual and still interview well so that the audience can get something from it.

[@nayrtnartsipacify]

Try not to be stupid

[@America-zh6rv]

I enjoyed every second of this as well as totally on board in 2022 .Thank you Mr Kim Dotcom and Mr Tim Pool

[@bassemzammeli1553]

freaking legend the 2006 to 2012 era was the golden age of internet

[@losangeles6136]

HOW SO?

[@totalrata7432]

This and Usenet emule soulseek man that shit was great BUT we still have shit like i2p now with bigly so it never dies. It can't die. You have to shut the whole internet down. And then still people will figure out how to share p2p.

[@calamorta]

true back when the internet wasn't shit to the point we had little to do (90s-early 2000s) but also wasn't censored because governments didn't take it too seriously

[@xl000]

how is 2006 to 2012 era the golden age of internet ? low res youtube, slow internet connections, almost no mobile internet devices, and so on It only goes better with time.

[@JAHomeRenos]

@@losangeles6136 that's obviously his era of being online. I've online since the mid to late 80's so for me the mid to late 80's until the mid 90's was peak time. For guys like me anyhow, That's back in the days when we were still phreaking and hacking was mostly done for the sole purpose of learning and sharing information.

[@MrTitaniumBG]

a house like that and still wears crocs

[@dalebainer3846]

this guy seems cool but the house is all black and white from what i saw ! if i had that much money id add abit of creation :)

[@wolfmayner6274]

I don't think he has to wear nice shoes to impress anyone with that house :/

[@arthursaey]

crocs are hideous but insanely practical and quite comfy as well

[@TRXSHxSNIPER]

Greenboff that's the best part about having money u can do what u want with it 😂

[@MrTitaniumBG]

Hahaha true, i bet he has a different paid for every day of the week $$$$

[@liamcollier2]

First paragraph of Kim's wikipedia says..."He was arrested in 1994 for trafficking in stolen phone calling card numbers. He was convicted on 11 charges of computer fraud, 10 charges of data espionage and various other charges in 1998 that he served a two-year suspended sentence for. In 2003, he was deported to Germany where he pleaded guilty to embezzlement in November 2003 and after five months in jail awaiting trial he received another 20 months suspended sentence." None of this is mentioned in this report. Why?

[@marcosteinke]

This documentation is perfect in every aspect. It's informative, creative, professional, nice jokes

[@zaneverovati]

In the era of sites like RapidShare, Megaupload, Uploaded etc, MegaUpload was the absolute ruler. The download speeds weren't stripped, the number of downloads was far less limited than on other sites that pushed you into Premium membership... It was the only one that I had a Premium for, I had my personal backup (huge) stored on their servers. It was, by far, the one with most potential to shake the foundations of everything known as "legal/copyright stuff" on the Internet as we know it. I cannot begin to imagine how big it would've been if the "authorities" didn't crack down on him and entire Megaupload service. Too bad people once again show their stupidity and go for the one who makes the tool, instead of those who manipulated it. It's like arresting the inventor of the M-16 rifle for every single kill made by that gun. The worst part is that the people behind the crack down really managed to make it look like it was goverment official business, when in fact, Hollywood's behind all that shit. What it resulted in is a classic "smoke 'em out" tactics, where people moved away from the more obscure (and secure) solutions such as MegaUpload, to using torrent clients which offer no protection, privacy or obscurity whatsoever.

[@C00LFlame007]

Yea I agree no and no matter how many sites they take down more will show up, mega.nz is a perfect example

[@Daluigi208]

+Dejan Dragicevic Thankfully, MEGA has been a really good replacement to Megaupload.

[@82ABN]

Honestly, Kim seems like a genuinely nice guy. 10/10 would hang out with.

[@82ABN]

That only makes it better :^)

[@LutenendHirni]

10/10 Would Bang :D

[@andrepduarte]

Sadly he just "seems". If you investigate a little further, you will see he is nothing but a fat criminal. A rich criminal, who got a sprawling mansion off the profits of insider trading, selling pirated content (not hosting for free, like The Pirate Bay), and generally being a selfish do-everything-to-get-ahead guy.

[@LordSeemz]

4:45 that power stance with the crocs 😂😂

[@ici_marmotte]

I used to love Megaupload more than a decade ago :) Incredible download speed for free users those days. I remember being so impressed about 1,2 MB/s when I had my first own internet connection :D And Kim seems to be a good guy, all the best for him!

[@orlandofurioso7329]

Also the amount of great stuff that was on megaupload was insane, everything was being shared

[@googletranslator9978]

Dude's balling out of control and he's rocking crocs. lol

[@observer950]

Yeah so what's the problem with that?

[@observer950]

@James Franko did you see lol on the comment what do you think means? Think about it!

[@observer950]

@James Franko yeah right🙄

[@Chironex_Fleckeri]

Because he's obese..

[@ksonen23]

Not true if you go back and look at the pictures of him in front of the jet and him with his kids and a few more if you notice he’s wearing some red shoes those are the jordan 21 “red suede” and I imagine he has a big foot and I only noticed cuz I myself am a sneaker head have that shoe and I imagine he’s at least a size 12-14 and found it right here on this consignment shop from 650-700$ depending on the size www.flightclub.com/air-jordan-21-varsity-red-metallic-silver-black-010380?size=14

[@grberkh]

Not feeling the interviewers questions. I would’ve liked more “real” questions.

[@debtrunner7929]

Dude, he didn't want to piss him off and end it

[@josh-rz3uq]

It's Tim Pool. He's a fucking dumbass.

[@dac518]

@@josh-rz3uq I've hated him since I started getting suggestions for his 10 minute videos where he reads other people's news articles. Seeing his work on voice really connects the dots. Dude just wants to be famous/have fun, definitely not on board with bettering society lol.

[@soager-tz1qg]

That interviewer is no "real" journalist.

[@heinrichmuller7974]

i'd agree 100%, they leave the bit about chris dodd, lobbyism and the conflicts of interest till the very end and even then it's cut in-between them making a song??...

[@SimonsRandomRants]

I enjoy listening to someone who can calmly and clearly articulate their story.

[@kaamilmirza6963]

Love how music to this episode is also given by Kim (in credits)

[@bryson]

This is a pretty chill video

[@101SAVIOR]

I can appreciate a guy who is worth nearly a quarter billion dollars and runs a massive international company and still has the confidence to just be like "fuck it im going to wear crocs all day today."

[@RobustFilms1]

honest to god that was the first thing i noticed.

[@101SAVIOR]

Nice to see you and i are on the same page

[@101SAVIOR]

***** Hell fucking yeah

[@LunarHCF]

this guy is really chill

[@sapple4291]

He seems so genuine and kind and I have so much respect for him. I mean he plays destiny 2, how much better can a person get

[@johneli495]

this guy is over the top extreme, but at same time very grounded, I like him

[@billant2]

He's got some nice computers.... but the question is "Will it run DOOM?" he-he

[@Dan-tf9kb]

At the time of the raid he was the number 1 Call Of Duty player in the world

[@RandomMocker]

Top notch dictation skills there.

[@joeturk8159]

RandomMocker he should add it on his CV

[@dankmheems290]

I played that game till my eyes bled and I barely madee 9981 for a week.

[@credenzia]

Thing is he just wasn’t 😂 he peaked at 80th after you discount hackers

[@lukefairbanks8622]

even his opening argument is pretty solid "Why am I, just one man, being persecuted for hosting this type of activity when the internet is rife with this stuff?" power

[@kidus_tv]

He's such a chill and caring guy

[@trkoo]

Reporter is like a kid... Asking to ride his Segway, play gtaV...

[@rickydlp]

I believe a lot of reporters will do that kind of stuff, it just won't be on video. Michael Jackson showed us that when he recorded Martin Bashir for the report that he was doing. Martin was warming up to Michael, being as nice as possible, very amicable behind the scenes. Martin Bashir didn't show that, because he had a different narrative for the report he was going to air, but Michael showed how he really was. Reporters/Journalists warm up to the people their reporting on, especially if it's a multiple day thing. That's how you get them to open up and talk about stuff that they may not have discussed with someone who just 'hey, i have a few questions for you, hope you answer them' got to gain trust. that means building a relationship, even if it's a facade.

[@RummyAndKoch]

That's Tim Pool back when he was a kid. Check out his channels Tim Pool and Timcast, he's pretty good. Check out his report on Sweden.

[@heffe8056]

dotcom is like a kid so seems fitting

[@michaelburnhamdidnothingwr7785]

Back when Tim Pool was Kid-Pool... Timcast is good. Balanced reporting for the most part. Perhaps a little biased here....shilling for the Segway.

[@ethank5681]

Trkoo surprise surprise, vice reporters are shit

[@KenniEdits]

He's such a positive dude.

[@ashenblunts8865]

Super cool guy honestly.. I can appreciate someone who has all he has but still has his feet on the ground and is just a normal guy with normal hobbies

[@MrRullakebu]

9 year old video and this has gotten more and more relevant...

[@fapl985]

This reporter is like that annoying son your parent's friends bring on a visit and you have to put up with him messing with all the stuff in your bedroom.

[@jasonablah7702]

what an odd comment

[@tommychoppa7564]

@@jasonablah7702 dumb?

[@paranoiahh8778]

Spot on description.

[@joshestes9198]

Dont touch my segway

[@rubendragan6514]

I was that guy btw

[@subhankhalid9062]

hes worth billions of pounds, yet not one gucci belt, not one pair of jordans, just a simple pair of crocs and a tracksuit. Fucking legend👊

[@dynaryda8857]

Subhan Khalid not every one that has money wants to look like a trapper

[@noynoyabnoy1556]

I-IA/\/\ N

[@subhankhalid9062]

Noynoy Abnoy ?

[@zacmcmenemy7583]

I-IA/\/\ N have you seen his house, he is a billionaire

[@cheekybstrd4652]

Are you trying to say he is a modest rich man??...Rich people have different interests...some buy gucci belts, other's buy giraffes.

[@martinlutherkingjr.5582]

Kim finished GTA V back in 2013 yet Rockstart still needs to keep re-releasing it

[@Stephen_Eee]

They're just trying to keep up with Skyrim

[@struckmymind5458]

1. The guy was number 1 in COD 2. He created a videocalling app in 1990s 3. He created megaupload decades before, google drive & dropbox All while he was a teen. If he hadnt been raided & house arrested, he would have easily built a company having revenue combined of google+amazon+facebook+microsoft. Respect man.

[@daniel22980]

got hundreds of millions of dollars, a mansion and everything a man can dream of wears crocs

[@sassynick5598]

Crocs are life. Truly no happiness is truer than not giving a shit about other people's opinions of yourself

[@daniel22980]

Crocs aren't even comfortable. they're just overpriced pieces of rubber shit that scream "I'AM A FUCKING VIRGIN" And let's be honest this guy wouldn't have hit it until he would have been atleast 35 if he wasn't rich as fuck So have a nice day, Mr.Weeb

[@daniel22980]

plus most of the people i hate wear crocs all the time

[@wurstmeister8768]

Why not?

[@maxczapski3608]

+Almi Gurt Shit, you sound (and look) like a virgin yourself. Who cares who you hate and what you think.

[@itsfast1422]

Dude seriously just asked if he can play grand theft auto, while interviewing, and touring Kim's house. "facepalm"

[@liam2053]

He’s a purple alien for sure

[@fiftysquiggly]

The criticism being placed on this reporter surprises me. Look for a moment at the demeanor of Kim Dotcom. Kim Dotcom was a young tech entrepreneur. He has a grander-than-life personality and revels in his personal accomplishments. He is very much a social, down to earth, pop-culture type of guy - writing his own music, playing in Call of Duty competitions, etc. Tim Pool was the *perfect* person to send in this example. His demeanor and personality matched that of Kim Dotcom's extremely well, which is something that sets an interview like this apart from interviews with other large news organizations. It wasn't just a talking head interviewing Kim - it was a man whose demeanor and personality, or at least the demeanor and personality he displayed in this video, was almost made to match with Kim Dotcom, making the interview less like and interview and more like natural/casual interaction - like two buddies talking. Some people may call that unprofessional, I call that a good way to loosen up the interviewee and get a perspective you otherwise wouldn't.

[@itsfast1422]

@@fiftysquiggly Yeah, completely disagree.

[@someusername1872]

@@fiftysquiggly Doesn't take away from the fact that when it was time to ask some serious questions he was fucking around. Absolute dogshit interviewer, the only thing that saved this interview was Kim's personality

[@Studio23Media]

Shaun He botched it badly. Yes that kind of casual interaction is good, but when you take it too far and you push too hard for it, it gets awkward very quickly.

[@slimyelow]

He is a builder and I know from experience that tapping into this energy will always make you feel fulfilled, even when the bad guys come after you.

[@joeoteah1072]

This went from a cool interview to an mtv cribs episode Edit: back to a cool interview

[@CBSonPc]

He seems like a really nice guy. Anyone who wears crocs means no harm to anyone or anything.

[@ultimateredstone]

that's what happens when big companies that have no clue about their own field have too much influence on governments... the only reason they chose Megaupload in particular is because they thought it was the biggest threat to them

[@astrogirl1usa]

MegaUpload was presented on the Internet as a place to 'file share' and as a place to view movies. The ads always said you could view movies. (I wonder if this guy has donated any money to charity? I have a feeling the answer to that question is - no.) I always thought to myself, whenever I saw their ads for movies, that it was probably a 'pirate' site. I personally checked it out and sure enough, that's what it was - many, many pirated movies. No, I didn't watch them, but I did wonder how he was getting away with it. I have no sympathy for this guy.

[@ultimateredstone]

Astrogirl1usa Huh. just providing a space where anyone can store data safely is not a bad thing, but if they actually advertised their site as a place where you can illegally watch movies it's a different matter...

[@astrogirl1usa]

ultimateredstone Yeah, I always saw ads for movies on their site. This guy will probably somehow get away with it. He has so much money, he can buy a team of great lawyers. I'm reasonably certain he took steps to protect himself, should the police charge him with piracy. I just wonder who he will use as a scapegoat. Someone will have to take the blame, but probably not him. Pirates are part of why we pay so much for media when we buy it. Also, it gives people who want more control over the Internet an excuse to try to do it.

[@ultimateredstone]

Astrogirl1usa indeed, very good points... there is a beneficial side to piracy as well, on top of the hurtful one, but even if it were a thing that overall helps the creators (which it isn't) that doesn't make it right.

[@dileepfrog]

Jes! Agreed

[@inacathrien1123]

The reporter doesn’t even let him finish his sentence

[@lucacollas]

I just love how he´s chillin on the segway interviewing.

[@tool914]

He needed it to be at eye level

[@ixider7825]

The New Zealand people are glad to have you Kim.

[@iDLaX12]

we sure are, this guys is fighting our privacy over the internet

[@ixider7825]

"fighting for"? or are you disagreeing with me?

[@iDLaX12]

fighting for, my bad

[@chrisharding5447]

Speak for yourself.

[@Gufberg]

This is some seriously horrible "journalism". The interviewer spends more time gawking at his wealth and messing around than asking important questions to characterize Kim for us the viewers. This guy should be out of a fucking job.

[@chronousnemesis]

Yeah, I agree with you. Needs more information about how he started it all, his journey and what he's about to do next (it is there in the video but very vauge). Make it more like a documentary. Though this video is good for general idea who Kim is.

[@MyWillyboi]

It's FUCKIN VICE they are the BEST. GTFO and STFU. Who the FUCK are you????? NOT A DROP OF PISS IN THE OCEAN

[@TrueDaturaMindNz]

MyWillyboi grow up

[@robeywan]

it's a piece on the man himself. and that's exactly what we got. "should be out of a job" do us all a favour and stay away from your keyboard next time you feel like being scathing and "insightful", because it's probably going to be another knee-jerk reaction to something you've missed the point on.

[@chronousnemesis]

The fact that Vice included too much of those needless conversation makes it a bad journalism. If they didn't show those serious conversations that those editors cut then it's also a bad journalism. But yeah,maybe like 80% of vice videos are for entertainment purposes instead of covering serious issues. If that's what you want it's ok but don't be a vice fanboy saying vice is 'always right'

[@NativeVsColonial]

18:28 I thought the car gonna flip but I neglected Kim's bodyweight xD

[@radekjestrabik8507]

"Is that a segway? Can I ride your segway?". G Waggon in behind :D

[@glasscake]

He fucking pioneered online flash animation?! I am an online flash animator and I never knew this. Even more respect for this man.

[@GenderPranks]

Bro is it bad that I love you now?

[@TheJam974]

maybe look into it rather than just believing it because vice said it. wouldn't be surprised if it turned out he had played a rather small part in it. seems like a cool guy with good morals though.

[@zimbu_]

He didn't code the program Flash. Idk what "pioneered Flash animation" means here, but he hasn't actually been a part of the dev teams.

[@richardtimmsdesign]

This fucking guy. Seriously deserves everything he has.

[@sadpepeh4x0r72]

Exactly what I was thinking

[@wqiojekpldlknbwjklopiwojaslKZ]

he comes off as a chill guy

[@georgef1176]

This guy is so far from a criminal. This is a man that made the world better and could continue to do so.

[@johnaktionparty7062]

This guy is a gamer, enterpreneur and an actual mastermind. he deserves every bit of it.

[@jayzah]

He's so humble, i feel ashamed my government treated him like a common terrorist.

[@anotheronethankyou]

So humble ? DID YOU SEE HIS FUCKING HOUSE AND HIS FUCKING WIFE ?!

[@maxfontaine8784]

Lloft96 there is nothing wrong with being rich and having an attractive wife. His money came from things he built, his own creativity and hard work, he deserves all the wealth. There is a difference between that rich and the rich we see using politics. Back door deals and all the ways government officials become rich is immoral.

[@heatherfeather9951]

He makes a very compelling point-we are paying taxes to be controlled, not served by these politicians.

[@Catmajami]

This man is so calm.

[@hkinkx]

wow Kim is chill as hell

[@HugoHakvoort]

I miss megaupload :(

***** The website belongs to a New Zealand domain.

[@shulbywolf]

I had so much files on Megaupload never get it back anyways so much Nostalgia Kim Dotcom don't deserve this... RIP megaupload best site ever all the time!

[@HalferLandPerformance]

This guy sounds and looks like Tim Pool....Holy crap this interveiwer is Tim Pool but back in 2014!! Never knew he worked for Vice! Interesting!!

[@TasherreRisayMusic]

One bad dude. I mean that in a good way.

[@Stevonz1234]

I've spent some time with him actually, he's exactly what is portrayed in the video; a chill dude.

[@partyguy9]

He seems like he should be the next Bond villan lol

[@samwhite2194]

He did a skit with the Jono and Ben at ten show where they turn the raid into mission impossible or 'kimpossible' scene where they break into his house. Pretty funny too.

[@ChairmanMeow1]

Dude is a man of the people. Everything that has been done to him makes me sick.

[@TheAlexliam1]

A man of the people!!! he stole millions from hard working musicians, developers, film makers and corporations. You have to be incredible daft to think he didn't know what was going on.

[@divyabattina1035]

Superb Video.

[@timetuner]

Least professional reporting I've seen and it kinda works.

[@dnbjedi]

god bless this man he helped me get many rare files and game cracks, mp3 releases.....god bless Kim

[@PoulJulle-wb9iu]

rare files sounds like something god wont condone, nor game cracks:P

[@vinnie_wya]

Only if this guy know the amount of help he has been EPIC GAMERS. Very cool Kim

[@PoulJulle-wb9iu]

@Matthew G I have no idea lol, but 11 others got it

[@dxshawn532]

@Matthew G The god your mama worships on her knees.

[@Ajax_Operator]

didnt even realize it was Tim Pool until halfway through this video

[@rafinaufal88]

We should thank this guys..for all the file we get from megaupload