Gamers Nexus alleges LMG has insufficient ethics and integrity

[CaptBananaPants]

On 8/16/2023 at 2:40 PM, LinusAuctionTips said:

 

Holy shit your name xD

[Loopers]

1 hour ago, OldGuard said:

That comment shows that he views LMG employees as an expense

I feel like I need to preface this with -- I believe he should have retested and it was lazy not to. I'm with Steve in calling out LMG except for his lazy reporting and omitting pertinent information had he put some effort in would have avoided a lot of drama. I'm a long-time viewer of both of them.

 

This is the problem with his audience. Many don't seem to understand how business works. His employees are an expense, and delegating a task is money. His audience is a bit obtuse, so what you see is a dumbed-down version of "I don't like the product and don't want to waste more money on talking about it." People with parasocial relationships with LTT blur the lines.

 

So many of you think it's HIS money out of pocket when it's LMG money. It's not his and any expense is a business expense. You could tell from the video with Adam he wasn't a fan of the product, but with a struggle for video ideas after 10 years you'll push yourself to do shit you're not passionate about. The WAN show when he said that, not that it excuses it or that I'm trying to make excuses, but he had covid and both he and Luke explained he feels like garbage and it was going to be a short show. It was a perfect storm of feeling like shit and discussing a product he clearly felt was stupid and he's entitled to that opinion considering its price.

 

1 hour ago, OldGuard said:

When any business owner is so focused and affect by MONEY or viewing employees as an expense, that work environment (over at LMG) is definitely toxic.

I have to assume you're young or inexperienced. I've bolded the part you're overlooking in your statement. At 100 employees at let's say $65,000 a year and we know many upper management are paid more. That's 6.5 million in salary per year before you account for running costs. So as we've seen Linus struggle to connect with his audience on a personal level, many fail to understand the importance of ROI.

 

 

 

[TechDeckCAD]

4 minutes ago, Silvy said:

I disagree on this simply for the fact that it seems Billet left out information that was pretty important. The simple fact of the matter here is, it's pretty biased to only hear one side and assume that side is telling the whole truth. This is why in journalism it's usually good practice to get comments on both sides unless you are trying to stir up drama. The idea here being you leave it up to the viewers to determine how they view the situation.

When you don't get a comment, it just comes off as purposefully done in an attempt to color other people's views of the situation. Very manipulative in my opinion. 

This isn't a matter of agree/disagree. The Code of Ethics from SPJ makes this abundantly clear that seeking the other side isn't a necessity to a journalist's job. The confusion is people assume that because it's listed as a guideline, that therefore it must be a rule, but that's not the reality. Just as there are journalists who seek responses from the ones facing allegations, there are journalists that don't reach out. That's the whole point, it's a guideline/nice-to-have but not an imperative.

 

What matters more is that Burke did exactly what the Code of Ethics specified as far as:

- Providing reasoning as to why he made the decisions

- Outlined unavoidable conflict(s) (which people seem to misunderstand as well. The point is yes, avoid conflict of interest, but if you cannot, you MUST disclose that there is a conflict if you report on the story)

- Vetted his information with not just Billet Labs, but LTT's own timeline as well

[Clasmir]

3 minutes ago, Loopers said:

I feel like I need to preface this with -- I believe he should have retested and it was lazy not to. I'm with Steve in calling out LMG except for his lazy reporting and omitting pertinent information had he put some effort in and I'm a long-time viewer of both of them.

 

This is the problem with his audience. Many don't seem to understand how business works. His employees are an expense, and delegating a task is money. His audience is a bit obtuse, so what you see is a dumbed-down version of "I don't like the product and don't want to waste more money on talking about it." People with parasocial relationships with LTT blur the lines.

 

So many of you think it's HIS money out of pocket when it's LMG money. It's not his and any expense is a business expense. You could tell from the video with Adam he wasn't much of a fan of the product, but with video ideas after 10 years you'll push yourself to do shit you're not passionate about. The WAN show when he said that, not that it excuses it or that I'm trying to make excuses, but he had covid and both he and Luke explained he feels like garbage and it was going to be a short show. It was a perfect storm of feeling like shit and discussing a product he clearly felt was stupid and he's entitled to that opinion considering its price.

 

I have to assume you're young or inexperienced. I've bolded the part you're overlooking in your statement. At 100 employees at let's say $65,000 a year and we know many upper management are paid more. That's 6.5 million in salary per year before you account for running costs. So as we've seen Linus struggle to connect with his audience on a personal level, many fail to understand the importance of ROI.

 

 

 

I was about to reply with something very similar. 

 

I feel like there are many things unfortunate here:

 

• A percentage of the audience doesn't understand what it takes to be frugal and smart with your money to even get to where LMG is. That is something that does NOT simply turn off! Think about that.
• For the same reason that I love Linus's on camera presence, his ability to be open and say whatever comes to mind.... that obviously bites him in the ass (at times). But I will deeply regret it if he completely stops.
• I think everyone has said in one way shape or form that attempting to keep the same pace of videos that they do for entertainment content is a mistake for the LAB related videos.  There needs to be a distinction in their internal process.
• Also as many have said, they need better / solid internal communication.

 

With the caveat, that more empathy should be at play for the consequences of your words (LMG), I don't want the entertainment to change

 

 

 

[mikaelus]

1 hour ago, Drazil100 said:

Tried to reply when it was a separate thread (not sure why it got merged into this one but OK...)

I think you have the wrong idea about it. While yes LMG channels rely heavily on labs data, that doesn't mean that it is solely for the purpose of building the channel. The YouTube channels will still try to be entertainment first (with hopefully a lot more accuracy and better correction procedures for mistakes) but Labs is intended to be it's own thing that will hopefully become financially viable on it's own.

They work together, but they are not intended to be the same thing.

Yeah, mods are silly here, but whatever. I wanted to start a meaningful discussion about Labs but someone lumped it with GN thread, FFS.

 

My point is that it's just not viable - whether as a part of a channel or on its own. I know they have grand plans to do listings of dozens of products in all categories with detailed testing data - but what does it accomplish? This is a nerd fest at most.

 

Like the keyboard testing station, where they trained robotic arms to precisely measure actuation points etc. Great, I commend the effort, but is it a real deal-breaker for 95% of the buyer population? Or is it more of a personal taste thing? And in how many cases is this similar?

 

Or the PSU station - again, lovely concept, but how big of a problem are minute electrical inconsistencies? And will those be meaningfully, measurably different between brands more than they would be between units of the same manufacturer? It's not like computers are blowing up by the thousands, is it? It used to be very opaque 20 or so years ago, when data was really scarce and few people knew the difference between a good and a crap supply, often being fed garbage by mass chains putting in rubbish parts inside. But is even that necessarily a problem today?

 

Building up Labs is a gigantic, expensive effort but I'm not convinced it's going to please more people than just a narrow bunch of tech nerds.

 

At the same time, it's not without burden on LTT itself - financial, reputational, managerial.

[NubCak]

2 hours ago, forgotusername said:

Yup, if Linus wants to do better, there should be a workers' union at LMG.

Anything less and he is just waiting for the whole thing to blow over.

unions lmao. Unions shield the shitty workers and dock pay from the good ones. You're naive if you believe Unions are good.

[mikaelus]

6 minutes ago, Clasmir said:

• A percentage of the audience doesn't understand what it takes to be frugal and smart with your money to even get to where LMG is. That is something that does NOT simply turn off! Think about that.

Only his entire channel is not about being frugal at all - spending obscene amounts of money on often comical projects, dropping things around, flooding equipment, building his own huge house etc. So, pardon me, but it does strike many people as hypocritical.

[Clasmir]

2 minutes ago, mikaelus said:

 

 

Or the PSU station - again, lovely concept, but how big of a problem are minute electrical inconsistencies? And will those be meaningfully, measurably different between brands more than they would be between units of the same manufacturer? It's not like computers are blowing up by the thousands, is it? It used to be very opaque 20 or so years ago, when data was really scarce and few people knew the difference between a good and a crap supply, often being fed garbage by mass chains putting in rubbish parts inside. But is even that necessarily a problem today?

 

I respectfully disagree on this point.  I've hoped for someone to take PSU testing to this level.

I was going to list how long I've built and worked... but you don't care...

 

Lets just say that some of the worst problems i have tracked down all stemmed from the PSU. Sometimes, its a matter of how well this PSU filters out noise coming in from the wall. You move the PSU to a different lab or home and everything is fine.

 

Let's hope that if they do start making content around this topic, you, me and others will better understand WHY this is really important.

 

It really is.

[Guest]

6 minutes ago, mikaelus said:

Only his entire channel is not about being frugal at all - spending obscene amounts of money on often comical projects, dropping things around, flooding equipment, building his own huge house etc. So, pardon me, but it does strike many people as hypocritical.

It's all about embracing the jank, which aligns with frugality

[Drazil100]

11 minutes ago, mikaelus said:

My point is that it's just not viable - whether as a part of a channel or on its own. I know they have grand plans to do listings of dozens of products in all categories with detailed testing data - but what does it accomplish? This is a nerd fest at most.

 

Like the keyboard testing station, where they trained robotic arms to precisely measure actuation points etc. Great, I commend the effort, but is it a real deal-breaker for 95% of the buyer population? Or is it more of a personal taste thing? And in how many cases is this similar?

 

Or the PSU station - again, lovely concept, but how big of a problem are minute electrical inconsistencies? And will those be meaningfully, measurably different between brands more than they would be between units of the same manufacturer? It's not like computers are blowing up by the thousands, is it? It used to be very opaque 20 or so years ago, when data was really scarce and few people knew the difference between a good and a crap supply, often being fed garbage by mass chains putting in rubbish parts inside. But is even that necessarily a problem today?

 

Building up Labs is a gigantic, expensive effort but I'm not convinced it's going to please more people than just a narrow bunch of tech nerds.

 

At the same time, it's not without burden on LTT itself - financial, reputational, managerial.

That may be true but Linus has managed to build a business of over 100 employees. That costs something. The testing equipment and everything else cost something too. That didn't come out of nowhere. Just cause you and I don't see where the profit is for Labs doesn't mean Linus doesn't have a plan. If anyone can figure out how to make Labs profitable it's Linus.

Also I think it's worth considering the point that I think the end goal for Linus IS Labs, not the channel. From that perspective LTT and all it's other channels exist to support the creation and growth of Labs so that they can have genuinely useful information for consumers to make purchasing decisions off of. Right now Labs is heavily funded off of merch and floatplan subscriptions but at some point I know he wants Labs to at least be cost neutral.

While these recent events definitely shake my trust as LMG as an ethical business etc, I DEFINITELY still trust Linus as someone who can figure out how to monetize Labs (assuming the community gives him a second chance) 

[WallacEngineering]

@Silvy @CaptBananaPants @TechDeckCAD

 

Let me makes this about 1000 times easier by copy-pasting my last response so I don't have to repeat myself yet again:

 

First quote:

 

Im going to say this one more time and then Im done repeating myself.

 

GN has TRIED to reach out to Linus several times regarding the inaccuracy and testing methodology issues several times over the past year or two. LMG blatantly ignored the attempts because they were critiques and didn't want to give GN the time of day.

 

GN eventually gave up on reaching out. Then they see companies and hardware unboxed getting ignored too and decided it was time that something was done about it.

 

Just because GN happens to be in the same game as LMG doesn't mean he did it for profits. He has been talking about LMG issues little by little in videos for like a year and a half now.

 

Basically what has happened is Steve has decided that things have gone too far and he needs to step in and make it public. I would have done exactly the same thing regardless of the friendship I had with said channel.

 

Have you guys forgotten all the times Steve has come to be on LTT and have fun with a wacky PC experiment?

 

Figure it out already. LMG was going to be called out sooner or later by someone big enough to have an impact. Who better but Steve to do so? This situation is entirely obvious and easy to understand, stop trying to make it complicated.

 

Later on, Second quote:

 

Ya, Steve made a direct hit on LMG because LMG is currently damaging the community.

 

He even expressed in the beginning of the very first video that he is uncomfortable with the situation and he really does not want to have to do this. You did watch it, didn't you?

 

Steve is a 100% factual and ethics guy first. You would understand that if you have watched him and his content for as long as I have. Ive been watching LMG, GN, and JaysTwoCents for over a decade. Hardware Unboxed is the newer channel for me. Steve and Linus are so completely opposite people that comparing them is like trying to divide by the number 0 and then the world implodes lol.

 

Steve really was excited for his bud Linus when Linus first announced labs. You should have seen that video he was genuinely stoked on the idea of the biggest tech tuber having access to real, genuine, accurate data.

 

And to you guys who believe LMG deserves an easier time because they are more Entertainment-focused? You couldn't be more wrong. Do any of you even remember the early days of LMG? Do you guys even remember the original reason the channel was founded? Its in the title guys - LINUS TECH TIPS - He has always wanted to provide useful consumer advice to his audience first and foremost. Otherwise it never would have existed to begin with.

 

Even if it is meant to be more entertaining than other options, 75%+ of this entire company is still reviewing tech products in different tech categories and telling consumers whether or not they should buy it.

 

And what has LMG been failing at lately? Oh, right - providing helpful consumer advice on tech products. Literally the main and fundamental idea behind LMG is what they have been doing wrong.

 

As for the Madison allegations - unfortunately none of us will ever know. Its a quite serious subject and information on the matter will only be shared with those who need to know. But you need to remember that many people make baseless allegations against big companies and celebrities all the time to try and get money of them.

 

How many women have come forward with sexual assault allegations against rock stars this year alone? You realize in 99% of those situations that woman wanted it and asked for it, and then turn arounds and claims sexual assault later. We aren't stupid, we know better.

 

Just like how gashing your own leg open to avoid going to work is completely bulls*** and anyone who believes that needs to go back to school immediately. Wanna know why its BS? Because there are other jobs in the world, nobody is forced to work at LMG. If you don't like where you work, try... IDK... MAYBE FIND A NEW JOB YOU MORON!

 

There you go, some quick copies and pastes, this should make things quite a bit clearer.

[Clasmir]

2 minutes ago, mikaelus said:

Only his entire channel is not about being frugal at all - spending obscene amounts of money on often comical projects, dropping things around, flooding equipment, building his own huge house etc. So, pardon me, but it does strike many people as hypocritical.

You could be right, but it might be return on investment. Part of that 'being smart' with your money is to know when you've got to be reckless with your money to get a big return. 

 

Linus dropping things, isn't that part of his 'draw' the comic side that 'he' thinks keeps some of the people coming back?

 

In regards to the house.  That's their home, I won't speculate on how they arrived at that decision. 

[TechDeckCAD]

9 minutes ago, Clasmir said:

A percentage of the audience doesn't understand what it takes to be frugal and smart with your money to even get to where LMG is. That is something that does NOT simply turn off! Think about that.

There's a gigantic difference between budgeting when you're a tech YouTuber with 10k subs and ideas on how to expand your channel vs. budgeting when you're a 100+mil dollar entertainment empire with multiple channels and a subscription-based streaming service (aka essentially a corporation).

 

Furthermore, this isn't about being frugal, the issue is that Linus didn't think about the cost/benefit analysis. When your reviews have come into question as being inaccurate and you regularly pull in an estimated 9-10mil a year, even accounting for overhead and labour costs, $500 isn't a whole lot of money to make sure that you put out a quality video with correct information.

[mikaelus]

2 minutes ago, Clasmir said:

I respectfully disagree on this point.  I've hoped for someone to take PSU testing to this level.

I was going to list how long I've built and worked... but you don't care...

 

Lets just say that some of the worst problems i have tracked down all stemmed from the PSU. Sometimes, its a matter of how well this PSU filters out noise coming in from the wall. You move the PSU to a different lab or home and everything is fine.

 

Let's hope that if they do start making content around this topic, you, me and others will better understand WHY this is really important.

 

It really is.

First of all, this assumes top manufacturers are not doing their jobs properly - by people who, actually, have never built a PSU. What's the point in that?

 

Secondly, I'm sure some (many, most?) of these problems you speak of are not down to a specific brand or model of a PSU, but a unit - which means that no testing can prevent that. Sometimes you just get a lemon, shtt happens.

 

As I said, this sort of data might be useful for people like you, tech nerds, maybe even professionals in IT departments or wherever, but not millions of actual users, who don't really face issues that would warrant this level of testing - not to mention that it still won't prevent problems on a unit by unit basis.

 

I've been building my own computers for more than 20 years. I've always taken good care in selecting the right PSU, even on very tight budgets, and never ran into meaningful problems with any of them. All in much tougher times than we have today, with far less information, not to mention extensive testing by 3rd parties.

 

There's nothing that Labs could change for me - and I consider myself to be above the average user.

[mikaelus]

5 minutes ago, myashypaintbox said:

It's all about embracing the jank, which aligns with frugality

Jank tends to be very expensive. But it's entertaining.

[SuperGnu]

10 hours ago, hmfaysal said:

Nope, nobody should. There will be another Tech Fun channel in no time. All I am saying, Steve will not get anything he wanted to achieve from this. 

If they want to be  5 minute crafts for tech they can do so, the problem is that they still have the reputation on them that say they are a quality channel from the old days before they exploded to 15mil subs.
Most old timers are annoyed by the fact that LMG has become garbage but still acts like it is a quality company. Put a disclaimer on every video that say "we are no longer accurate or reliable, we are pure entertainment" so people do not accidently base their purchasing of new items on their childish videos.

[AlwaysFSX]

1 minute ago, WallacEngineering said:

@Silvy @CaptBananaPants @TechDeckCAD

 

Let me makes this about 1000 times easier by copy-pasting my last response so I don't have to repeat myself yet again:

 

There you go, some quick copies and pastes, this should make things quite a bit clearer.

Aside from amusement in this thread there's zero point trying to rationalize with rabid LMG fans. Their lord and savior Linus can do no wrong and anything criticizing him is a hit piece.

They are insane people with no regard for others.

[TechDeckCAD]

4 minutes ago, WallacEngineering said:

@Silvy @CaptBananaPants @TechDeckCAD

 

Let me makes this about 1000 times easier by copy-pasting my last response so I don't have to repeat myself yet again:

 

First quote:

 

Im going to say this one more time and then Im done repeating myself.

 

GN has TRIED to reach out to Linus several times regarding the inaccuracy and testing methodology issues several times over the past year or two. LMG blatantly ignored the attempts because they were critiques and didn't want to give GN the time of day.

 

GN eventually gave up on reaching out. Then they see companies and hardware unboxed getting ignored too and decided it was time that something was done about it.

 

Just because GN happens to be in the same game as LMG doesn't mean he did it for profits. He has been talking about LMG issues little by little in videos for like a year and a half now.

 

Basically what has happened is Steve has decided that things have gone too far and he needs to step in and make it public. I would have done exactly the same thing regardless of the friendship I had with said channel.

 

Have you guys forgotten all the times Steve has come to be on LTT and have fun with a wacky PC experiment?

 

Figure it out already. LMG was going to be called out sooner or later by someone big enough to have an impact. Who better but Steve to do so? This situation is entirely obvious and easy to understand, stop trying to make it complicated.

 

Later on, Second quote:

 

Ya, Steve made a direct hit on LMG because LMG is currently damaging the community.

 

He even expressed in the beginning of the very first video that he is uncomfortable with the situation and he really does not want to have to do this. You did watch it, didn't you?

 

Steve is a 100% factual and ethics guy first. You would understand that if you have watched him and his content for as long as I have. Ive been watching LMG, GN, and JaysTwoCents for over a decade. Hardware Unboxed is the newer channel for me. Steve and Linus are so completely opposite people that comparing them is like trying to divide by the number 0 and then the world implodes lol.

 

Steve really was excited for his bud Linus when Linus first announced labs. You should have seen that video he was genuinely stoked on the idea of the biggest tech tuber having access to real, genuine, accurate data.

 

And to you guys who believe LMG deserves an easier time because they are more Entertainment-focused? You couldn't be more wrong. Do any of you even remember the early days of LMG? Do you guys even remember the original reason the channel was founded? Its in the title guys - LINUS TECH TIPS - He has always wanted to provide useful consumer advice to his audience first and foremost. Otherwise it never would have existed to begin with.

 

Even if it is meant to be more entertaining than other options, 75%+ of this entire company is still reviewing tech products in different tech categories and telling consumers whether or not they should buy it.

 

And what has LMG been failing at lately? Oh, right - providing helpful consumer advice on tech products. Literally the main and fundamental idea behind LMG is what they have been doing wrong.

 

As for the Madison allegations - unfortunately none of us will ever know. Its a quite serious subject and information on the matter will only be shared with those who need to know. But you need to remember that many people make baseless allegations against big companies and celebrities all the time to try and get money of them.

 

How many women have come forward with sexual assault allegations against rock stars this year alone? You realize in 99% of those situations that woman wanted it and asked for it, and then turn arounds and claims sexual assault later. We aren't stupid, we know better.

 

Just like how gashing your own leg open to avoid going to work is completely bulls*** and anyone who believes that needs to go back to school immediately. Wanna know why its BS? Because there are other jobs in the world, nobody is forced to work at LMG. If you don't like where you work, try... IDK... MAYBE FIND A NEW JOB YOU MORON!

 

There you go, some quick copies and pastes, this should make things quite a bit clearer.

You might have mispinged me. I've been trying to say the same things you have.

[Clasmir]

4 minutes ago, mikaelus said:

First of all, this assumes top manufacturers are not doing their jobs properly - by people who, actually, have never built a PSU. What's the point in that?

 

Secondly, I'm sure some (many, most?) of these problems you speak of are not down to a specific brand or model of a PSU, but a unit - which means that no testing can prevent that. Sometimes you just get a lemon, shtt happens.

 

As I said, this sort of data might be useful for people like you, tech nerds, maybe even professionals in IT departments or wherever, but not millions of actual users, who don't really face issues that would warrant this level of testing - not to mention that it still won't prevent problems on a unit by unit basis.

 

I've been building my own computers for more than 20 years. I've always taken good care in selecting the right PSU, even on very tight budgets, and never ran into meaningful problems with any of them. All in much tougher times than we have today, with far less information, not to mention extensive testing by 3rd parties.

 

There's nothing that Labs could change for me - and I consider myself to be above the average user.

As I've told my youngest kid, be aware of your sample size...  You might be living a charmed life in that regard to your PSU experience.

 

Having built PCs for years, you are likely aware that a PSU can come out of the gate with a parts list A. Later as time marches along, for various reasons (usually money) they are build with parts list B.

 

Having a LAB that (I hope) will spot check PSU that they've already tested, 'might' put some pressure on manufactures to either stop that, or change their labeling if the specs change. Hey I can hope!

 

That above is just one way that I hope a dedicated LAB would help everyone.

 

Will my Dad know any different? No. Would my dad ever watch LMG?  No....

 

 

[WallacEngineering]

5 minutes ago, TechDeckCAD said:

You might have mispinged me. I've been trying to say the same things you have.

I meant it, and yes Im saying I agree with your points. Im just giving you the evidence to back it up.

 

Anyone who has actually watched Steve over the past year already knows he has reached out to LMG and raised concerns several times.

 

This is just the climax of Steves actions, really.

[mikaelus]

7 minutes ago, Drazil100 said:

That may be true but Linus has managed to build a business of over 100 employees. That costs something. The testing equipment and everything else cost something too. That didn't come out of nowhere. Just cause you and I don't see where the profit is for Labs doesn't mean Linus doesn't have a plan. If anyone can figure out how to make Labs profitable it's Linus.

Also I think it's worth considering the point that I think the end goal for Linus IS Labs, not the channel. From that perspective LTT and all it's other channels exist to support the creation and growth of Labs so that they can have genuinely useful information for consumers to make purchasing decisions off of. Right now Labs is heavily funded off of merch and floatplan subscriptions but at some point I know he wants Labs to at least be cost neutral.

While these recent events definitely shake my trust as LMG as an ethical business etc, I DEFINITELY still trust Linus as someone who can figure out how to monetize Labs (assuming the community gives him a second chance) 

There's a reason banks mention that past performance of an investment is not indicative of its future performance.

 

Perhaps Linus can prove me wrong, perhaps not. Don't forget that far smarter, far more accomplished people, often actual engineers, have made many costly mistakes. And Linus, with all due respect, is just a Youtuber. 
 

I simply wanted to have a discussion on this, that's all. I am just keenly aware of how the law of diminishing returns works and it seems that Linus is intent on throwing massive resources at an already very, very tiny gap. He may succeed in closing it but not making a major business out of it, particularly given the expense.

 

And, frankly speaking, I don't actually see how Linus' performance over the past 15 years warrants trust in Labs project, precisely because it's so much different than anything he has ever done.

 

It's one thing to be a passionate geek goofing around in front of the camera, it's something different entirely to put a sophisticated testing lab that's going to adhere to extremely rigorous standards - particularly if you don't already have a habit of doing just that. 

 

Let's not forget it took him 3 years to engineer a decent - if pricey - screwdriver. And that was with massive support from companies which have shared knowledge with LTT. With Labs he's trying to build a team that's going to go up against industry's top engineers working in all tech companies making all of the components that go inside of a computer. And while they won't be charged with innovation, they will be reviewing how things are made - something they don't really know in practice themselves.

It's as if car reviewers tried to scrutinize manufacturers about how their cars are actually made. It's one thing to jump behind the wheel and tell people how it feels - it's something different entirely to pull it apart and question how the suspension is put together.

 

 

[TechDeckCAD]

Just now, WallacEngineering said:

I meant it, and yes Im saying I agree with your points. Im just giving you the evidence to back it up.

 

Anyone who has actually watched Steve over the past year already knows he has reached out to LMG and raised concerns several times.

 

This is just the climax of Steves actions, really.

Ooh I see, thank you for your conscientiousness. I greatly appreciate it. You've provided information I didn't even know existed, like Steve approaching LMG multiple times and getting shrugged off.

[mikaelus]

7 minutes ago, Clasmir said:

As I've told my youngest kid, be aware of your sample size...  You might be living a charmed life in that regard to your PSU experience.

 

Having built PCs for years, you are likely aware that a PSU can come out of the gate with a parts list A. Later as time marches along, for various reasons (usually money) they are build with parts list B.

 

Having a LAB that (I hope) will spot check PSU that they've already tested, 'might' put some pressure on manufactures to either stop that, or change their labeling if the specs change. Hey I can hope!

 

That above is just one way that I hope a dedicated LAB would help everyone.

 

Will my Dad know any different? No. Would my dad ever watch LMG?  No....

 

 

Sure, but my point is - if indirectly - that those Labs would have to themselves reach a scale of testing that might not necessarily be sustainable given the sheer volume of thousands of products. Are they going to batch test individual models of PSUs by their hundreds? I doubt that. And imagine doing it for everything else.

[WallacEngineering]

1 minute ago, TechDeckCAD said:

Ooh I see, thank you for your conscientiousness. I greatly appreciate it. You've provided information I didn't even know existed, like Steve approaching LMG multiple times and getting shrugged off.

 

Ya well he also shrugged off manufacturers when they pointed out he had misrepresented their products and also shrugged off Hardware Unboxed when they raised concerns. Unfortunately this is nothing new and has been going on for sometime. Exactly how long I do not know but it has been at least a year and probably the better part of a second year at this point.

[Clasmir]

14 minutes ago, TechDeckCAD said:

There's a gigantic difference between budgeting when you're a tech YouTuber with 10k subs and ideas on how to expand your channel vs. budgeting when you're a 100+mil dollar entertainment empire with multiple channels and a subscription-based streaming service (aka essentially a corporation).

 

Furthermore, this isn't about being frugal, the issue is that Linus didn't think about the cost/benefit analysis. When your reviews have come into question as being inaccurate and you regularly pull in an estimated 9-10mil a year, even accounting for overhead and labour costs, $500 isn't a whole lot of money to make sure that you put out a quality video with correct information.

You aren't 'wrong' but you, IMHO, are missing the point of what frugal means when its been engrained to your whole life.

 

Your points are valid, and I'm certain that Linus and Yvonne have changed how they look at money and how to spend it. 

 

However, I'm thinking about the WAN show and how sometimes you can see someone's 'roots'. What they say when they aren't thinking about it.

 

Again, you are right, and I also think the comment that engrained frugal behavior can still show its head - which is what I think contributed to Linus getting himself in hot water.