Constructive feedback/ideas for Linus and LMG

[Guest]

I wanted to make this thread as a way for people to post their constrictive feedback for Linus and LMG to see on what the community wants to see and how they can turn things around for the better. This isn't a threat to be overly negative without providing anything meaningful in terms of giving Linus/LMG ideas on how they can turn things around and make amends.

 

Firstly what was said in the LTT video is indeed a very good start and needs to be acted upon and taken seriously. It is very evident that the company grew way to fast and was not able to keep up with the growth in such a way that it wouldn't be detrimental to the company. I am glad that Linus and LMG are FINALLY realizing that they indeed need to slow down. As the old saying goes, Less is more and I really think LTT and Linus specifically needs to always keep this in the back of their minds at all times. As Yvonne said, LMG is not fighting for survival on YouTube, you don't need to go at this pace. It's ok to slow down and make sure the quality is upheld. I myself work in health care and agree with Yvonne's sentiment that the smallest of details matters. Who wants to have a medical test procedure done on them, or their friends and family unless the health care facility has all of their ducks in a row BEFORE taking on patients.

 

My  ideas for Linus/LMG are as follows:

1. Slow down... I know you've already acknowledged this, but it needs to be a permanent mindset, not a temporary one.

 

2. Personally I would temporarily put a hiring freeze across the board, unless it is a dire position that needs to be filled, or else the company will die type situation. IMHO by doing this, it will allow LMG to make sure they have all the proper policies and practices in place before on boarding anyone new. Not only will this help the current team, but ensure that newer employees have the proper training and resources to succeed and help keep the quality up that LMG is striving for.

 

3. In terms of the Labs, I would put any new, or upcoming projects hold until you have all the practices and procedure sorted out for your current testing equipment/testing procedures. Unless the equipment is needed to get the current ones up and running, do not buy anymore for the time being. Ensure that you have everything figured out for all of your current equipment before buying new ones (ie: training, policies and procedures, etc...).

 

4. If not being done already consider doing test runs regularly to ensure there are no gaps in the system. If it means making a "fake video" that isn't going to be released, but used as a way to test all of the internal practices to ensure the quality is being upheld. This doesn't have to be a weekly thing, but it could be monthly, annually, or bi-annually. For example in my work place we often do what we call "mock code blues." It not an actual code blue, but is treated as one. It's a way for us to find gaps in our response/handling of the situation in order to find ways to improve them, either via training or amending our policies to make them better. That way if we ever have to respond to an actual code blue, it will ensure it the best damn response we can provide.

 

5. Test, test and re-test. If it means the video is delayed, then so be it. If it means paying employees double time and a half to make it happen then so be it. Don't let it slip at any cost just to meet a deadline. While I appreciate this can be difficult with new product releases (CPUs, GPUs, etc...). It needs to happen consistently no matter what.

 

6. Linus I know you have talked on the WAN show over the years that you knew well before a video was released that it didn't end up how it was intended and/or up to your standards. As a result you tried to make the best of it (which I admire and respect), however IMHO if a video does not live up to your standards in any capacity, it either needs to be delayed until it can live up to the standard, or tossed out outright. While I can appreciate from a business point of view this costs the company money via the time people have put into it, you cannot let the standard slip at any cost, even if it costs you money. This isn't to be a knock on the people working on it, but rather keeping up the standard. This has to be constant no matter what. This includes insuring things like having a proper well through out scoring system when doing a secret shopper type video.. Obviously I am ignoring the videos are are meant to purposefully be fun with banter and joking around, but when it comes to reviews, educational topics etc.. the standard cannot be lowered.

 

7.  When it comes to sponsors and how they treat customers and being customer focused, it HAS to be consistent. IMHO Asus should have been dropped at least temporarily until they turn things around. While not as egregious as Anker's situation, it was still very bad. It's very evident here on this forum that many people are having various issues with them as well. I know Linus has no issues dropping sponsors, but the response needs to be consistent no matter what. What can vary is deciding whether you will ever work with them again, as every situation is different, but the messaging has to be consistent, or else it "appears" that LMG plays favourites with certain sponsors, reglardless of how many times you explain it on the WAN show.

 

8. Linus I know you are a giant ball of energy, it's one of the reasons why your community likes you and follows you, however, as much as we may enjoy your chaotic energy at times, it cannot  affect the company. Please slow down continue to listen to the community and your fellow peers. Furthermore, listen to your staff. You have built a company with people around you who care about LMG and the overall quality LMG wants to deliver. While I am sure you still are holding up your end of the bargain and have not watched the video your employees uploaded, there was one general sentiment that was shared across the board ... that being LMG and the video release cycle was way too much and way too fast and was affecting the quality of the videos.  I know this was acknowledged in the video recently, but please keep your chaotic energy that we all love for the camera and be a little more reserved when it comes to the company and helping it grow. Less is indeed more...

 

For now I am out of ideas lol, but I just wanted to share some constructive feedback in hope that some of these things can be considered in the hopes of making LMG better as a whole.

 

It's going to be a long road with a lot of hard work to rebuild some of the trust that has been lost, but always strive to be the best you can be, no matter what.

[jnmaster]

35 minutes ago, Spec7re said:

I wanted to make this thread as a way for people to post their constrictive feedback for Linus and LMG to see on what the community wants to see and how they can turn things around for the better. This isn't a threat to be overly negative without providing anything meaningful in terms of giving Linus/LMG ideas on how they can turn things around and make amends.

 

Firstly what was said in the LTT video is indeed a very good start and needs to be acted upon and taken seriously. It is very evident that the company grew way to fast and was not able to keep up with the growth in such a way that it wouldn't be detrimental to the company. I am glad that Linus and LMG are FINALLY realizing that they indeed need to slow down. As the old saying goes, Less is more and I really think LTT and Linus specifically needs to always keep this in the back of their minds at all times. As Yvonne said, LMG is not fighting for survival on YouTube, you don't need to go at this pace. It's ok to slow down and make sure the quality is upheld. I myself work in health care and agree with Yvonne's sentiment that the smallest of details matters. Who wants to have a medical test procedure done on them, or their friends and family unless the health care facility has all of their ducks in a row BEFORE taking on patients.

 

My  ideas for Linus/LMG are as follows:

1. Slow down... I know you've already acknowledged this, but it needs to be a permanent mindset, not a temporary one.

 

2. Personally I would temporarily put a hiring freeze across the board, unless it is a dire position that needs to be filled, or else the company will die type situation. IMHO by doing this, it will allow LMG to make sure they have all the proper policies and practices in place before on boarding anyone new. Not only will this help the current team, but ensure that newer employees have the proper training and resources to succeed and help keep the quality up that LMG is striving for.

 

3. In terms of the Labs, I would put any new, or upcoming projects hold until you have all the practices and procedure sorted out for your current testing equipment/testing procedures. Unless the equipment is needed to get the current ones up and running, do not buy anymore for the time being. Ensure that you have everything figured out for all of your current equipment before buying new ones (ie: training, policies and procedures, etc...).

 

4. If not being done already consider doing test runs regularly to ensure there are no gaps in the system. If it means making a "fake video" that isn't going to be released, but used as a way to test all of the internal practices to ensure the quality is being upheld. This doesn't have to be a weekly thing, but it could be monthly, annually, or bi-annually. For example in my work place we often do what we call "mock code blues." It not an actual code blue, but it treated as one. It's a way for us to find gaps in our response/handling of the situation in order to find ways to improve them, either via training or amending our policies to make them better. That way if we ever have to respond to an actual code blue, it will ensure it the best damn response we can provide.

 

5. Test, test and re-test. If it means the video is delayed, then so be it. If it means paying employees double time and a half to make it happen then so be it. Don't let it slip at any cost just to meet a deadline. While I appreciate this can be difficult with new product releases (CPUs, GPUs, etc...). It needs to happen consistently no matter what.

 

6. Linus I know you have talked on the WAN show over the years that you knew well before a video was released that it didn't end up how it was intended and/or up to your standards. As a result you tried to make the best of it (which I admire and respect), however IMHO if a video does not live up to your standards in any capacity, it either needs to be delayed until it can live up to the standard, or tossed out outright. While I can appreciate from a business point of view this costs the company money via the time people have put into it, you cannot let the standard slip at any cost, even if it costs you money. This isn't to be a knock on the people working on it, but rather keeping up the standard. This has to be constant no matter what. This includes insuring things like having a proper well through out scoring system when doing a secret shopper type video.. Obviously I am ignoring the videos are are mean to purposefully be fun with banter and joking around, but when it comes to reviews, educational topics etc.. the standard cannot be lowered.

 

7.  When it comes to sponsors and how they treat customers and being customer focused, it HAS to be consistent. IMHO Asus should have been dropped at least temporarily until they turn things around. While not as egregious as Anker's situation, it was still very bad. It's very evident here on this forum that many people are having various issues with them as well. I know Linus has no issues dropping sponsors, but the response needs to be consistent no matter what. What can vary is deciding whether you will ever work with them again, as every situation is different, but the messaging has to be consistent, or else it "appears" that LMG plays favourites with certain sponsors, reglardless of how many times you explain it on the WAN show.

 

8. Linus I know you are a giant ball of energy, it's one of the reasons why your community likes you and follows you, however, as much as we may enjoy your chaotic energy at times, it cannot  affect the company. Please slow down continue to listen to the community and your fellow peers. Furthermore, listen to your staff. You have built a company with people around you who care about LMG and the quality. While I am sure you still are holding up your end of the bargain and have not watched the video your employees uploaded,  there was one general sentiment that was shared across the board ... that being LMG and the video release cycle was way too much and way too fast and was affecting the quality of the videos.  While I know this was acknowledged in the video recently, but please keep your chaotic energy that we all love for the camera and be a little more reserved when it comes to the company and helping it grow. Less is indeed more...

 

For now I am out of ideas lol, but I just wanted to share some constructive feedback in hope that some of these things can be considered in the hopes of making LMG better as a whole.

 

It's going to be a long road with a lot of hard work to rebuild some of the trust that has been lost, but always strive to be the best you can be, no matter what.

Good seeing some constructive feedback here. Finally people who are not just hoping on the hate bandwagon!

[kewtz]

1. Quality > Quantity, and in this case, too many channels is diluting content quality. Don’t become the Applebee’s of tech franchises. That may not translate well to Canadians, glad to explain. 

 

2. Don’t lose the light-heartedness and beaming passion and excitement of Linus in the fun, “full-send” videos. Not all videos require a perfect script. 

 

3. Optics matter, and since LMG is a corporation, it’s time to behave more like one including ethics. The optics behind supporting (or not supporting) brands due to personal investments appears to be a massive conflict of interest. Linus needs to be cautious in this space. 

[Guest]

24 minutes ago, kewtz said:

1. Quality > Quantity, and in this case, too many channels is diluting content quality. Don’t become the Applebee’s of tech franchises. That may not translate well to Canadians, glad to explain. 

 

This is a very good point IMHO.

 

It is something I actually thought about to be honest. While I can appreciate what they are trying to do with sub channels, I really do wonder if they are all really necessary. I get that it offers some focus so certain topics, but lets take Techquickie for example. Does that channel really add value in the grand scheme of things, especially if some of that educational material can be included in a regular LTT video? Granted that it may make the video slightly longer, but the real question is, is it truly needed?

 

I think this is a very good question the team needs to ask themselves and decided if having a bunch of sub channels is indeed helping, or hurting LMG as a whole in the grand scheme of things.

[Clasmir]

What do you like about LMG?

 

What constructive advice (ignore specifics regarding Tech Jesus) do you have?

[BeefSupreme]

Surely this will go exactly as you'd hoped

[Clasmir]

Personally, I like the fun aspect that Linus and everyone else brings. 

I watch YouTube channels like LMG for two reasons:

 

• To have some distracting fun (yep Linus is that!)
• To learn something new (maybe) about some new tech.

 

If I really really want to know something tech wise and be certain that its the truth... I have to confess that I will slog through Tech Jesus content.  I am HOPEFUL that the new LMG LAB work will give me fun AND some serious tech data. I'm very excited to see power supply details. Yes I'm that kind of nerd.

 

 

[Clasmir]

1 minute ago, BeefSupreme said:

Surely this will go exactly as you'd hoped

Probably not  but one can still try.

[Uttamattamakin]

Right now 

 

1.) Let the new CEO do the job of being CEO without interference.  He has to be able to act in the interest of LMG as a corporate entity.  In doing so he will ultimately be acting in the interest of it's share holders who we all know of by name. 

 

2.) Hire a lawyer to represent LMG and only LMG to represent LMG.  A lawyer representing a company you work for is for that company.  Employees who may have exposure might want to consider at least consulting an attorney and finding out what their rights are.   The town is on fire.  Contain the fire.   Then rebuild from the fire. 

 

3.) In speaking of fire.  If there is any truth to the allegations that Madison has made the person or persons who most directly acted that way towards her need to be fired. If they are kept on in any way it will only bring down the company.  The town is on fire,  Contain the fire.  If this isn't just smoke then fire people who need firing. 

 

4.) Publish the findings that lead to that firing.  If that is the case settle in a way that is in the interest of LMG with Billet labs and with Madison.   Do it the right way. Do it with lawyers. Don't short change them, don't give them your childrens college funds, make it right.  Don't require them to keep silent and also don't make it a PR thing. Once this is done.  In Sha Allah there are no more shoes to drop!  This will then pass.  

________________
Going forward get that corporate structure in place. 

 

1.) Create a fact checking department that only interacts with the LMG production process by either checking off on all facts OR sending work back to be redone, with detailed notes on what to do. 
 

2.) These fact checkers need to be to the rest of LMG the way an "Office of inspector general" is towards any company.  Their offices cannot even be in the same building.  They have to feel no peer pressure at all to approve of things that are not correct. 

 

3.) These fact checkers need to be people who if they were not hired as fact checkers are people who would be more than qualified to do the testing that labs does.  People who have experience and credentials in electronics, computer science, laboratory sciences, and communication around those.  People who have had to stream videos that contained accurate graphs to people.  People for whom accuracy trumps entertainment.  It's not their job to entertain, to be bros, its to keep LTT from messing up.    

 

4.) Videos that are just the usual LMG and LTT doing things that are fun with tech because they can and they are fun keep that up.  Don't let this unfortunate chapter stop the fun.  Just remember that it's only really fun if everyone is affirmatively and enthusiastically in on it. 

[jnmaster]

I live the entertainment it brings me every day. LOVE THE WAN SHOW. I rarely watch live , but watch it Sunday/Monday when there’s less things to do. Love the projects they’re working on. Can’t wait for the LABS team to have a bigger role!

[MrStebe]

Glad to see we've got some people in the community looking for how we can move forward, rather than joining the mob

 

1) Let Terren do his Job - Linus has publicly stated he's not cut out for the CEO life, going so far as to demote himself. However, as he's said, this is his life's work. It's his baby. The temptation to get involved, especially in a crisis situation is going to be huge, but you have to resist. Let Terren do what he's good at, building a strong foundation of processes to let everyone else shine at what they do, and let Linus be where he's at his best, on set.

 

2) Putting the Labs behind the scene's on Floatplane - This is a mistake in my view. Makes no difference to me, I'm a subscriber so I can watch it, but limiting a video about transparency to less than 40,000 people doesn't seem like the best move

 

3) Specifically to Linus - Reflect and understand that a very limited number of people have the same context for most of these situations as you do. I feel this is where you fall down in your replies to things. The backpack warranty saga was a prime example of this. Personally it didn't bother me, i've seen first hand how little a written warranty can mean if a company has no will to honor it, so I understand the point you were making. But many didn't, and you can't expect them to. Your job is to understand their concerns and try to ease them, not double down by expecting them to understand something from a point of view that they simple don't have

 

4) Quality over quantity - Echoing everyone else here, but it is the main point we want to see. I know its a big company and you need a large volume of videos to make it financially viable. But the last 6 months have demonstrated that the pace you want to achieve and the quality you say you want to achieve aren't possible at the moment. They might be in the future, but for now, you have to choose. You speak often of opportunity cost. What is the opportunity cost of having to constantly make corrections and deal with community backlash from the errors? If it means choosing between 7 videos a week with errors and 5 videos a week without, I know which choice I'd make. You're Chief Vision officer now. Let Terren and Yvonne figure out how to make that possible and keep the lights on

 

5) Don't lose who you are - It's tempting during times like this for anyone under fire to retreat into their shell. I know some people are mad about the jokes in the apology video, but for me it served as a reminder of why I've been watching for 14 years. It's the personalities that make LMG what it is, and I want those to keep shining through. You might be a real company now, but that doesn't mean you have to lose your soul with it

[Saeumii]

i'm a filthy casual so i essentially only watch lmg content for edutainment value. that said, since i'm a filthy casual, i can't speak on his accuracy regarding matters of education [esp in the wake of the recent controversy], but he certainly is very entertaining

[TheNamesKyle]

This thread is almost as good idea as making jokes in an apology video! 

[Clasmir]

37 minutes ago, TheNamesKyle said:

This thread is almost as good idea as making jokes in an apology video! 

You just made me blow my rum and coke through my nose! 

Edited August 17, 2023 by Clasmir

[Clasmir]

I apologize for not seeing your thread first. 

 

Great idea (except for the wall of text part).

 

---edit---

My post from here to above were in a separate thread that LMG merged with this one.

 

Thanks LMG

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, Clasmir said:

I apologize for not seeing your thread first. 

 

Great idea (except for the wall of text part).

Thanks an no need to apologize. Sorry for the wall of text, I tend to talk to blab on just a little too much at times hehe.

 

[Omnipius]

I agree with all of the points made so far. So, I'll limit my list to what I have to add:

1. Rethink and likely significantly scale back the use of sexual innuendo in LMG humor. It usually doesn't cross the line into being crass in the finished product, but I worry about the culture that dials back to what we do see. Being a little more measured in what's appropriate for screen would probably help set a more professional tone in the workplace as well. That's to say nothing of leading by example in the wider PC / gaming enthusiast community to create a more welcoming environment for women. This doesn't mean you let "haha funny number" go by unacknowledged, but maybe it's less a "hay-oh!" and more a side eye.
2. Throw out your performance management system (see how I didn't abbreviate that?) and your incentive structure that uses video volume and profit as KPIs. If putting off the second half a shoot to Monday to go start WAN show on time is going to impact one or more people's bonus, you are incentivizing a lot of bad behavior and recriminations within your team before you find yourself shooting until 8pm. Delivering on schedule matters, but it should be a minor impact compared to the downside risk of publishing something in error or of low quality.
3. If you don't already have it, add task IDs to your timecards which allow accounting for time spent on QA/rework for various causes. For example, camera and production crews would have a "Production-Scheduled" task ID and a "Production-Rework-Writing" or "Production-Delay-Logistics" task ID. Similarly, writing might have "Writing-Scheduled", "Writing-Rework-Labs", or "Writing-Delay-Infrastructure". This would give you a powerful tool for detecting performance and process issues, doubly so if you also have individual project codes. I know this is a very onerous corporate bureaucracy sort of thing, but in a production chain like this there's a lot of value in seeing how one step is impacting another. Even more, this can be turned into a measure of video efficiency which accounts for quality, which makes for a more rational KPI. 

[andre_medina]

I think having Terren step in now is a good inflection point for the company, as he was hired to change the internal operations of the company so its a better company as a whole. Now everyone at the company is going to take a week to have introspective discussions about procedures and how to improve LTT as a whole, so with Terren at the head, massive change will defiantly occur.

 

Being an outsider, there is only so much we can assume about what they will focus on, but Linus has been saying publicly for years that he wishes to have better procedures and this is exactly what this coming week is about so I know they will improve that area. And with procedure improvements, we will see improvements in every other aspect.

 

I also hope they put some rule/ protocol in for negative feedback aimed towards smaller companies. Too often they outright say 'this product is crap and you should not buy it' which would be very demoralizing to a smaller company just starting out. Instead they can hint at that idea without being so negative to smaller companies. especially in short circuits and unboxings, having an ambiguous ending would go hand in hand with what they say about 'unboxings are not reviews', because being so conclusive in an unboxing doesn't make sense.

 

I think the negativity to certain comments should also be rephrased or just ignored in the WAN show, listening to Linus defend himself for the 1 millionth time to some dumb ignorant comment makes me get turned off the show. Just ignore the dumb people and move on, no need to beat a dead horse. Dan and Luke should have a mute Linus button and the Luke can just start talking about AI while Linus rants in the background to a wall.

 

Improving the accuracy and being more scientific and lowering the video count to focus on quality rather than quantity will be a great change. Also bring back the other hosts. There was a period where there were hosts other than just Linus, but now its just Linus in every LTT video.

 

This is not the end of LMG, just the end of the beginning, they will continue and I am sure they will improve greatly when they come back and I cant wait for the changes

 

 

[BorkBorkBork]

I’m just gonna say it and accept the mobbing that will follow - as a PR professional for a living and all things considered, LMG is actually handling this a lot better than most are willing to give credit for. 

 

The apology video was necessary but well done, showing sincerity while keeping morale up (the jokes, even if some folks find them out of place, were actually probably necessary to keep some degree of genuine perspective). It outlined a meaningful course of action, explained in far greater detail than was necessary the internal workings of the problem, and offered a slate of solutions very much in line with the criticisms leveled by both GN and the community.

 

The Madison situation is being handled carefully and gracefully with transparency and as much drive for resolution as can be expected from a corporation with 100s of real people’s livelihoods also on the line for this. Justice for Madison and those impacted does not have to mean a collapse of the company or the automatic purge of all executives. 
 

It is not at all an excuse for bad behavior, but LMG being an online media company holds them to uniquely different pressures than others. Think of how many allegations and cases and situations of impropriety occur at any given large company - how many of their CEOs and executive teams ever have to face a rabid audience of both sincere supporters and vicious trolls in a public forum? How many times has a CEO ever owned up and said “we did wrong, here’s our plan” without being legally forced to by a judge?
 

You don’t have to like their response or might feel it’s “canned corpo speak” or whatever, but as someone who has handled all this up-close for years and seen what real damage could be done by insincerity or actual malice, LMG is doing it as well as can be reasonably and fairly expected of them in handling this. 

[PetiteBob]

What I like? The forums, the community for the most part has been nothing but helpful. I still remember the day I asked for advice about by first PC build back in 2014. Many times, albeit a few moons ago, I've turned to this site for help, advice or just general conversation. It's sad to see how things have devolved recently, however hopefully this is a good wake up call to make amends.   

[Vaynexx]

I would like to see more seperation between brands and LMG. GN had a fair point there.

Having a daily upload schedule should be a bonus. There should be no sub-standard video just so you can fill those uploads.

 

Up until now, LMG kinda gives us the TMB warrenty. We dont know their processes, so a list with the "new and improved" stuff could be a proof that they have done something.

 

I read somewhere the idea, that there should be a test ever once in a while to look for false information. Maybe a known bad video should be produced to test the fact checking capability. This would be great. I would love to get a "Fact report" two times a year.

[McCarthy]

To be honest, I haven't had any problems with Linus and his channel, always enjoyed the uploads, until GN addressed some issue. Based on that video it seems to be really simple in my book:

 

1.) Slow down a little and make sure that technical data and testing is more accurate.

 

2.) Treat companies that provide samples for review with more respect.

 

While the issues addressed in the video make sense, much of the community response is way over the top and even ended in drama and hate. So many kiddos sitting all day long at home, playing video games and binge watching YouTube, living an online life with zero experiences in the corporate world, while trying to get some form of feedback or acknowledgment by trolling, pushing and hating. THIS is a much bigger issue at hand, if you ask me. Some need to look into the mirror for a change! How many employees do you manage? Asking mom for pop-tarts and skittles doesn't count.

[ZeR0BuG]

I feel like they addressed a lot of the criticisms in the video. I think they know what their problems are and it sounds like they are going to seriously take time to work on those deficiencies. Certainly, disappointed in the events over the last few weeks and the hypocrisy from some in the community is equally as disappointing. I never doubted they would own up to the issues that have transpired. I even expected the forum post that went so badly. But I feel like with Terren in the drivers seat that meaningful, positive, and productive change will occur.

 

I think realigning the management structure (i'm not advocating for anyone to lose their job) and developing productive frameworks will empower them to be effective leaders. They were a start up that turned into a corporation, I'm not aware of anyone there (besides Terren) who had any sort of corporate leadership. They seemed to just learn on the job. 

 

I don't think any amount of addressing the Madison allegations will be enough to satisfy the mob, but I feel like the vast majority will be able to move past it after LMG does a thorough investigation into those claims. I'm sure some mandatory training will be in order for the staff. I can only imagine creatives are hard to manage and work with a ridged set of rules and still maintain their creative freedom and I hope that this doesn't result in boring, emotionless, and corporate videos.

[schwarzerrogen]

1) Education

 

Do the harassment trainings that are needed by BC requirement. If you are already doing so, step up when you do them. Even if your policy doesn't change yearly, mandate your employees take it every year. Pay to have an online course developed, or buy some courseware from a known company that provides this training and an LMS/LXP system and make sure it's adhered to. This also holds true for export control training, customer support training, etc. Also offer other training for your employees. If someone feels that they are lacking in a skillset, say it being communication or effective writing, offer them training on it. You should allow employees to feel empowered that they can grow in their position.

 

2) Human/Employee Resource

 

Form a new HR team that is not attached to the existing LTT/FP structure. Do not simply give the position to someone; bring in people who have experience in HR to lead it. Allow them to develop policy and determine application of that process. Make sure they don't answer to most of the C-suite, and only answer to the CEO. The ownership should have zero say in HR; it's a dangerous road to travel when a company's owner gets in the way of HR and policy. HRCI and SHRM are certifications that hold value. Hold yearly audits from external compliance organizations to ensure everything is on the up-and-up. Check with other media groups, like Bell or Rogers, to see what their communications team can release on standards. Make sure your employees are being granted their rightful compensation and protections that are laid out in law. Check your legal requirements going the other way as well.

 

3) Distance

 

LTT isn't a group of friends hanging out in a rented house in Langley making quirky videos anymore, nor are you some little start-up that's trying to gain traction. You're a multi-million dollar organization that has clout and visibility, and you should start to act like it as an organization. Put checks and balances in place to hold everyone accountable.  C-suites and management should be held to higher standards with different responsibilities. A C*O shouldn't be hosting programs or videos. They should be doing their job as the chief of a department making sure it runs correctly and in adherence to the requirements of an organization. Also remember that while your employees may be your friends, at the end of the day you are a business. There has to be a line at a certain point where being friends stops and being accountable as employee/manager/employer begins. Being friendly and buddy-buddy is cool and awesome... until it's not. Set limits, adhere to them. 

 

4) Agility

 

From what I can see, LTT is not very agile; develop that mindset. Compartmentalize, set limits that everyone can achieve, be flexible with your goals. 

 

5) Humanize

 

Your editors and writers are humans, not automata. If they need 3 weeks to make a video, so be it. Instead of chasing sponsors and ad revenue mindlessly and pumping out a video a day on some internal mandate, think of how to better use your staff. Don't crunch them. Let them breathe and create. Nothing breeds sloppy work in a media field like grinding creative minds down. Daily videos are not as cool and good as 3-4 videos a week that are polished, accurate, and more rounded. 

 

6) Transparency

 

Do better. Be honest about your team's ability. Don't make claims you can't back. Make sure you set QC on every aspect of your company and stick to them. But make sure your standards aren't so high it's a grind to reach them. Accept mistakes happen, but don't forgo standards for a deadline. If a number looks off, hunt it down and retest. If something seems too strange or off, it likely is and follow up.

 

7) Reassess

 

This one is hard... take a very good look at your staff now. Review them with utmost care. Act as if you're taking LTT over and you want to make changes. You may find that you need to refresh some parts of your teams. As was tied to point 3... make some hard decisions if needed. At the end of the day it is a business. If you have to let a friend go, so be it. Review, weigh, determine long term value and address.

[jabramo]

Dear Mr. Sebastian,

 

Let me start by telling you that I subscribed to the LTT YouTube channel very early in its history. Your content was fun (and continuous to be so), even when you got things wrong, or broke stuff by being a goof, and all that relatable, endearing things that humanizes a subject that generally lacks the human side.

 

Your love letter to your wife made me cry. Your passion for what you do is an indispensable inspiration for a lot of lost people who can't see any meaning in their lives, specially in your country.

 

That being said, you are in DESPERATE need for the kind of help you won't be able to get from within your own bubble. You are now in a path that led you to call your new CEO for help, and you got completely destroyed by what any modern CEO would be able (or willing) to do. You may be tempted now to try and get help directly from this community, which would inevitably render another absolute disaster. So I hope this gets to you before that.

 

I think you understand that this community not only have your back, but is ready to fight for you with "great vengeance and furious angry". BUT this community is made up of people who cannot understand what is going on, as they are unwillingly a big part of the problem, and behave as a reactionary emotional mob.

 

Second, remember that your bank account is NOT a measure of who you are, nor is a good indicative of your competency. It is only an indicative of fortuity.

 

You have amazing people who love you that can ABSOLUTELY take the wheels for a short while.

 

I tell you this things in the hopes that you do the one and only thing that can put a hold on this downward spiral you put yourself in: STOP TALKING UNTIL YOU HAVE A CLUE WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON. That means, of course, that I believe that you DON'T know, and here I may be WAY off the mark. If I'm reading this completely wrong, and you are, for instance, self-destructing (which I obviously DON'T think so), then this is nothing but an exercise in futility by my part, and you are never going to read it anyway.

 

I'm not trying to sell you anything. I just believe that I understand the picture better than you do, and that I can help you get over this relatively quickly. Personally, I can't bare to watch you hurt yourself in this way by simply not understanding the situation.

 

In my estimation, you have a short time window to sort things out. 2, maybe 3 weeks, tops. After that, you may see your legacy go the Bud Light way.

 

So here are some things for you to ponder:

 

1. All things aside, there is only one person that can be the FACE of LTT at the moment (for a very short while), and this person is Mr. Luke Lafreniere, NOT your new CEO.

2. Stop trying to look at this with a managerial mind set. This is NOT the way. You have to remember that you are a person, not a corporation.

3. For the love of God, don't try to hide under the "transparency" cloak. This would be FATAL, so DON'T DO IT!

4. Getting feed back from your employees is wonderful, but doing it publicly is the most stupid thing you can possibly do. So, stop this nonsense.

5. I can't stress this enough: "listening to the community" is a great way to make your life easy when deciding what content to produce. However, doing so in order to solve a problem that is born in the same community is suicide.
6. There is blood in the water, and unlike healthy memory sticks, people fabricate memories to justify their thirst for blood.

7. Gamer Nexus is DESPERATE to change sides in this issue. I think there are still avenues for that, and I think this is WAY more important than you think it is.
8. Jay, HU, Austin, and SO many others, are right now holding their breaths, praying for a glimpse of hope to have a good excuse NOT to get into this mess, or even help you get out of it.

9. People may say that the problem you are facing was born from an egocentric behavior. The fact that your big head does not help matters is as obvious as it is useless. You are already getting a humongous humble pie down your throat, and that's more than enough to "put you in your place". It does NOT explain, however, how things got to this place. It MAY only PARTLY explains why you doubled and tripled down the wrong path.

 

Anyway, I'll be happy to help you go through a nightmarish roller coaster of anger, frustration and pain in order to shed some light to the problem at hand - free of charge.

 

This forum have my contact info, if you are interested. Either way, I hope you get the help you really need.

 

I wish you and your family the very best.