What is going on with LTT HQ

[Big Head Tech]

1 hour ago, LAwLz said:

Wait a minute... Floatplane club got exclusive videos?

 

Edit: Yep, exclusive videos for FPC.

 

In other words: "yes we said we wouldn't do this, but if we do it this way we make more money, and that's what matters".

 

I am honestly surprised you got any dedicated fans left since you treat them like shit so often.

You know, people like you really bother me because you're so self centered and all about you. His office vlogs were some of his most popular videos. However they were flagged as no tech and buried some of his other videos because of it. He cleared mentioned that there and you dismissed it. Why would he keep exclusive videos on Floatplane? I doubt gaining a few hundred extra dollars from fpc would be more than 1-2 million views at $5 per 1k views. This is a strategic business move not a greed one. Check out my post about Linus's overhead. I would out money on it that he takes home less money than Jay, Kyle, Paul or Austin because he puts a ton back into the business and has a significantly higher cost overhead.

[LinusTech]

5 hours ago, Snaeb said:

You know, people like you really bother me because you're so self centered and all about you. His office vlogs were some of his most popular videos. However they were flagged as no tech and buried some of his other videos because of it. He cleared mentioned that there and you dismissed it. Why would he keep exclusive videos on Floatplane? I doubt gaining a few hundred extra dollars from fpc would be more than 1-2 million views at $5 per 1k views. This is a strategic business move not a greed one. Check out my post about Linus's overhead. I would out money on it that he takes home less money than Jay, Kyle, Paul or Austin because he puts a ton back into the business and has a significantly higher cost overhead.

We did say our content would always be free and I have backpedaled on that here. 

 

I think its it's an important distinction that this content is not of the same type as our normal stuff - the best analogy I can come up with is that it's kind of like bloopers or extras on the DVD release. No one expects to get that stuff when they stream on Netflix. 

 

Not everyone will agree that that matters. Some people will still be mad.

 

But business realities cause us to change our course sometimes. In a span of months we had ~30% of our monthly revenue pulled out from under us last year. This year the sponsored video business is way way down for a variety of reasons including that there are just a lot more influencers than there were last year and there is only a finite number of brands. And we are not the most sponsor friendly YT channel out there. 

 

I could just lay people off, but that's not the direction I want for Linus Media Group. And WHO would you have me abandon? People here are people, not "headcount". 

 

All I can do is say "sorry", learn my lesson about ever making a 100% promise about our business direction, and move on. 

[Ezzy-525]

18 minutes ago, LinusTech said:

SNIP

I think I speak for a lot of members here when I say, do what you need to do to keep LMG going strong.

 

Most of us will back you to the hilt, and those who don't, well that's there prerogative. I for one cannot wait until FPC is up and running properly and will be a founding subscriber of the new system in whatever form it takes. I like the content, so I am happy to give you a couple of quid to help pay the bills.

[Unhelpful]

21 minutes ago, LinusTech said:

I could just lay people off, but that's not the direction I want for Linus Media Group. And WHO would you have me abandon? People here are people, not "headcount". 

That Slick guy is pretty shady. I say cut him off.

[3 Lions]

25 minutes ago, LinusTech said:

But business realities cause us to change our course sometimes. In a span of months we had ~30% of our monthly revenue pulled out from under us last year. This year the sponsored video business is way way down for a variety of reasons including that there are just a lot more influencers than there were last year and there is only a finite number of brands. And we are not the most sponsor friendly YT channel out there. 

 

I could just lay people off, but that's not the direction I want for Linus Media Group. And WHO would you have me abandon? People here are people, not "headcount". 

 

All I can do is say "sorry", learn my lesson about ever making a 100% promise about our business direction, and move on. 

This is the one thing I really like about you. You talk sense about business, you should really be a role model for other business people.   

[LAwLz]

5 hours ago, Snaeb said:

You know, people like you really bother me because you're so self centered and all about you.

Yeah, getting slightly upset for being lied to? What kind of self centered person am I? I am such a horrible person for being upset when someone lies and treats me poorly.

Next time I should just open wide and bring my own lube, because Linus is going in hard and dry.

 

Hey Linus, ever considered selling dildos? At least then your fans would know that you're screwing them.

 

5 hours ago, Snaeb said:

His office vlogs were some of his most popular videos.

Yep, and people have been asking for more. So why put it behind a paywall?

 

5 hours ago, Snaeb said:

However they were flagged as no tech and buried some of his other videos because of it.

[Citation Needed]

I can not find any indication of this being true, and I actually went back and looked at the statistics for his videos before and after each moving vlog. It seems pretty normal to me and besides, it's incredibly hard to actually prove "if I hadn't released video X then video Y would have gotten more views".

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

 

 

5 hours ago, Snaeb said:

He cleared mentioned that there and you dismissed it. Why would he keep exclusive videos on Floatplane? I doubt gaining a few hundred extra dollars from fpc would be more than 1-2 million views at $5 per 1k views.

1) I doubt Linus thinks he is only going to make a few hundred extra dollars from FPC. Since they are renting all this new stuff, and hiring people for it, I am willing to bet that Linus is aiming for way more than "a few hundred extra dollars". Anything less than several thousands of extra dollars will make this venture go at a loss.

 

2) Where did you get Linus' dollar per 1K view number from? I'd like a source for that. Is that the average for a video you're quoting?

 

3) If he would make more money by putting it on YouTube then why did he clearly say that he believed putting those videos on Youtube would hurt his revenue? You're not making any sense here. You can't use "he would make more money putting them on Youtube" as an argument for why he is not putting them on Youtube.

 

 

6 hours ago, Snaeb said:

This is a strategic business move not a greed one.

Those are synonyms.

 

 

6 hours ago, Snaeb said:

I would out money on it that he takes home less money than Jay, Kyle, Paul or Austin because he puts a ton back into the business and has a significantly higher cost overhead.

Totally agree. I've said the same thing several times actually. I don't see your point though.

[TetraSky]

58 minutes ago, LinusTech said:

I could just lay people off, but that's not the direction I want for Linus Media Group. And WHO would you have me abandon? People here are people, not "headcount". 

I just hope you won't make the mistake of letting LMG sink when you are no longer profitable, just because you don't want to fire anyone(usually the newest employee).

[Big Head Tech]

1 hour ago, LinusTech said:

We did say our content would always be free and I have backpedaled on that here. 

 

I think its it's an important distinction that this content is not of the same type as our normal stuff - the best analogy I can come up with is that it's kind of like bloopers or extras on the DVD release. No one expects to get that stuff when they stream on Netflix. 

 

Not everyone will agree that that matters. Some people will still be mad.

 

But business realities cause us to change our course sometimes. In a span of months we had ~30% of our monthly revenue pulled out from under us last year. This year the sponsored video business is way way down for a variety of reasons including that there are just a lot more influencers than there were last year and there is only a finite number of brands. And we are not the most sponsor friendly YT channel out there. 

 

I could just lay people off, but that's not the direction I want for Linus Media Group. And WHO would you have me abandon? People here are people, not "headcount". 

 

All I can do is say "sorry", learn my lesson about ever making a 100% promise about our business direction, and move on. 

Maybe I just understand business better than most? I know you've said you wouldn't do paid content, but that was also back when you had half a dozen people. I've felt that you've even made it a point to be as honest as possible on sponsored products. I still can't believe the hate towards your be quiet video. Of course it wasn't the best value product but it was clearly a paid sponsored video. And it's not like you used crap components. Just some we're a tad pricier than other options.

[LAwLz]

1 hour ago, LinusTech said:

But business realities cause us to change our course sometimes. In a span of months we had ~30% of our monthly revenue pulled out from under us last year. This year the sponsored video business is way way down for a variety of reasons including that there are just a lot more influencers than there were last year and there is only a finite number of brands. And we are not the most sponsor friendly YT channel out there. 

Quite frankly my dead, I don't give a damn. And I don't see why so many people do.

It's neither my nor your viewers' problem that you are not getting as many sponsors. How do you think my clients would perceive me if I started making sloppy jobs, breaking promises and my only excuse was "well I am not making as much as I used to and I don't want to cut down on expenses, so deal with it"? They would be furious and probably hire someone else.

I'd feel really bad if I was a pitied as you are.

 

52 minutes ago, LinusTechTipsFanFromDarlo said:

This is the one thing I really like about you. You talk sense about business, you should really be a role model for other business people.   

He does not talk sense about business at all.

In one sentence he tries to justify screwing over his fans because "please feel pity for me, I am not making as much money as I used to" and then in the next he says he don't want to cut expenses because he is driven by emotion rather than smart business decisions.

 

He really should not be a role model for businesses. Wanna know what role models are?

Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon and the second richest person in the world. Want to know what he said when a publisher told him that they should censor user reviews because "negative reviews must be bad for business" (since negative reviews = less products sold)? He said:

Quote

That's where you're wrong. You're in the business of selling books, we're in the business of satisfying our customers.

 

Wanna know what John Doerr, a very successful venture capitalist, has to say about businesses?

Quote

What makes the survivors survive is a deep understanding and relentless focus on their customers.

This is what Doerr said after having invested in Google, 12 million dollars before Google even had a business plan on how to make that money back:

Quote

These guys are solving the single hardest problem on the Internet, and if we can't figure out how to make money from that we ought to get out of this business.

His points is that if you make your customers happy then profits will come naturally. The way I see Linus Media Group, they are doing the exact opposite. They are trying to make as much money as possible (which they invest back into the company to fuel growth) and then customer satisfaction is basically an afterthought. People don't like X? Well it makes us more money so who cares. People don't like Y? Sorry but it makes us more money so it stays. People don't like Z? Sorry, can't hear your complains over how much more money I am making!

 

By the way, here is yet another quote I think more businesses should take to heart. This time it's from Bill Gates.

Quote

Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning

 

 

 

By the way, since I can already tell people are getting mad at me, let me quote Angry Joe. Just replace "halo" with "Linus" and "game" with "channel".

Quote

Behave yourselves Halo fanboys. Realize that I critique the game because I love the game and want it to be better, and if you sit there and suck the games cock all day long, and fondles its balls, then they are going to give you the same shit over and over. If you don't say "hey, I know you guys can do better" "Hey, I don't like this particular system" [...] REALIZE THAT YOU CRITIQUE A GAME BECAUSE YOU LOVE A GAME.

 

[Big Head Tech]

Did he just say how great Amazon ceo is? The one who is a slave driver, pays horrid wages and tells people be glad you have a job or gtfo? Sorry bud you officially lost all credit here.

[LAwLz]

2 hours ago, Snaeb said:

Did he just say how great Amazon ceo is? The one who is a slave driver, pays horrid wages and tells people be glad you have a job or gtfo? Sorry bud you officially lost all credit here.

Way to miss the point (which I even took the time to explain so that nobody could miss it). But hey, it's easier to nitpick things than to actually respond to arguments, right?

 

I got a feeling this will just escalate to "everything Linus does is right, and everything everyone else does it wrong". Linus is neglecting his viewers? People justify it with "LMG is a business so making money comes first, deal with it". Amazon paying their workers "horrid wages" (which funnily enough, is actually higher than most brick-and-mortar stores)? What a horrible company. They should put people before profits.

 

Also, why are you not talking to me anymore? Why are you talking about me as if I was not here all of a sudden? It's very rude.

[Big Head Tech]

26 minutes ago, LAwLz said:

Way to miss the point (which I even took the time to explain so that nobody could miss it). But hey, it's easier to nitpick things than to actually respond to arguments, right?

 

I got a feeling this will just escalate to "everything Linus does is right, and everything everyone else does it wrong". Linus is neglecting his viewers? People justify it with "LMG is a business so making money comes first, deal with it". Amazon paying their workers "horrid wages" (which funnily enough, is actually higher than most brick-and-mortar stores)? What a horrible company. They should put people before profits.

 

Also, why are you not talking to me anymore? Why are you talking about me as if I was not here all of a sudden? It's very rude.

So he pays above minimum wage? I didn't miss the point. You're claiming that the CEO has great business practices but it's because he offers terrible benefits, horrible wages and horrible working environment. That reflects his leadership which is garbage.

[LAwLz]

27 minutes ago, Snaeb said:

So he pays above minimum wage? I didn't miss the point. You're claiming that the CEO has great business practices but it's because he offers terrible benefits, horrible wages and horrible working environment. That reflects his leadership which is garbage.

Yes you did miss the point.

I never said Bezos was perfect. What I said was that if you want business advice, you should not look to Linus.

Also, here is the point again:

3 hours ago, LAwLz said:

His points is that if you make your customers happy then profits will come naturally. The way I see Linus Media Group, they are doing the exact opposite. They are trying to make as much money as possible (which they invest back into the company to fuel growth) and then customer satisfaction is basically an afterthought. People don't like X? Well it makes us more money so who cares. People don't like Y? Sorry but it makes us more money so it stays. People don't like Z? Sorry, can't hear your complains over how much more money I am making!

 

 

By the way, these "terrible benefits" you speak of are actually rated fairly highly by their own employees. 3.7 out of 5 on Glassdoor with their healthcare coverage being really good. And that's based on reviews from 5.2K employees in the US.

For comparison, Walmart gets 3.1 (and Google, the best rated place to work gets 4.6 ).

 

Not sure what you got against Amazon, but your views clearly do not reflect the average view of their employees.

"Horrible wages" - Average or slightly above average for the type of work people do there.

"Horrible benefits" - Slightly above average.

"Horrible working environment" - This one I can agree with, and there is some data to back it up too (unlike your previous points). Things like stack ranking is just flat out bad. But you will usually find some bad practices on any company. I mean, LMG have had one employee quit because she claimed LMG was a poor place to work at. Considering how (relatively) few employees LMG have had, that could be seen as a bad sign too. Or maybe different companies got different cultures and not everyone will fit in.

 

However...

1) We're talking about how to run a business, not how to be best friends with your employees.

2) Amazon cares about their customers, something I think more companies should do. It's not for nothing they have scored the highest customer satisfaction rating 8 years out of the last 10 years (according to ACSI).

3) There are several ways you can measure "leadership". Calling his leadership garbage when he is one of the most successful people in the world, and is involved in multiple extremely successful companies is just plain stupid. If you measure it by how much fun you'd have playing some SNES with him on a Saturday evening then sure, he is terrible. But if you measure it in any way that's important to a business success then you are just strictly wrong, as proven by his countless successes

 

You clearly have a lot of emotions regarding Amazon, for some reason, but your posts are as if they were written by someone from another dimension. In fact, all of your posts I've replied to so far have been rather inane.

[Eaglerino]

16 hours ago, LAwLz said:

Wait a minute... Floatplane club got exclusive videos?

 

Edit: Yep, exclusive videos for FPC.

 

In other words: "yes we said we wouldn't do this, but if we do it this way we make more money, and that's what matters".

 

I am honestly surprised you got any dedicated fans left since you treat them like shit so often.

They could easily make a second 'junk' channel with all of that nonsense, even a month later if they wanted, instead of coming up with excuses to hide it behind a paywall. I'm disappointed, but I'll admit I'd do the same thing if it meant more easy money

[yathis]

I dont know whats going on here, nor do I wish to actually care or take the time to read each post on the second page.

[Big Head Tech]

2 hours ago, LAwLz said:

Snip

You're also using something said when Linus was a 4 man show with 2 unpaid interns vs a company that employs nearly 2 dozen people and has a gross income of possibly 10 million+ (Gross not Net obviously).

[LAwLz]

4 hours ago, Snaeb said:

You're also using something said when Linus was a 4 man show with 2 unpaid interns vs a company that employs nearly 2 dozen people and has a gross income of possibly 10 million+ (Gross not Net obviously).

I don't believe you should abandon your morals and integrity just because you make more money. 

[kburton97]

Why don't they just use CSF as a channel to upload the short 'vlog style' videos since that channel is by his own admission already dead. That would negate the problem of losing revenue on the main channel and I think most of us who would be interested in watching are already subscribed