The Tech YouTube channel Linus Tech Tips is under fire after Gamers Nexus alleged Linus Sebastian and his company, Linus Media Group, had published inaccurate data and followed bad ethical practices. This caused an uproar in the tech community, as many people had looked up to this content creator for years, and the trust they had has now come under question.
Gamers Nexus released a 44-minute video in which Steve Burke called out LTT for the massive amount of false data found in its videos when testing graphics cards or discussing other tech items like CPU chips, keyboards, etc. He claimed that someone with over 100 staff members under his belt, was almost acquired for $100 million, and has a growing lab for testing tech products, should not make this many mistakes. Especially when their videos could influence one’s purchasing decisions.
He also criticized the YouTuber for auctioning Billet Labs’ prototype monoblock during LTX 2023, LTT’s annual tech convention. Before the event, Burke claimed that Sebastian had not only tested the item on an incompatible GPU, but he also misrepresented the product, which he goes on to call “irresponsible.” The monoblock was spotted on the auction table, according to multiple videos based on the event, and Billet Labs commented on the situation, hoping that its new owner would use it how it was intended.
This video made its way to the LTT forums, Linus Tech Tips’ official subreddit, and other tech enthusiast hubs like r/PCMasterRace, and people were understandably upset, going on to urge the YouTuber to issue a public statement. Multiple new videos across LMG’s channels were filled with comments mocking the company for its negligence before they were removed by moderators. Some have begun to call them hypocrites because a prototype for its backpacks made it to a thrift store. Meanwhile, LTT’s followers on Floatplane, a paid-subscription-based video platform that LMG owns, began dropping in numbers, indicating that people have expressed their dissatisfaction with their wallets.
Sebastian addressed the situation on the LTT Forums, expressing his disappointment with Gamers Nexus for releasing the video without contacting him. He acknowledged the lack of quality in their data and plans to do better. He apologized to Billet Labs and stated his intention to compensate them for the loss of the prototype. He was also upset that the community “quickly raised the pitchforks,” as this situation could have been easily explained.
Unfortunately, this statement did not appease the tech crowd and angry fans since it was published “in an echo chamber” where fans would side with him more, not somewhere public like Twitter, Reddit, or YouTube’s community page. Many were also upset that he will not be addressing these issues during his livestream and that his response felt like he shifted the blame to the community.
It is currently unknown if Linus Tech Tips plans to release a video addressing any of the issues that Gamers Nexus brought to light. Many urged that Linus Media Group should focus on quality over quantity going forward. One thing is for certain: the trust that people have in this content creator has certainly diminished.