MrBeast has a 'God King' problem

Kevin Mazur/Getty Images; Evan Agostini/AP; Alyssa Powell/BI What do Kim Jong Un, Ayatollah Khamenei, and MrBeast have in common? They all have such control over their fiefdoms that they've been called "Supreme Leader." In the case of MrBeast, YouTube's top star with over 500 million subscribers, the moniker came courtesy of a prospective investor.

The financier wanted to add "key man insurance" to a MrBeast fundraising term sheet to hedge against fallout if the company lost its leading man.

Adding the insurance would be "standard and obvious when a biz is led by a supreme leader" such as MrBeast, he wrote in an email viewed by Business Insider.

MrBeast was also referred to as "God King" on a 2022 org chart, and has called himself the "main character" of the company.

MrBeast's "God-King-Supreme-Leader-Main-Character" status has become a topic of increased concern among insiders and investors as his business has ballooned into a nearly 800-person operation that blends media, advertising, chocolate bars, and fintech — with ambitions for an IPO.

Investors have been eager to get a piece of MrBeast.

For his company, Beast Industries, to justify a valuation that topped $5 billion — and see long-term success in the public markets — it also has to grow beyond him.

The 28-year-old's outsize importance at the company has, at times, given investors and business partners pause, according to Business Insider's review of thousands of court documents and interviews with a dozen people close to the business.

The capacity of MrBeast's brand to transcend its famous founder will be a bellwether for what's possible in the creator economy , where the lofty ambitions of a wave of new superstars have yet to be fully realized.

"He's clearly built something that's unique, special, and not a lot of places to do that," said Chris Erwin, founder of RockWater Industries, which advises creator companies.

"Where he gets dinged is: he's the major face of all the content." "There is key man risk, and buyers will discount that," Erwin continued.

MrBeast's company representatives declined to comment for this story.

MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, has already stepped back from running parts of his company, appointing former Shutterfly CEO Jeffrey Housenbold as CEO in 2024 and subsequently hiring a slew of seasoned execs.

He's currently developing various content verticals to be hosted by different creators, following a playbook employed by other digital stars, including Alex Cooper, Dude Perfect, and Steven Bartlett .