But a 54-page court document could be his toughest test yet.
Five female contestants on upcoming Prime Video show Beast Games are launching legal action against his production company MrB2024 and Amazon in Los Angeles.
Billed as the largest ever reality competition series, 1,000 contestants are set to compete for a $5m (£3.7m) prize when the show airs – or if it airs. The lawsuit has plunged the show into crisis.
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Among many redacted pages, the legal document includes allegations that they “particularly and collectively suffered” in an environment that “systematically fostered a culture of misogyny and sexism”.
It cuts to the core of MrBeast’s image as one of the nicest guys on the internet.
I flicked through the document, which includes suggestions that participants were “underfed and overtired”. Meals were provided “sporadically and sparsely” which “endangered the health and welfare” of the contestants, it is claimed.
In one section where almost all of the claims are redacted from public view, it says the defendants “created, permitted to exist, and fostered a culture and pattern and practice of sexual harassment including in the form of a hostile work environment”.
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Back in August, the New York Times spoke to more than a dozen of the (yet unreleased) show’s participants, and reported there were “several hospitalisations” on the set, with one person telling the paper they had gone over 20 hours without being fed.
Contestants also alleged they had not received their medication on time.
The BBC has approached MrBeast and Amazon – he has not yet publicly commented.
So will these latest allegations hurt the king of YouTube’s popularity?
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Rising fame and philanthropy
Don Arnold/WireImage
MrBeast has a huge fan base – but is grappling with controversies
MrBeast is no stranger to controversy this year – and has managed to come out unscathed each time.
In July, the 26-year-old American said he had hired investigators after his former co-host Ava Kris Tyson was accused of grooming a teenager.
Ava denied the allegations, but has apologised for “past behaviour” which was “not acceptable”.
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MrBeast said he was “disgusted” by the “serious allegations”.
Later, further allegations about business practices surfaced on an anonymous YouTube channel, claiming to be a former employee. The BBC has not been able to independently verify the claims or this person’s identity.
Some of his philanthropic efforts – such as building wells in Africa, and paying for surgery for people with reduced sight and hearing – have drawn criticisms around exploitation.
But his empire continues to grow. The day before the lawsuit emerged on Wednesday, he revealed a team-up with fellow famous faces KSI and Logan Paul – a new food line designed to challenge Lunchables.
Most of his philanthropy is less controversial – including giving away houses, cash and cars – which has worked to create an image of him being one of the internet’s good guys.
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According to his website, he has delivered more than 25 million meals to the needy around the world.
According to stats-checker Socialblade, MrBeast picked up an extra five million subscribers in the last 30 days alone.
That’s just one metric – we can’t tell how many people unsubscribed from his channel, for example.
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What is certain is that the number of people who’ve actively decided to stop watching his videos has been eclipsed by those who’ve decided to subscribe.
The YouTube apology
He wouldn’t be the only YouTuber whose popularity holds through controversy – others have faced far more significant storms than MrBeast, with few facing many consequences outside of a public apology.
Logan Paul faced a massive backlash in 2018 after he uploaded a video to his 15 million subscribers which showed the body of a person who had apparently taken their own life.
Now, he has 23 million subscribers, owns an incredibly popular sports drink, and up until August was the WWE United States champion. He’s had quite a few pay-per-view boxing bouts, too.
Other high-profile YouTubers, including Pewdiepie, James Charles, and Jeffree Star have all had their own controversies, and got on with their careers after uploading apology videos.
A more modern example is Herschel “Guy” Beahm, known online as Dr Disrespect, who admitted he sent messages to “an individual minor” in 2017.
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He stressed that “nothing illegal happened, no pictures were shared, no crimes were committed” and went offline for two months after posting the statement.
His comeback livestream earlier this month attracted more than three million views, despite criticism from other high-profile streamers.
The point is: YouTubers tend to be forgiven quickly.
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What next for MrBeast?
While MrBeast’s fanbase has continued growing, controversy is swirling once again – and his next move could determine his long-term success.
James Lunn, chief strategy officer at Savvy Marketing, says the star is “in an incredibly unique position” with a “multi-faceted” brand spanning many industries.
“We are indeed in uncharted waters,” he says, and “a proactive approach, addressing the issues transparently and ensuring accountability, could protect his brand”.
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Brand expert Catherine Shuttleworth says the “sheer scale” of MrBeast’s fame may act as a buffer against backlash, but the latest lawsuit could be difficult.
“When it comes to his business ventures, particularly those targeting families and children – like Feastables chocolate bars or Lunchly – it’s a different story,” she says.
“Parents, who often hold the purchasing power, tend to be less tolerant of controversies involving safety, fairness, and ethics.”
Back in August 2023, when writing about MrBeast, I predicted he would soon take the YouTube crown despite him having half as many subscribers then.
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He is now facing extra challenges as his fame rises, and a lot of the internet is eagerly awaiting his reply to what is, so far, one side of a complex story.
The iPhone 16 series, especially the vanilla and “Plus” models, are the most repairable iPhones in years. Probably the EU’s pressures to enhance repairability in tech devices have a lot to do with this. One of the biggest internal changes is a new adhesive that makes battery replacement much easier. A new teardown from iFixit reveals just how simple it is to remove the battery on an iPhone 16.
The new iPhone 16’s battery glue releases the cell when you “electrocute” it
If you’re not aware, the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus use a new, neat method of battery removal. While glue is still there, it is now responsive to low-voltage electrical currents thanks to new special properties. Basically, the adhesive “releases” the cell when you infuse it with a small current of around 9V. You can do this with a simple battery that is available in many places and some alligator clips (or another conductive tool).
The teardown shows that the change is pretty impactful, especially considering the risks of removing the battery in previous models. Until now, all iPhones used traditional glue and the classic removal tabs for the battery. However, if for some reason you were unable to remove the cell by pulling the tabs, you had to resort to pressure tools. This entailed a potential risk of damage to the device or even fires.
For unknown reasons, the new “voltage-sensitive” glue is not present in the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max. These models keep the battery removal system from previous generations. However, they also got some tweaks in favor of repairability. There is now a new metal enclosure for the battery, and the LiDAR scanner and TrueDepth camera are more easily accessible to technicians. Apple will likely implement the new battery glue in all future iPhone models.
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More internal changes across the series
The iFixit teardown shows more than just the iPhone 16’s battery glue. It also provides a closer look at the new Camera Control button that’s present across the lineup. You can check out the full teardown video below.
If events in the last few years have felt like a higher power playing Mad Libs with our lives, then it looks as if it’s running out of options. “SpaceX,” you imagine it pulling out “gets sued by…” and then the sounds of paper rustling until it says, “Cards Against Humanity.” Turns out the silly game jokesters own an acre of land near to SpaceX’s facility in Texas, which the latter has been using for its own purposes.
. The lawsuit says the previously pristine land has been turned into an ersatz staging ground and parking lot for nearby construction work. It asks for $15 million compensation for the trespass and damage. If successful, it says it’ll share the win with the crowdfunding backers who coughed up to buy the land.
If the higher power in question wants some help with some suggestions, it could do worse than suggesting Engadget’s humble newsletter writers win a billion pounds each on the same day in completely different competitions.
— Dan Cooper
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The biggest tech stories you missed
Don’t worry, it’s not using that power for anything good!
Microsoft is . Those with short memories may not know it was the site of a 1979 meltdown that helped halt the development of nuclear energy in the US.
Now, I’m not mad the plant is being reactivated, since nuclear offers safe, clean and abundant energy. TMI reactor one remained in operation from 1985 until 2019, so it’s got a healthy track record too. But I am mad at the reason Microsoft’s cutting the check: to power its AI data centers!
Anyone for pickleball?
B&B Theatres
Here’s a non-exhaustive list of reasons I rarely visit movie theaters:
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The cost
Not being able to pause the movie to visit the restroom
People talking during the movie
People checking Facebook on their phone during the movie
People making phone calls during the movie
Here’s a non-exhaustive list of things movie chains will do to lure me back:
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OpenAI
OpenAI is reportedly ditching its increasingly recognizable hexagonal flower logo in favor of something a bit more sinister. . At the same time, a new profile of Sir Jonathan Ive reveals the long-rumored partnership between him and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is real. . Let’s hope it does better than the Humane Pin, the last AI hardware tool cooked up by a storied designer with Apple on their resume.
The Food and Drug Administration has approved a nasally-administered influenza immunization treatment that can be taken at home. FluMist — a nasal spray vaccine that AstraZeneca initially developed as an in-office treatment two decades ago — will still require a prescription to obtain and is expected to be made available via a new online pharmacy next year, according to The New York Times.
The treatment will require people to fill out a questionnaire on the upcoming FlueMist Home website. Once approved by a pharmacist, the nasal spray will be shipped directly to the customer’s door. The current out-of-pocket cost is around $35 to $45 per dose according to the NYT, but that may drop depending on insurance coverage.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that FluMist has a similar efficacy to the traditional shot. It has been available through healthcare providers ever since it was first approved by the FDA back in 2003. It’s suitable for people aged between 2 to 49 years old — though the FDA recommends that the nasal spray be administered by a parent/caregiver to anyone under 18. The spray could be an alternative for people who are averse to getting injections, or otherwise find it difficult or inconvenient to travel for flu immunization treatments.
“Today’s approval of the first influenza vaccine for self- or caregiver-administration provides a new option for receiving a safe and effective seasonal influenza vaccine potentially with greater convenience, flexibility and accessibility for individuals and families,” said the FDA’s vaccine center director, Dr. Peter Marks. The World Health Organization reports that there are around a billion annual cases of seasonal influenza, resulting in 290,000 to 650,000 respiratory deaths each year.
If you’re thinking “ach, Apple does that with AirPods already” or “don’t those Sonos Ace headphones do that with the Arc?” this is something very different. With Sonos and Apple’s approach, the listening apparatus strapped to your head make up all of the speakers: they’re the entire audio system and there’s no sound coming from the connected ‘bar. But with Bose, your earbuds are only being used as surround sound speakers; the rear channel speakers in a traditional setup. The soundbar still does all the heavy lifting for dialog, low-end thump and all the dynamic stuff. And your earbuds take care of the placement and ambience.
That’s why this feature is only currently available for the Ultra Open buds. Their design means that unlike normal over- or in-ears, they let outside audio in rather than blocking or muffling it. So in theory at least, they shouldn’t interfere with the audio from your soundbar. Instead, they’ll add an extra dimension to it – think bullets flying over your shoulder, grazing your ears.
Bose’s Smart Soundbar surround really is a smart idea
(Image credit: Future)
The proof is in the listening, of course. But we’ve tested the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds so we know they sound fantastic; in fact, we rate them as the best-sounding open-ear buds yet. We haven’t yet tried them with the Smart Soundbar yet, but we have listened to their Immersive Audio, which is what Bose calls Spatial Audio, and we found it very impressive. Crucially, we found that they blended their own audio with the outside world really well: we didn’t feel any disconnect between the audio in our ears and the audio around us.
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I think there are some significant benefits to this system, and one big downside. The big benefit is convenience: I recently moved house and setting up my AV system was a real pain, especially for the rear surround and the Atmos speakers. I spent many hours, ran many metres of cabling and uttered many swears to get my surround speakers in the right place; with the Bose system I could have skipped all that and simply stuck the buds in my ears.
You can adjust the balance of the center channel and your personal rear-channel speakers in the Bose companion app (Image credit: Bose)
The downside? As far as I can see, this is a strictly one-pair deal – so if you want to watch with a partner, friend or family member then this system isn’t going to support that. But for solo viewing it could be a really impressive alternative to traditional surround speakers.
The new Bose Smart Soundbar is a refresh of the existing Bose Smart Soundbar 600, featuring the same small, sleek design and boasting the “size-defying immersive audio of its predecessor while introducing something new: A.I. Dialogue Mode”. This is a feature that arrived in the Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar last fall. It uses a machine learning algorithm to adjust tonal balance for clarity in real-time when it detects speech.
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Want to try it all out? Us too – watch this space, although if you’re already sold, the Bose Smart Soundbar will be available for purchase in black for £499.95 from October 10th in the UK, with customers able to pre-order now. We don’t currently see pre-orders available in other regions, but that pricing puts it at roughly $665 or AU$975. Tempting…
The egg-shaped toy housing a virtual pet was one of the biggest crazes of the 1990s.
And several attempts to reignite the brand over the years appears to have now paid off for owner Bandai Namco.
Global sales more than doubled between 2022 and 2023, it tells the BBC, and Tamagotchi has now opened its first shop in the UK – something it didn’t even do when it was 1996’s hottest gadget.
The London shop, based in Camden Market, is a hub of nostalgia with seemingly countless devices for sale
Unsurprisingly, the modern Tamagotchi isn’t the same thing you would have bought in the 1990s.
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It still looks the same – a garishly coloured egg with a small digital screen and buttons – but the actual toy has much more functionality.
“Now you can connect with friends, you can play on Wi-Fi and download different items, and that’s really combating that sense of fatigue that you might have gotten with some earlier models,” Tamagotchi brand manager Priya Jadeja told the BBC.
The virtual pet officially relaunched in the UK in 2019 and has been growing since – with a perhaps surprising mix of players young and old.
“When we relaunched, we thought it would be a very millennial-focused relaunch,” Ms Jadeja says.
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“But it’s being introduced to kids who’ve never had this sort of device before – it’s really exciting to see them embracing it.”
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Aki Maita (pictured) and Akihiro Yokoi won the Ig Nobel Prize for Economics in 1997 for their invention
Unlike in 1996, now there are many other virtual pets on the market.
For example Bitzee, made by Hatchimals, uses a flexible display that responds to your touch, and reacts to tilt-based movement.
Meanwhile Punirunes has a popular feature where you can place your finger inside the toy to “stroke” the virtual pet on the screen.
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And there’s also Digimon virtual pets – another 1990s throwback – though these are also owned by Bandai Namco, and were originally designed as Tamagotchi for boys.
Despite those gender-based lines being drawn back in the day, Jadeja says there doesn’t seem to be any real difference in who buys the toys now.
For the Tamagotchi fans we spoke to, nostalgia is playing a big role.
EmmalutionYT
Emmalution often vlogs about her Tamagotchis on her YouTube channel
“I got my first Tamagotchi back in primary school, my best friend had one back then and I have fond memories of playing with them together,” says Emma, known on YouTube as Emmalution. She says she “started craving some of that nostalgia”.
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She didn’t keep her old Tamagotchi and picked up a modern one last year, she says.
“This kickstarted an obsession, absorbing loads of information about all of the releases that had come out after my first ever Tamagotchi,” she said.
“I started a collection, curious to know what I’d been missing out on whilst I was too busy growing up.”
Lost in Translationmon
Koby has been a fan since he was much younger
Koby, known to his fans on YouTube as Lost in Translationmon, agreed.
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“When I’m playing with my Digimon or Tamagotchi virtual pets, I get a small snapshot of what it was like when I first played with my virtual pets as a kid.
“There’s also a fantastic sense of community from sharing photos and stories online with other people.”
And for Emma, there is one other big factor – escapism.
“With how the world is at the moment, and how it has been for the past few years, it’s nice to just look down at your little pixel pet every now and again, forget it all for a moment to feed it a little snack or play a little game, and remember a much simpler time.”
CAPTCHA tests try to sort humans from bots by asking users to identify objects in photos
lilgrapher/Shutterstock
An artificial intelligence can solve the CAPTCHA puzzles used by websites to distinguish whether browsers are humans or bots 100 per cent of the time.
Andreas Plesner at ETH Zurich in Switzerland and his colleagues fine-tuned an AI model nicknamed YOLO (You Only Look Once) to become an expert at solving the image-based challenges used to verify identities on websites. The particular type of CAPTCHA it tackled – reCAPTCHAv2, which was developed by Google – asks users to identify certain types of…
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