Who is ‘MrBeast’, the first user to reach a million followers on Meta’s Threads?

The world of social media has been rocked by the introduction of Threads, a fresh text-based conversation app unveiled by Meta, the company formerly known as Facebook Inc. This new platform's swift rise to fame has been amplified by the extraordinary feats of a specific individual – the charismatic and captivating MrBeast, the first person to accumulate a staggering one million followers on the app.

Interestingly, MrBeast's staggering follower count outstrips that of Mark Zuckerberg, the Meta CEO. The charismatic YouTuber stands tall with over 2.5 million followers, eclipsing Zuckerberg's 1.8 million. This feat certainly provides MrBeast with ample bragging rights, boasting the most-followed account on the platform. By now, the platform has crossed over 50 million registered users in just over 24-hours. This means that 5 percent of the users follow MrBeast.

The Self-Proclaimed future CEO of Threads

A unique facet of MrBeast's appeal is his knack for engaging and amusing his audience. Never one to sidestep a jest, he took to Threads and Twitter to celebrate his impressive milestone, humorously describing his usage of the new app as “cheating” on Twitter. He also cheekily uses "Future Threads CEO" in his bio.

Who is MrBeast?

Jimmy Donaldson, better recognised as MrBeast, is an American YouTuber, philanthropist, and entrepreneur, standing as one of the most influential figures in today’s digital landscape. A Kansas native, born in 1998, Donaldson began his journey on YouTube in 2012, a venture that's reaped billions of views and over 165 million subscribers over his main channel and tens of millions of more subscribers across his various sister channels. 

His initial rise to fame can be traced back to a series of videos he posted in 2017 featuring large-scale challenges and feats, such as watching a music video 10,000 times or attempting to break glass using only megaphones. These unique and often outrageous stunts began to attract a large number of viewers.

MrBeast’s posts videos across MrBeast (his main channel), Beast Philanthropy, MrBeast 2, MrBeast Gaming and Beast Reacts. Videos on his main channel receive upwards of 100 million each on average with total weekly views on main channel being over 200 million

What makes MrBeast famous?

MrBeast has gained fame through the orchestration of lavish stunts and high-stakes challenges on his YouTube channel. His creative endeavours often involve jaw-dropping sums of money, whether it's giving away $1,000,000 in cash, purchasing extravagant items for charitable donation, or running competitions with hefty cash rewards.

Such exploits have resulted in a substantial following, with viewers drawn in by the unique blend of philanthropy and entertainment. Essentially, MrBeast has successfully turned charitable acts into engaging content, serving as a viral marketing strategy that has considerably expanded his online presence.

Which is MrBeast’s most popular video?

His most popular video on his main channel is “$456,000 Squid Game In Real Life!” which was uploaded in November 2021, amid the height of popularity of Netflix’s South Korean sensation Squid Game. The video pitted 456 real individuals into the same elimination games as seen in the hit series, including recreated sets but sans the threat of death. 

“I’ve recreated every single set from Squid Game in real life and whichever one of these 456 people survives the longest wins $456,000,” Jimmy says in his usual bombastic introduction.

The winner of the video took home a grand prize of $456,000, which considering some of his other videos and challenges is not the highest cash prize offered by him. The total cost of making the video came out to be astonishing $3.5 million. 

What else does MrBeast do?

MrBeast's influence extends beyond his YouTube channel; he has capitalised on his digital success to break into business and philanthropy. In 2020, he launched a virtual restaurant brand known as "MrBeast Burger," operating as a delivery-only fast-food chain throughout the United States. 

His philanthropic pursuits are well-recognised. In 2019, he kickstarted the #TeamTrees campaign in association with the Arbor Day Foundation, aiming to raise funds to plant 20 million trees. The campaign achieved its goal within two months, garnering applause for this innovative approach to environmental activism.