Joe Rogan Experience #2527 - Mr Beast
In a Nutshell
MrBeast and Joe Rogan brainstorm a massive zombie apocalypse reality show set in a 50-acre abandoned city, featuring escalating zombie waves, $1M+ daily prize growth, gel blasters with blanks and squibs, ex-Navy SEAL zombies, and contestants surviving 10 days of sleep deprivation and constant threats. The conversation also covers MrBeast's record-breaking Beast Games production (1,200 cameras, $22M prizes, contestants from every country) and his ethical initiatives including cutting child labor in cacao farming by 90% in pilot villages and redirecting 40+ million meals from food waste. MrBeast emphasizes that pushing past "impossible" barriers with unlimited resources, reinvesting profits into quality, and maintaining obsessive work ethic over 18-hour days are what enabled his success and massive scale.
These notes were generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies.
MrBeast notes that giving away millions of dollars makes it easy to get people excited about participating in his shows. The main difficulty is participants needing time off work, especially for longer shoots like Beast Games which can last a month. Some people get cold feet the day before filming, so for a 100-person show they typically have 10 backups ready.
Rogan suggests the type of person who would do the show would have a job they could quit. MrBeast explains that for smaller YouTube videos offering $250,000 prizes, participants are less willing to risk their jobs for a 1% chance of winning, whereas the $5 million Beast Games prize generates much more excitement.
The newest season of Beast Games featured one contestant from every country on Earth, totaling around 200 participants. MrBeast observed how contestants from Asian Pacific countries reacted and strategized differently than those from South America due to their different upbringings.
Psych evaluations and background checks were conducted on all participants. They used the same country count as the Olympics, which is approximately 200 countries. Some participating countries are extremely small, with one island nation having only 40,000 residents. MrBeast joked that if someone from that country won the $5 million, they could give a $200 dividend to every person in their nation.
MrBeast spent over a million dollars on casting, background checks, and aggregating contestants from every country. To ensure quality representation, they selected two or three people per country and let citizens from those countries vote on who should compete. This approach ensured that if a contestant turned out to be problematic, it would be the country's choice rather than MrBeast's selection.
Beast Games is the largest cash prize show in the world. Season 1 gave away $22 million in total, with $2 million awarded every episode. The show had the most contestants of any show and the largest sets ever built. MrBeast's approach was to take a traditional reality show format and maximize every element.
The production used over 1,200 cameras, breaking the world record for most cameras ever used in any production. The previous record was 400 cameras. The set also used 27 miles of camera cables and required the largest control room ever built. Over 150 editors worked on the season.
Instead of having story producers direct participants on what to say, MrBeast gave each contestant a dedicated camera and told them to say whatever they wanted over 10 hours of recording. This approach allowed contestants to be themselves rather than following scripted narratives, resulting in more natural and authentic content.
MrBeast emphasizes making the best content possible rather than focusing on maximizing profit. Traditional television networks calculate how much they can reduce quality to save 80% of costs, but MrBeast reinvests money back into the production.
He tells his team that technically anything is possible if humans are willing to spend the time and money. The default reaction from even veteran team members is often to say something is impossible, but MrBeast pushes the mindset that most things are achievable with sufficient resources.
MrBeast spent 100 hours filming inside the pyramids of Egypt, going to the top of the middle pyramid and underneath it into Osiris's tomb, which was flooded. For years people told him it would be impossible to get permission, but he persisted until Egyptian authorities approved the educational video. The experience was one of his favorite videos and was particularly special because it was his first time visiting the pyramids.
Rogan mentions he has discussed Egypt extensively and would prefer to visit with alternative historians like Graham Hancock rather than official guides. He notes the gatekeeping around the official narrative of how the structures were built and questions the accepted timeline, suggesting there's evidence it doesn't make sense.
MrBeast visited the Sphinx and went into the small room underneath it. Rogan had Dr. Zahi Hawass on his show previously.
For season 3 of Beast Games, the finale with the $5 million prize was filmed in the Roman Coliseum. They crowned the winner in the middle of the arena and played the first game there in over a thousand years. A live orchestra performed at the top ring, playing louder music during dramatic moments.
MrBeast described multiple moments during filming where he felt the experience was surreal and didn't feel real. The construction of the Coliseum began under Vespasian between AD 70-72 and was completed under Emperor Titus around AD 79-80, taking roughly 6-8 years to build.
The Coliseum had a seating hierarchy where noble people sat at the bottom and poor people at the top. MrBeast noted the emperor's seat was only about four rows up from the arena floor, within spear-throwing distance. He observed that while it was an incredible view, it was also dangerous for the emperor.
MrBeast and Rogan discussed how the Roman Coliseum has remained relatively intact after nearly 2,000 years because it was made of stone. Modern structures like SoFi Stadium made of cement, glass, and other materials would likely be absorbed back into the earth within a few hundred years if abandoned.
Rogan referenced a History Channel show called "Life After People" that demonstrated how cities would be reclaimed by nature. He noted that in Detroit, trees are already growing through abandoned houses from basement to roof.
MrBeast discusses creating an unscripted zombie apocalypse experience where contestants live in an isolated, rundown civilization. The idea involves building abandoned gas stations and structures set in the year 2060 with set designers recreating the environment. Only items like Laffy Taffy would remain edible as part of the authentic recreation. The goal is to let someone genuinely experience a zombie apocalypse for a week rather than through scripted shows.
The main challenge is determining how contestants can kill zombies without it appearing lame. Nerf swords were dismissed as insufficient. Paintball was considered but requires masks that could break immersion. Airsoft presents similar issues with face protection requirements. One solution proposed involves zombies wearing masks that serve dual purposes as both costume and protection, with makeup applied over form-fitting hard structures and clear goggles protecting the eyes.
Joe Rogan and MrBeast examine half-faced zombie airsoft masks that could work for the concept. These masks would allow zombies to be hit without requiring separate face protection. The masks appear terrifying when approaching at night, which enhances the horror element. MrBeast asks his team to clip the last 10 minutes of the conversation and send it to the creative team.
MrBeast estimates the zombie apocalypse video would cost between five and ten million dollars. The plan involves building an abandoned city set, filming an "I Am Legend" style video with himself as the last person on the planet, then reusing the location to film contestants surviving for 10 days while fending off zombies with friends. Finding an abandoned city with a skyscraper would enable dramatic overhead shots of survivors around fires at night with vines growing on buildings.
MrBeast references a previous video filmed in a war-torn European city with hotels and tall buildings that was closed off for a week. While tourists visit the location, it has no permanent residents. Concerns include whether authorities would permit extensive set decoration and paintball usage given the historical significance of the site.
Paintball was deemed more effective than airsoft because hits are visibly confirmed when paint splatters. MrBeast mentions ongoing work on electronic laser tag suits for a potential real-life Hunger Games video. Shotguns with bean bag rounds were considered as a non-lethal option, but questions remain about safety at close range and whether pressure could be adjusted appropriately.
MrBeast requests to see footage from the seven days in an abandoned city video. The location features multiple buildings suitable for the zombie concept. Joe Rogan suggests structuring the experience so games begin at sundown with nothing happening until dark. Contestants would receive materials during the day to build shelter, develop alarm systems, and prepare defenses while being kept awake with tasks.
The concept involves zombies creeping in at unpredictable times during the night, potentially at 3 AM after contestants have been awake all day. Contestants would use paintball or gel blasters to fend off waves of 30 or more zombies. Additional elements include hiding lights throughout the city that contestants must collect and position around their fort for visibility, with cycles of watch duty established.
The structure could involve 40 zombies released each night, with survivors believing they've eliminated most threats only to discover five hidden zombies remaining in the city the following day. This creates ongoing tension as contestants remain on edge. Zombies could also appear during daytime on day six after establishing a nighttime-only pattern for the first five days.
MrBeast references Gel Blaster technology used in a previous video, which shoots water projectiles and uses sensor vests that light up when hit, similar to VR laser tag. The system includes audio feedback indicating remaining shots. The guns would need reskinning to appear less toy-like, and the aesthetic would need adjustment to match the zombie apocalypse theme.
MrBeast suggests casting ex-Navy Seals as zombies, which would justify them wearing plate carriers and body armor to absorb hits. This creates lore where an army was overtaken and turned into zombies. Contestants could also be ex-Navy Seals or experts from various fields including UFC champions, martial artists, and Taekwondo practitioners, creating a scenario where six specialists in different fields must survive together.
Additional tension could come from limiting flashlight battery life to one hour per evening, forcing judicious use. Zombies could have slightly glowing red eyes visible in the dark. Dead zombies could be swapped with mannequins throughout the video, creating piles of bodies that contestants must step over as the simulation progresses.
A million-dollar prize could be split among survivors who complete the full 10 days. The final day could feature a massive invasion with escalating zombie numbers: 10 on day one, 20 on day two, 50 on day three, culminating in 400 zombies on the final day. Contestants eliminated by zombies could become zombies themselves, creating a final game where survivors compete against former contestants.
The vision involves sealing off 50 acres of an abandoned city with complete set decoration. Each day brings larger waves of zombies until a Game of Thrones-style crescendo finale. Survivors who complete the challenge split a million dollars.
MrBeast emphasizes practical effects over post-production additions. Guns would need modification to produce realistic bang sounds even when shooting gel projectiles. The weapons must appear as real firearms scavenged from houses rather than futuristic designs. Limited ammunition creates additional challenge, with standard shotguns holding approximately six shells.
A 20-gauge shotgun firing bird shot with bean bags was proposed as potentially less harmful while still creating impact and noise. The challenge involves finding a way to make hits visibly register, possibly through gel packs in suits that illuminate on impact. Shotguns with bean bags remain problematic due to safety concerns.
Joe Rogan expresses interest in participating as a zombie for one night, suggesting he could appear in the background of shots. MrBeast jokes that everyone would wonder about the bald guy among the Navy Seal zombies.
The conversation shifts to crossbow mechanics in The Walking Dead, noting that field tips used in the show would not realistically kill zombies. Field tips function like pencils going through the head, whereas actual hunting broadheads cause massive hemorrhage through cutting channels. Humans have survived field tip arrows through the head because they don't cause sufficient bleeding.
Discussion turns to the lowest powered shotgun options, examining a 410-gauge and 67-gauge shotgun. The 67-gauge appears as a revolver-style shotgun. The question remains whether even the lowest powered shotgun with bean bags would cause injury without proper protection.
A plate carrier could protect the chest area from bean bag rounds since the ammunition is non-penetrating. However, shoulders and arms would remain exposed unless full military-style body armor is provided to zombies. The bean bag round functions as a bag shot from the shotgun that impacts rather than penetrates.
The team discusses using modified 12-gauge shotguns for the zombie show concept. Joe expresses concern that shotguns require getting too close for effective headshots and prefers snipers and grenades instead. They explore using bean bag rounds or rock salt loads that make an impact sound like a real gun but cannot kill anyone. MrBeast's team confirms they are already working on sourcing appropriate rounds.
Joe shares a story from 1994 when an actor in Los Angeles put a blank-loaded gun to his head and pulled the trigger, dying from the compressed air discharge. The group also references the Alec Baldwin incident, noting it likely involved negligence where real rounds were used on a range and the same guns were brought to set without proper clearing. The rule emphasized is that you should never point a gun at someone, even if unloaded.
The discussion references Bruce Lee's son Brandon Lee's death on the set of The Crow, caused by a particle from a blank rather than a bullet. Modern CG and sound effects are considered as alternatives that might eliminate the need for blanks entirely, though practical recoil and the psychological impact of real guns are valued for actor immersion.
MrBeast describes their approach from recreating Squid Game, where squibs were placed on contestants to simulate elimination with liquid splatter. For the zombie concept, gel packs would be hidden under tattered white outfits so that when hit, red liquid splatters visibly. This system could work with blanks combined with laser sights for precise targeting.
The Hunger Games concept is referenced where laser tag triggered squibs upon being hit, with bullet trajectories added in post-production. The practical filming would use invisible lasers while suits light up to indicate hits. A dual-trigger mechanism is proposed where pulling the trigger fires both the blank round sound and the laser simultaneously, syncing the boom with squib activation.
MrBeast notes that his YouTube channel typically avoids gore, suggesting they might need to use a platform like the one that aired Fear Factor for this rated-R concept. Joe suggests that using the word "eliminated" instead of "killed" could help maintain family-friendly perception, especially since the targets are already dead zombies. A streaming platform offering a blank check is fantasized about as ideal.
The vision includes an actual abandoned city with dozens of acres, sealed off with walls built around the perimeter. Set designers would age the environment to appear 50 years in the future, with vines growing on buildings and realistic degradation applied to every detail including gas stations and product packaging. The Beast Games mindset of having cameras everywhere without heavy structure is contrasted with traditional production approaches.
Each day contestants complete tasks, a million dollars would be added to the prize pool, potentially growing to $10 million over 10 days. UFC fighters, Navy SEALs, and other hardcore competitors would be recruited. The prize pool itself would be placed in the middle of the city, and if zombies touch it, the money is lost, forcing contestants to both defend themselves and protect their potential winnings.
A helicopter would deliver daily tasks, sometimes dropping them from an eagle flying overhead. After completing a task before nightfall, another helicopter would arrive to add another million dollars in cash to the prize pool using a rope-lowered delivery. With six contestants surviving nine days and growing the pool to $6 million, each could become a millionaire.
If a zombie successfully eliminates a contestant, that zombie receives one-sixth of the prize pool, creating incentive for zombie performers to be aggressive. The elimination rule is kept simple: if a zombie touches a contestant, they are out. This prevents physical confrontations while still creating tension. Chase scenes are expected as zombies run and contestants try to evade.
The group debates whether to use fast 28 Days Later-style zombies or slower Walking Dead-style zombies, suggesting they could evolve over time. Physical constraints like chains around feet are considered to prevent zombies from moving faster than intended. The risk of even 2% of 300 zombies going rogue is highlighted as potentially ruining takes that cannot be reshot.
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Contestants would be given constant daytime tasks that both increase their potential winnings and prevent sleep. Those who complete tasks have a higher threshold for earnings, while those who sleep through the day earn nothing even if they survive. The goal is to keep everyone occupied and exhausted so nighttime becomes genuinely terrifying.
Night scenes would feature tight shots of exhausted contestants trying to stay awake, suddenly hearing "zombies" and grabbing their shotguns. Red eyes visible in the darkness would create horror. The concern about contestants accidentally shooting each other while panicked leads back to the blank-and-laser system for safety.
Gel rounds similar to large Nerf water projectiles that explode on impact are considered as a safer alternative to blanks. However, the psychological impact of the actual bang and flash from blanks is preferred for creating authentic fear in the dark environment.
Contestants would build a fort around the central prize pool with walls they can stand on. Having the money visible in background shots allows viewers to intuitively understand the motivation without explicit explanation. At night, a game of advanced hide-and-seek would occur where contestants must remain silent.
Zombies would be equipped with Walker Game Ears, hearing amplification devices that make quiet sounds like whispers detectable while protecting against loud noises like gunshots. This forces contestants to be completely silent while hiding, as any whisper could reveal their location to nearby zombies.
All doors in the buildings would have handles and locks removed to prevent contestants from barricading themselves. Before releasing zombies each night, a producer would walk through buildings to confirm there are valid paths for zombies to reach contestants. This ensures no cheating is possible.
The concept is described as either the worst show imaginable that gets clowned on or the number one show ever, with no middle ground. The Last of Us is referenced as the type of simulation being attempted. The format is considered highly clippable for TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts, with any 10-second scene of zombies being shot at having viral potential.
A seven-year-old MrBeast video featuring a mini zombie horde is referenced, showing the quality of practical effects possible. Professional special effects makeup artists would create detailed masks with realistic teeth and decayed flesh applied over hard airsoft bases. The goal is to make the zombies look genuinely disgusting and terrifying.
MrBeast describes his personal metric for evaluating ideas: when discussing a concept causes his heart rate to elevate from excitement, it indicates the idea has strong potential. He believes this emotional response predicts that other people will also get excited, talk about the concept, and ultimately watch the show if produced.
The discussion centers on developing a zombie survival reality show in an abandoned city. The format combines deep thinking about what makes zombies compelling with detailed set design. Participants would face realistic threats including zombies and other dangers at night, with eyes visible in the darkness. The show would feature infighting, greed, and dramatic B-roll captured from wide shots using long lenses rather than visible camera crews.
Sandbox VR is described as a warehouse experience with fans simulating wind, haptic feedback vests, and headsets. The favorite experience is Deadwood Mansion, set in an abandoned mansion where participants shoot zombies, encounter rats, and face enemies in the ceiling.
Each day would function as an escape room with new puzzles to solve. A million-dollar vault would drop daily, requiring contestants to solve a series of difficult challenges to obtain the combination. Tasks would be meaningful rather than arbitrary, with the prize pool potentially growing based on accomplishments. Sleep deprivation would factor into group dynamics and decision-making.
MrBeast recruited top puzzle solvers from Reddit for a Super Bowl commercial where viewers could win a million dollars by solving puzzles using only a computer. Over 60 million people visited the site, but it took weeks for someone to solve it. The campaign featured approximately 100 complex puzzles requiring different skill sets, including:
- Clicking through a million buttons to find the single working one
- Deciphering text using obscure languages
- Interpreting colors on a belt that translated to specific meanings
- Combining braille patterns with colors
- Interpreting symbols like a grenade with mathematical notation to find locations such as Yellowstone
A subreddit formed around the puzzle hunt, with daily podcasts and updates. Communities initially shared solutions openly, but became more secretive as they neared the end.
Contestants would start unarmed, acquiring guns through puzzle-solving or exploration. An armory could be accessible via prolonged hacksawing, requiring someone to work on it for approximately 10 hours. Old-school safes with audible tumblers could be included, along with stethoscopes and instruction books for cracking them. One idea involves a certified explosives expert among contestants who could create mock C4 to access the armory.
The format emphasizes giving contestants agency so viewers can ask themselves what they would do in the same situation. Examples include choosing between scavenging for resources versus attempting high-risk, high-reward activities like cracking the safe. This mirrors Beast Games moments where contestants face choices between taking a million dollars and eliminating friends or maintaining integrity.
Ammo, supplies, and food would only be available at night, forcing contestants to decide whether to risk exposure. Each night, the money pile would be moved by helicopter to one of ten pre-selected random buildings unknown to contestants, requiring them to adapt their defensive positions.
A map puzzle would reveal locations of ammo dumps, supply caches, and food. One concept involves a secondary location miles away, requiring a 10-mile hike through woods. Contestants would need to decide whether to attempt the journey and return before dark or stay overnight, creating parallel storylines between those remaining in the city and those traveling.
The approach is called blue skying, focusing on the best possible show without immediately considering restrictions. Everything discussed is considered possible, with feasibility determined afterward by calculating time and cost using first-principles thinking. This contrasts with traditional writers' rooms where ideas are dismissed early.
MrBeast's success stems from building his team without executive interference. Business people often believe they are creative and want credit for ideas, leading to poor suggestions and comparisons to existing successful shows. The purple cow effect is explained: a purple cow stands out and is memorable, whereas repeating proven formats fails to capture attention. Platforms increasingly approach creators but often strip away the unique elements that built their audiences.
Four hit films made by creators appeared consecutively. Talk to Me, a horror film by Australian brothers Michael and Danny Philippou (RakkaRakka), was discussed. The brothers previously made YouTube videos and appeared on the podcast two years ago. The film involves an ancient hand sculpture with cryptic writing; participants must release it within seconds after saying "Talk to me" or become possessed. The movie was made entirely in Australia without famous actors.
MrBeast played a $1,000 game of Uno against one of the Philippou brothers, filmed as a short. The intense game involved flipping desks. After they left, the SD card was found to be corrupt, preventing upload.
Young directors in their 20s are transitioning from short-form content on TikTok and Instagram Reels into feature films. The director of The Backrooms is around 20 years old, and the film recently crossed 100 million views. The creators of Obsession are also in their 20s and previously made silly, goofy skits. Their feature film is considered one of the best movies seen recently.
When looking backward, the progression becomes clear. Earlier skits were very well shot and visually strong, serving as practice that built skills for compiling scenes into a full movie. Steve Jobs' observation applies: connecting the dots is difficult looking forward but possible looking backward.
A delay exists between creator success and traditional Hollywood output because film production takes years. Dozens of additional creator-made movies are expected within 18 months. These directors will receive more funding as industry eyes open to what younger audiences actually watch.
People under 30 grew up watching YouTube and spend roughly two hours daily scrolling vertical feeds on TikTok, Reels, and YouTube Shorts. This vertical content constitutes their culture. Joe Rogan notes he rarely goes to theaters except for Christopher Nolan films, but watches creator movies to see what they produce.
Creators are not limited to the genres they are known for. Someone making funny TikTok videos can still make a great horror film. Jordan Peele transitioned from the Key & Peele comedy sketch show to directing Get Out. Comedy sketches appear to be a gateway to great horror films, with examples including Jordan Peele, Curry, and Baker.
Creative people naturally have varied interests. Liking both comedy and horror films does not create a contradiction. Horror films can be easier to produce on smaller budgets because much of the effect relies on the unknown, suspense, and implication rather than showing everything. A $100 million horror film and a $10 million horror film may not differ dramatically in quality when the premise, tension, and emotional impact matter more than spending.
Older films like An American Werewolf in London demonstrate that limited visibility of the monster can be more effective. The creature appears only briefly, for roughly a half-second at a time in early scenes.
At CES, an AI companion was demonstrated as a hot Asian woman with big boobs whose lips do not sync with speech. The system enables back-and-forth conversation using language models, similar to Perplexity, ChatGPT, or Gemini. Users can instruct models to respond quickly and use slang.
Dune is a strategy board game with moderate randomness and a high skill ceiling. It was selected after researching alternatives to games like Catan and Monopoly, which rely heavily on dice rolls. The game has enough players to find opponents regularly.
Transcripts from roughly 100 YouTube videos by top player Dino (dozens of hours) were fed into Gemini. The resulting "Dino.io" model responds to game questions in Dino's style, including mannerisms and analytical thinking. When asked if he would take a bullet for friend Chay, the AI responded that it depends on location (foot versus chest), matching Dino's analytical personality.
The model was used during Discord calls while playing, sometimes with instructions for the real Dino to stay silent. The AI replicated Dino's responses accurately due to contextual data from live streams.
A pendant recording someone's speech for one to two weeks could feed an LLM to create a digital version that talks like that person. Speech pattern analysis from 100,000 words can quantify filler words (0.15% "um"), vocabulary choices, and situational response differences between stress and casual contexts.
Dozens of hours from this podcast could theoretically create a "Jimmy.io" replica capable of matching speech patterns and situational responses. This could extend to placing such replicas in robots, allowing people to live forever in digital form. A robot version of oneself performing household tasks like vacuuming raises unsettling implications.
Grieving individuals might create replicas of deceased loved ones for a sense of normality, though the result would likely feel empty, hollow, and creepy.
The period between 2026 and 2036 will see unprecedented change. Historical decades like 1930-1940 or 1600-1700 showed relatively little technological difference aside from world events or incremental improvements like better boats and muskets.
Augmented reality glasses combined with AI and increased compute could enable real-time generation of personalized video game worlds within headsets. Humanoid robots are receiving tens of billions in investment, and merging advanced AI with robotics will become inevitable.
In five years, people may need to determine whether someone is a robot or human. In ten years, this distinction will seem as mundane as distinguishing a rock from an iPhone. Younger generations growing up with ChatGPT and AI will find these technologies intuitive.
VFX artists currently spend time on tedious tasks like rotoscoping hair frame by frame. AI can handle background removal by simply drawing a circle, freeing artists for more creative work. The outcome remains uncertain: AI could enhance roles or eliminate positions entirely.
Optimism exists that AI will handle undesirable busy work while humans focus on enjoyable tasks. Universal high income, as discussed by Elon Musk, could remove the need to work for basic necessities like food and shelter. However, human nature problems arise when motivation disappears.
Children would need education focused on pursuing interests and completing difficult tasks for intrinsic excitement rather than survival. VR and AR games will become far more stimulating than current experiences. A VR version of Call of Duty could create addiction levels beyond anything previously seen, making real life feel comparatively dull.
Sandbox VR represents an early version of immersive environments. Future systems with omnidirectional treadmills and larger physical spaces could make distinguishing real from virtual impossible. The anime Sword Art Online depicts a character trapped in a video game who ultimately enjoys the experience.
Questions arise about whether physical reality matters if virtual worlds provide equivalent fulfillment. Some individuals, including Elon Musk, believe the odds of not living in a simulation are one in billions. The simulation hypothesis suggests advanced civilizations might run detailed ancestor simulations using stellar-scale energy harvesting and massive compute.
The transcript ends discussing subatomic particles and the structure of the universe itself.
The conversation explores how consciousness might affect reality itself and whether humans are limited by their senses. The possibility exists that people live in a siloed version of reality imprisoned by limited senses of sight, smell, and touch, with potentially much more happening around us that we lack the ability to perceive.
MrBeast reflects on helping a thousand blind people regain sight through cataract surgeries and a thousand deaf people hear again through advanced hearing aids. He describes a particularly moving moment where a man who had never heard his child speak heard his child say "daddy" for the first time after receiving hearing aids.
The discussion notes that senses are limited, as demonstrated by the fact that microscopes reveal things invisible to the naked eye. Without other people telling those who regained their sight that vision was possible, they would have assumed their limited perception was complete reality.
The group considers which of the five senses would be least impactful to lose. They conclude that smell would be the least necessary for survival. While losing smell would make food taste worse and prevent detection of body odor, overall odds of living would not drop dramatically in a contained, safe environment like cities and offices. However, environmental poisons and gas leaks would pose problems without the ability to smell toxic chemicals.
MrBeast listened to a podcast from four years ago during the car ride and observed how one-dimensional he appeared, focused almost exclusively on YouTube data and analytics. He describes having borderline autism-level obsession with that single subject at the time. He notes that if someone searched "MrBeast Joe Rogan," the older and newer podcasts would present completely different experiences.
MrBeast lost 50 pounds between the previous podcast appearance and this one. Joe Rogan compliments his improved appearance and health.
MrBeast reflects that his intense focus on YouTube may not have been entirely positive. He believes consuming more movies and other cultural mediums would have provided better inspiration and made him a more effective storyteller. Joe Rogan pushes back, arguing that the hyper-focus enabled his success.
Most people consume content through short clips on social media rather than full episodes. Clips lack timestamp context, so older podcast segments can go viral years later without viewers realizing the content's age. MrBeast estimates that 10 to 15 times more people will encounter this podcast through random clips than through direct listening on Spotify or iTunes.
Younger audiences particularly engage with sub-one-minute vertical content that they swipe through. A survey indicates that 56% of people now prefer watching sporting events through clips rather than the full game. UFC events similarly receive hundreds of millions of views on social media compared to live streaming numbers.
Joe Rogan mentions the White House UFC event, noting that experiencing it live was surreal in ways that clips cannot convey. The Roman Coliseum is referenced in comparison to the unique atmosphere of that venue.
Mark Zuckerberg trains seriously with world-class coaches including Dave Camaro, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and judo black belt. His striking and jiu-jitsu skills demonstrate clear evidence of many hours spent developing technique. Joe Rogan notes that Zuckerberg invited him to train MMA at his lake, showing genuine interest in the sport as a way of bonding.
MrBeast expresses the difficulty of imagining a life where he stops working 18-hour days, given that he started at age 11 and has trained his nervous system for constant work. Joe Rogan suggests MrBeast continue for another 10 years to amass unspendable wealth, then shift to content like "MrBeast discovers the world."
At 28 years old, MrBeast is told he has significant time ahead. Joe Rogan notes that both he and MrBeast have been working in their respective fields for approximately 17 years, creating parallel paths.
MrBeast reflects on how being a content creator has transformed from being viewed as crazy and a non-viable career path to becoming the number one most coveted job among American teenagers. When he started, parents and society discouraged it, but now it is accepted and even encouraged.
Joe Rogan shares that when he told people he was doing a podcast early on, they responded with pity, assuming he had fallen from grace after being on television.
Many early YouTubers used the platform as a launch pad to Hollywood, while those who stayed focused on YouTube became the biggest creators. Similarly, some podcasters left for traditional shows and stalled their growth, while those who remained independent thrived.
MrBeast emphasizes that most people can make a living doing what they love by finding something they enjoy, putting in a ridiculous amount of hours, consuming all available knowledge on the internet, and doing a thousand iterations. Not everyone will make tens of millions of dollars, but following this process enables doing it for a living.
He notes that some creators blow up in two years while others take ten years, representing a distribution curve. The key is surrounding oneself with others obsessed with the same thing and giving oneself enough time.
Joe Rogan adds that success requires being process-oriented rather than goal-oriented. Focusing on getting better at the craft leads to financial security as a byproduct, while fixating on money prevents producing quality work.
Joe Rogan describes how the Comedy Mothership has created a clear pathway for comedians. The club has a creative director, Adam Egan, who watches open mic nights and identifies talented performers. Kill Tony, held every Monday, allows comedians to pull a name from a bucket and perform one minute of standup.
If performers do well on Kill Tony, millions see them, leading to sold-out clubs and real careers. Examples include Cam Patterson, who worked as a doorman at the Mothership and is now on Saturday Night Live, and Ari Matty, who was grinding in Estonia and Australia before appearing on the show.
The system illuminates the pathway so performers understand how to become professionals, though they still must do all the work themselves. The setup addresses the gap between being funny and knowing how to get attention and book work.
Seeing successful examples makes the path feel achievable. Cam Patterson went from being a doorman at the Mothership to landing on SNL, which shows people that consistent stage performance can lead to major opportunities. When someone who was previously poor and working road gigs becomes rich and famous within three years, it demonstrates that the trajectory is possible for others in similar situations.
Fifteen years ago, trying to explain a goal of building hundreds of millions of subscribers, billions of hours watched worldwide, and creating one of the biggest shows in human history on YouTube would have seemed delusional. Viral videos at that time typically reached around 2 million views, so aiming for 100 million views per video would have been viewed as completely unrealistic.
The success of early creators has made the field a legitimate career option comparable to pursuing music or becoming a pilot. Millions of people over the next decade will find employment either as creators or working for creators. Many creators hire dozens of people each, with some operations maintaining 150 open positions. Hundreds of thousands of people will become full-time creators, and those creators will collectively hire millions of employees.
People who attempt to become creators but don't succeed often become excellent employees or partners for other creators. The industry is expanding rapidly because not everyone from traditional Hollywood transitions well to the creator space, creating consistent demand for talent.
Spending 5,000 hours and completing 500 iterations on content creation builds transferable skills in editing and storytelling, along with valuable character traits. Even if someone doesn't succeed as a YouTuber, other creators will readily hire them. Four of the biggest films now come from creators, and viewership is shifting toward this space. YouTube's monthly user base grew from 1.8 billion during the previous podcast appearance to over 3 billion currently.
Younger people have never used cable television outside of watching sports. When asked about cable, a 15-year-old might not fully understand the concept. Explaining that traditional television includes two to three minutes of commercial breaks every four minutes for entertainment content elicits confusion about why anyone would structure viewing that way. Younger viewers find the ad-to-content ratio inefficient compared to YouTube's model.
Cable requires paying approximately $50 monthly while delivering a 33% ad ratio, which exceeds YouTube's ad ratio on a free platform. This explains the migration of hundreds of millions of viewers toward the new format. Podcasting has millions of shows available, though the number of successful ones is smaller. The barrier to entry for podcasting is extremely low compared to the complex planning required for game shows, charity shows, giveaways, and structured tasks.
Podcast preparation is minimal, typically involving only a brief pre-show conversation. In contrast, the planning and execution required for complex creator content is immense. The barrier to entry for becoming a podcaster is significantly lower than other forms of content creation.
In 2009, there were 69,000 podcasts listed in Apple's directory, meaning roughly 70,000 people had created at least one episode. By 2026, estimates range from 4.5 to 4.7 million podcast shows globally. Active podcast counts are estimated between 7 and 10 million worldwide.
In 2009, the number of people making a living through online content creation was estimated between zero and 5,000. Current estimates suggest 8 to 12 million professional content creators worldwide, defined as people who pay their bills through content creation. Between 200 and 300 million people globally identify as content creators. One analysis estimates that approximately 4% of creators are professional, treating content creation as their main job and earning a full-time living.
The 4% professional success rate aligns with other competitive fields. At open mic nights, the percentage of participants who eventually become professional stand-up comedians earning a living from it falls in a similar range, possibly lower.
Reinvesting hundreds of millions of dollars annually into content production creates a significant competitive advantage. Many creators reach 5 million subscribers and then face an inflection point where they either continue growing or plateau. Around this stage, some begin earning substantial income, purchase homes and cars, and lose the urgency that drove their earlier efforts. The burning drive to create diminishes once financial security is achieved.
Living in a shared apartment with $360 monthly rent and driving a 2006 Dodge Durango that cost a couple thousand dollars kept personal expenses minimal. This approach enabled full reinvestment of earnings. Most people lack the discipline to maintain this lifestyle and work intensity. Parents often express concern about financial stability, with some becoming emotional about the risk of losing everything if views decline.
The constant grind can diminish enthusiasm and cause people to lose perspective on how fortunate they are. Complacency develops easily. During late shooting days in airports with people following and filming, negative thoughts can emerge questioning whether this is the desired life. These moments require conscious reframing to recognize that the difficult periods are temporary and the overall experience involves doing remarkable things like visiting the pyramids and Roman Colosseum while entertaining and helping people.
Being surrounded by people who encourage negative thought spirals is damaging. Having people who provide perspective by saying things will be done in 20 minutes and that life is good overall helps maintain balance. Some individuals in similar positions have not received this perspective in a long time, and providing it can visibly shift their mindset.
Finding positive, powerful, motivated, and enthusiastic people is difficult because many half-ass their efforts. Being around someone who genuinely gets after it and maintains enthusiasm is contagious and makes even mundane tasks enjoyable. The principle that you think, speak, talk, and act like the people around you applies at every level of success.
Brian Simpson's statement captures the requirement: you cannot be your own boss and be a shitty employee. If working for yourself, you must be a great employee and actually get things done. The position of working for yourself is rare and requires genuine effort.
Young people listening to conversations about intense work ethic and commitment can be inspired to pursue similar paths rather than remaining in circles where people complain without taking action. Examples available online allow people to encounter mindsets they might not encounter in their immediate social circles.
The four essential elements are time, friend group, iterations on specific things, and consuming all available knowledge. Following these four practices will take someone further than imagined. Outliers exist who succeed without following these patterns, but statistically most people are not one-in-a-million exceptions. For someone wanting to earn a good income doing something new, these four elements provide the reliable path.
Simply listening to every Joe Rogan podcast will not make someone a great podcaster. Time plus iterations is required, such as completing 500 mock podcasts while consuming all available knowledge about podcasting and surrounding yourself with others pursuing the same goal. The average timeline might be four or five years, though some take 10 years. Being in love with the journey itself is necessary to sustain the effort. Someone who is not comfortable with the possibility of longer timelines probably does not love the work enough.
Following the four elements over a long horizon makes earning $100,000 a year achievable, even if reaching $100 million is statistically unlikely. Young people have been told their whole lives to go to college and get a job, so exposure to alternative paths opens new possibilities in their thinking.
Concern should center on the process and improving at something loved rather than fixating on specific financial targets. Winning the lottery has very low odds. Finding people who work hard consistently and figuring out how to monetize that effort represents a more probable path to financial success.
Anyone can pursue any career path by consistently working at it. The key is to be objective and self-analytical, recognizing what works and what does not, then constantly improving. New occupations like podcasting did not exist in recognizable form years ago but became legitimate jobs because people figured out how to monetize them. The same process applies to becoming a rock star, stand-up comedian, or novelist.
Naysayers can actually benefit those who persist because they discourage others from competing in the same space, improving your odds. What initially feels unrealistic eventually becomes routine once heard enough times. The positive side of criticism is that it reduces competition.
Having someone who has already paved the path accelerates learning. In 2009 there were very few content creators. Predicting the next major job category that does not exist yet is difficult. AI-related roles such as AI filmmakers are possible but may feel limited because they involve prompting rather than original creation. OnlyFans emerged as an unexpected platform that centralized fan content and shifted revenue from traditional advertising to subscriptions.
The MrBeast main channel reached approximately 850 million unique viewers in the last 90 days and accumulated 12 billion views during that period, with roughly 8% representing unique individuals. YouTube functions as a mirror to the internet itself. As internet usage grows worldwide outside China, YouTube usage grows alongside it. The platform currently has around 3.2 billion monthly active users and shows no signs of stopping.
Because there are no gatekeepers, anyone can upload content. This creates extraordinary variety, including niche history channels, science lectures, and long-form educational material. Approximately 500 hours of video are uploaded every minute, equaling 720,000 hours per day. Watching one day's uploads would require over 82 years.
Harvard classes and virtually all knowledge are available for free on YouTube. The ingredients for any career exist on the platform, though no single resource provides the complete A-to-Z roadmap. MrBeast has shared everything he knows about YouTube without gatekeeping. Multiple people have reported quitting their jobs and building successful channels after applying advice from his podcasts.
Creators should view each other as collaborators rather than competitors. Trillions of views circulate daily, so one creator reaching a billion views has negligible impact on others. An abundance mindset replaces the scarcity model of traditional television, where limited time slots forced direct competition. Sharing knowledge leads to reciprocal learning. Small improvements in areas such as storytelling, leadership, communication, and set design accumulate over time.
Over 1.5 to 1.8 million children work in illegal child labor on cacao farms in West Africa, primarily in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana, which supply the majority of the world's cacao. Approximately 46% of labor on these farms involves children. Most chocolate companies source through cooperatives representing over a million farms. When MrBeast asked major distributors whether he could pay a premium to avoid child labor, no such option existed.
MrBeast studied Tony's Chocolonely's ethical sourcing model. A case study was launched in five villages where child labor averaged 45%. Data was collected from approximately 10,000 residents across all households. The root cause identified was poverty: farmers receive such low payments from major chocolate companies that they cannot afford to avoid using children.
The approach includes guaranteeing farmers a living income reference price, ensuring democratically elected cooperatives through Fair Trade verification, and requiring audit and remediation of child labor in exchange. In the five-village pilot, 550 children were found in illegal child labor seven months ago. After implementing the sourcing principles, the first check-in showed a 90% reduction, with roughly 50 children remaining in child labor.
The goal extends beyond removing children from farms to providing education. Some communities lacked schools entirely because children worked full time. New schools were built in affected areas. A second verification check-in is required before children are considered fully remediated.
MrBeast is excited to educate listeners about the cacao supply chain issues and how Feastables is addressing them. The company is building one of the most effective systems globally for removing children from illegal child labor by sourcing more cacao, paying a living income reference price, auditing farms, and getting children into schools.
In one village, the program achieved a 90% reduction in illegal child labor, moving from over 500 children involved down to 50. The goal is to continue this work and eventually scale it further by sourcing more cacao as the business grows.
With over a billion followers across platforms, MrBeast plans to showcase these case studies publicly to pressure big chocolate companies, which make billions in annual profit, to stop using child labor. He notes that currently there is no way to guarantee a product is completely child-labor free because security cameras cannot cover every farm.
Feastables focuses on doing everything possible to make sourcing as ethical as possible. MrBeast expects pushback and potential lawsuits from big chocolate companies once he speaks more publicly about the issue, but he hopes they will instead adopt the model of investing profits into education and hiring adult workers.
He acknowledges that many large chocolate companies are now run by third- or fourth-generation leadership who did not found the businesses, and he is trying to be cooperative by showing them a workable solution they may not know how to implement.
MrBeast states that if he stopped caring about this issue, the 1.5 million children in illegal child labor on cacao farms in West Africa would see no change in the next 5–10 years.
Forty percent of food produced in America ends up thrown away. MrBeast has partnered with the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Sharing Access to build small logistics hubs, including one in New York, that rescue perfectly edible food that retailers and restaurants would otherwise discard.
Through these efforts and food banks, over 40 million meals have already been distributed to people in need. The approach focuses on redirecting food that is still safe and healthy rather than purchasing new supplies.
A new facility is planned that should distribute around 10 million pounds of food over the next 12 months, equating to roughly 7 million meals. MrBeast encourages retailers to contact local nonprofits when they have food nearing expiration so it can be collected instead of discarded.
He emphasizes that this is a solvable problem that requires only minor operational changes and does not cost businesses money—it simply redirects waste into useful distribution.
Joe Rogan praises MrBeast for focusing on greater good beyond profit. MrBeast thanks Rogan for the platform and the conversation. They briefly discuss a potential future zombie-related project together before signing off.
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