Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast, has spent the past decade climbing to the top of online content. Now one of the most popular creators in the world, he boasts a record 476 million subscribers on YouTube alone—fueled by increasingly extreme stunts, from spending a week living in a cave to even being buried in a coffin.
But building one of the biggest multibillion-dollar entertainment businesses born out of social media has taken a toll on his time.
“I live to work and 100% do not have a healthy work-life balance,” Donaldson wrote on X, after a docuseries titled How MrBeast Works 18 Hours per Day was released and people commented on his lack of balance.
“It was a miracle if a day was less than 15 hours for me,” Donaldson said in the docuseries, adding that his schedule is “literally planned down to the minute.”
At the same time he was filming the second installment of his Amazon Prime competition series, Beast Games, Donaldson also maintained regular production of his high-budget YouTube videos, which regularly rack up more than 100 million views. And he pointed to video thumbnails as an example of the operation’s precision: Donaldson employs a body double to help stage and test concepts, allowing him to step in briefly for the final shot before moving on to the next task.
“Everything has to be perfect because I don’t have much time,” he said.
MrBeast is planning to build a media empire rivaling Disney—and he’s growing his team by 50% this year alone
While not every day may be as relentless for Donaldson as the one filming Beast Games, his pace reflects a broader ambition: He isn’t just making videos—he’s building an entertainment empire under Beast Industries, one he has said he hopes will one day rival Disney. That expansion now stretches beyond content into areas like financial services and telecom, further increasing demands on his time.
To support that growth, Beast Industries is rapidly scaling. CEO Jeff Housenbold, a veteran of Silicon Valley who joined the company in 2024, said this week the company plans to expand its workforce by 50% including roles in New York, Los Angeles, and its Greenville, N.C., headquarters—Donaldson’s hometown. Hiring is focused on areas including marketing, engineering, and consumer products.
One job posting, to be a recruiter in New York, for example, is advertised with a total compensation package of between $130,000 and $160,000, plus equity. The company also offers relocation support, including company-provided housing for the first 90 days, and notably does not require college degrees for most roles.
But despite building what’s been valued as a $5 billion business, Donaldson has said that hasn’t translated into personal liquidity.
“I have negative money right now; I’m borrowing money. That’s how little money I have,” Donaldson told the Wall Street Journal in a video released earlier this year. “Technically, everyone watching this video has more money than me in their bank account if you subtract the equity value of my company, which doesn’t buy me McDonald’s in the morning.”
That tradeoff underscores how deeply Donaldson continues to reinvest in his business—both financially and with his time.
“I wake up, I just work … I’m just so busy working I don’t really think about my personal bank account,” Donaldson added. “I’m just laser-focused on making the greatest videos as possible, and building the business as big as possible.”
Donaldson’s team declined Fortune’s request for comment.
Work-life balance is a tradeoff, according to many top business leaders
Donaldson is far from alone in suggesting that success at the highest levels can require an all-consuming commitment to work. Countless business leaders have spoken about periods of intense sacrifice in their careers.
Mark Cuban is a prime example. He said that work-life balance isn’t realistic for those chasing outsize success.
“There is no balance,” Cuban said on The Playbook, a series from Sports Illustrated. “If you want to work nine-to-five, you can have work-life balance. If you want to crush the game, whatever game you’re in, there’s somebody working 24 hours a day to kick your ass.”
But others argue that the approach isn’t always sustainable. Netflix cofounder Marc Randolph, for example, said throughout his career, he made it a priority to balance work with life.
“For over 30 years, I had a hard cutoff on Tuesdays. Rain or shine, I left at exactly 5 p.m. and spent the evening with my best friend,” he wrote in a 2023 LinkedIn post that has recirculated on social media. “We would go to a movie, have dinner, or just go window-shopping downtown together.”
Even JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon—known for his high standards and return-to-office push—has emphasized the importance of balance. Speaking to students at Georgetown University in 2024, he said: “What we tell our people at JPMorgan is you have to take care of your mind, your body, your spirit, your soul, your friends, your health. You really have to.”
