📱 MrBeast’s Telecom Gamble: A Billion-Dollar Empire Expands Beyond YouTube

 Jimmy Donaldson — better known as MrBeast — is planning to launch his own mobile carrier in 2026. The move comes at a pivotal time: while his snack brand Feastables is profitable, his core media business is bleeding cash.

For a creator-turned-entrepreneur whose empire is already valued at over $1 billion, this is more than just a side hustle. It’s a high-stakes bet on diversification.

💼 The Business Play Behind the Mobile Pivot

According to a leaked investor document, MrBeast plans to enter the market as a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) — essentially leasing infrastructure from telecom giants like AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile instead of building costly networks from scratch.

  • Feastables (2024): ~$250M in revenue, ~$20M profit.

  • Media & Content (2024): ~$80M in losses, despite 400M+ YouTube subscribers and Beast Games on Prime Video.

YouTube stunts and mega-productions may rack up billions of views, but they also rack up staggering costs. A subscription-driven telecom service, on the other hand, promises something MrBeast’s content can’t always deliver: recurring, predictable cash flow.

Beyond telecom, Beast Industries is also rumored to be eyeing fintech and mobile gaming — both logical extensions of his young, digitally-native audience.

👑 The Billion-Dollar Creator Empire

  • Followers: 634M+ across platforms.

  • 2025 Income (Forbes est.): $85M.

  • Net worth: ~$1B.

MrBeast isn’t just YouTube’s biggest star anymore — he’s one of the most powerful media moguls of his generation. His empire stretches from chocolate bars to streaming shows, and soon, possibly, to SIM cards in your phone.

But with great scale comes great scrutiny.

⚖️ The Legal Storm Clouds

In September 2024, a class-action lawsuit was filed against Donaldson and the producers of Beast Games. The 54-page complaint alleges a “toxic work environment” for contestants — citing poor medical provisions, food shortages, and harassment claims during filming.

These allegations raise serious questions about labor conditions in large-scale reality entertainment, and they could dent the carefully built “good guy philanthropist” image that fuels MrBeast’s brand.


🔮 So… Will It Work?

A YouTuber running a phone company might sound like a meme, but the fundamentals aren’t crazy. MVNOs are a proven model (see: Mint Mobile), and MrBeast’s unparalleled reach could give him a built-in customer base.

The real questions:

  • Can he navigate heavy regulation in telecom?

  • Will fans actually want their cell service bundled with Beast Bars?

  • And most importantly: can this stabilize a business model that’s been dependent on viral spectacle and high burn rates?

For now, MrBeast is doubling down on something old-school entrepreneurs know well: don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Even if those eggs are golden YouTube views.

Anna Min

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