Gamers Nexus vs. Linus Tech Tips Billet Labs Review Controversy

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Overview

Gamers Nexus vs. Linus Tech Tips Billet Labs Review Controversy refers to a public dispute between tech YouTubers Gamers Nexus and Linus Tech Tips. In mid-August 2023, Gamers Nexus posted a YouTube video criticizing Linus Tech Tips (LTT) and accusing his company Linus Media Group (LMG) of forgoing proper reviewing practices due to time crunches and business partnerships. Gamers Nexus drew attention to Linus's review of a prototype by Billet Labs in which Linus reportedly used the wrong equipment to test the product and subsequently sold off the one-of-a-kind prototype against the company's wishes. The controversy garnered significant attention online, with many criticizing LTT and making memes about the drama.

Background

On August 14th, 2023, YouTuber^[1] Stephen "Steve" Burke of Gamers Nexus posted a video titled "The Problem with Linus Tech Tips: Accuracy, Ethics, & Responsibility" in which he discussed issues he had noticed with reviews presented by Linus Sebastian and the employees of his media company Linus Media Group (LMG). The video gathered over 2 million views in less than 24 hours (seen below).

Gamers Nexus presented issues LMG employees reportedly faced with time crunches, as seen and discussed by interviews with said employees. Such deadlines purportedly hindered Linus Tech Tips videos from being able to issue corrections or rerecord incorrect content.

In one instance, an LMG employee negatively reviewed a mouse without removing the protective tape covering the sensor. Gamers Nexus also claimed that Linus had a tendency to favorably review products from the laptop company Framework after investing money into it.

A major concern Gamers Nexus highlighted was Linus Tech Tips's June 24th, 2023, review of a product prototype by Billet Labs^[2] in which they used an incompatible piece of technology despite Billet Labs reportedly having been clear about the specifications the product needs to work accurately (seen below).

Moreover, the prototype worth thousands of dollars was purportedly given to Linus on loan with the expectation of it being returned. However, Linus supposedly did not return the prototype to Billet Labs. Instead, he auctioned it off to the highest bidder, which could have been a direct competitor to Billet Labs.

Developments

Linus Tech Tips Responds To Gamers Nexus

Later on August 14th, 2023, Linus responded to a thread discussing the video on his own forum (shown below).^[3] In the response, Linus expressed "disappointment" that Steve Burke did not reach out to him for comment. He then went on to say that he and other LMG employees are aware that they are "not perfect" and that he was saddened by how "quickly the pitchforks were raised over this." He also stood by his review of Billet Labs, saying:

Our intention wasn't to hurt anyone. We wanted no one to buy it (because it's an egregious waste of money no matter what temps it runs at) and we wanted Billet to make something marketable (so they can, y'know, eat).

Linus also reportedly compensated Billet for auctioning off its one-of-a-kind prototype after giving the company an unfair review, saying that "Billet sent us a quote. I don't know or care how they arrived at the value."^[9]

Gamers Nexus Responds To Linus's Forum Post

On August 15th, 2023, Gamers Nexus's Stephen Burke posted a video^[10] that contained a response to Linus's aforementioned forum post. The video gathered over 40,000 views within an hour of it being uploaded (seen below). Burke called Linus's response "disappointing" and noted that he seemed unapologetic for the mistakes pointed out in Gamers Nexus's video.

Moreover, Burke noted the timeline of events that transpired after his initial video. Having reached out to Billet Labs himself, Burke uncovered that Linus only reimbursed the company for the stolen prototype after his video was posted. Linus had purportedly left an email from Billet Labs in which they asked for compensation unanswered until he saw the blowback from Gamers Nexus's video.

Billet Labs's Response To The Controversy

On August 15th, 2023, Billet Labs made a post^[11] to the /r/LinusTechTips subreddit expressing its gratitude for the support of the PC community. The company also provided an outline of how events unfolded, from its prototype being sold to Burke's video to them finally being compensated for the loss of their product. The post gathered over 5,000 upvotes in two hours (seen below).

Linus Media Group Collective Response

On August 16th, 2023, various members of Linus Media Group participated in a YouTube^[12] video response discussing the events since Gamers Nexus's video, and laying out a plan to address all the issues presented by Burke. The video also contained an appearance by Linus. The upload gathered over 700,000 views in four hours (seen below).

Several members of the Linus Tech Tips subreddit noted that the apology video was monetized^[13] and that they failed to blue out a phone number that Billet Labs had requested to stay private.^[14]

Ex-LTT Employee Madison Posts About Her Experience

On August 16th, 2023, ex-LTT employee Madison Suop posted a thread on X^[15] explaining her reasons for leaving Linus Tech Tips and the kind of workplace misconduct she purportedly experienced during her time there (seen below).

The thread concludes with Madison sharing that LTT's toxic "grindset" work culture allegedly led to her cutting her leg to the point of having to go to the ER, as it was the only way she could imagine she would be allowed to take time off without losing her job.

Online Reactions

As the controversy surrounding LTT spread in mid-August 2023, numerous memes, reactions and discussions began appearing online. For example, on August 14th, 2023, Redditor /u/Cry_Wolf posted Gamers Nexus's video to /r/LinusTechTips,^[4] gathering over 19,000 upvotes in a day.

Also on August 14th, Redditor^[5] /u/Struders posted an I'm the Captain Now meme in which Steve Burke was made to say "Look at me, I am the tech tips man now," gathering over 5,000 upvotes in a day (seen below, left). On August 15th, X^[6] user @Ramification_ posted a meme about Linus Tech Tips, gathering over 300 likes in a day (seen below, right).

On August 15th, Redditor^[7] /u/lebithecat posted a parody apology letter on behalf of Linus, gathering over 500 upvotes in a day (seen below, left). Also on August 15th, Redditor^[8] /u/TheTruth1410 posted a meme about Linus auctioning off Billet Lab's one-of-a-kind prototype against its will, gathering over 500 upvotes in a day (seen below, right).