Linus Tech Tips decide to bring in an external investigator came after initial criticism regarding errors in their recent YouTube videos transformed into accusations of sexual harassment.

Linus Sebastian, the founder of Linus Media Group on YouTube, is facing a significant crisis as his empire is embroiled in controversy. The allegations include theft, ethical breaches, and, most recently, accusations of sexual harassment. To address these issues, the company has temporarily halted all production activities and is focusing on enhancing their review protocols. In addition, CEO Terren Tong has stated that an external investigator will be appointed to thoroughly investigate the harassment claims.

In a recently uploaded video titled “What’s Next?” Yvonne Ho, the CFO of Linus Media Group, informed viewers that the entire channel will be taking a one-week break from video production to address the concerns raised by Gamers Nexus, a popular YouTube channel, regarding inaccuracies in their videos and ethical concerns. Ho expressed her agreement with the community feedback and made the decision to halt all YouTube video production starting immediately.

The dispute arose earlier this week following a video released by Gamers Nexus, which highlighted several factual inaccuracies and ethical issues found in recent videos by Linus Tech Tips. According to Steve Burke, the host of Gamers Nexus, there have been a worrisome number of conflicts related to Linus Tech Tips’ corporate affiliations, financial arrangements, and the potential bias that may arise from these factors.

Burke’s primary worry revolved around a cooling block for GPUs created by Billet Labs. As reported by Gamers Nexus, Linus Tech Tips mistakenly assessed a copper cooling block manufactured by Billet Labs on an incorrect GPU and subsequently auctioned it off at a fan event, all without the consent of the company.

After the video was published by Gamers Nexus, Sebastian took to the Linus Tech Tips forums to address the concerns of worried fans. In one of his forum posts, he stated that the incident would serve as motivation for the company to improve. He also clarified that the auction of the cooling block was unintentional and a result of miscommunication, and assured readers that they were actively working with Billet Labs to rectify the situation.

The situation escalated on August 14th, when Gamers Nexus posted the video in response to Sebastian’s comments on the forum, with a segment titled “Linus Tech Tips response is disappointing nonsense.” Meanwhile, fans expressed frustration and outrage on the Linus Tech Tips forums and subreddit, with some fans demanding a public apology to Billet.

Linus Tech Tips took action in response to the concerns raised by Gamers Nexus by uploading a video this morning, where Sebastian and other members of Linus Media Group discussed their efforts to address these concerns. As part of their response, the company will temporarily pause production for one week to prioritize enhancing their documentation and testing processes. Sebastian, acknowledging his role as the leader of the company, took responsibility for the mistakes pointed out by the community.

At around 7AM ET, Linus Tech Tips shared their most recent video. However, the previous night, at around 2AM ET, a former staff member named Madison Reeve took to X, previously known as Twitter, to make allegations against Linus Media Group. Reeve claimed that the company fosters a toxic work atmosphere and promotes a work culture that negatively impacted her well-being. Additionally, she accused employees of Linus Media Group of subjecting her to sexual harassment.

In her statement, I express my decision to leave my position at LTT due to the detrimental impact it had on my mental well-being, as well as the toxic working environment I experienced. I was subjected to derogatory remarks such as being labeled ‘incompetent’ and my work being referred to as ‘dogshit’. Whenever I sought assistance from managers to address these issues, their response was to advise me to ‘toughen up’ and ‘be more assertive’.

Reeve further alleged that the company prevented her from appearing in videos as a result of her complaints about experiencing repeated instances of unwanted physical contact in the workplace, accompanied by offensive remarks such as being told to “calm my tits” and “stop being such a bitch.”.”

She described the experience as resembling a poorly written teenage drama film.

We contacted Sebastian regarding the recent accusations, and he provided his response via email.
I was completely taken aback by these accusations, to put it simply. They don’t align with my memories. They don’t align with our internal procedures. They don’t align with the values of our company.

We take great pride in ensuring a secure and welcoming atmosphere. Alongside our current reporting mechanisms, which include both anonymous and non-anonymous options, we have taken the initiative today to internally communicate and encourage our team members to report any instances of workplace bullying or harassment they may encounter. This way, we can promptly and definitively address such issues.

Our human resources department will be conducting a comprehensive evaluation of the accusations, and once we are prepared, we will provide a more comprehensive statement. For the time being, I kindly request that we give our team the necessary time to ensure a thorough investigation.

Linus Media Group CEO Terren Tong expressed his surprise at the accusations and the characterization of the company mentioned in Reeve’s statements through email. Tong further mentioned that, in addition to an internal assessment, the company will also engage an external investigator to thoroughly examine the allegations. Furthermore, Tong reassured that the findings of the investigation will be made public and any necessary corrective measures will be implemented accordingly.