Article written by Stefanie Dietrich, Jack Congram, and Tyler G.

We'd like to disclose that before you continue reading this article mentions self-harm and sexual harassment. If you are sensitive to these topics it's recommended you don't continue reading.

Update at 11:07 UTC on August the 16th: In a statement to its Floatplane subscribers Linus Media Group wrote the following as a response to Madison Reeve's sexual harassment allegations;

"We are taking Madison’s allegations seriously. We are conducting an internal assessment alongside bringing in a third-party investigator to look into the allegations. We are committed to publishing the findings and implementing any corrective actions that may arise due to this. Thank you for your patience, and please allow us the time necessary to be as thorough as possible in this investigation." - "In addition to our existing report systems – both anonymous and otherwise – we've proactively reached out internally today to encourage our team members to report any workplace bullying or harassment they might be experiencing so we can take quick and decisive action". - "These allegations do not align with our company's ethics or the values we preach internally. We aim to provide an inclusive work environment where everyone can feel comfortable and, more importantly, safe."

Linus Media Group, the parent organization of the massively-successful Linus Tech Tips YouTube channel, has recently been facing tough criticism from fans, the media, and from friends.

Linus is currently trending on Twitter (X), with over 14,000 posts referring to him and his company. Recently, Linus has announced that video production is being put on hold until further notice. The Linus Tech Tips YouTube channel has lost over 100,000 subscribers in the last month, and views are down 1.2%. Their Floatplane channel has also lost almost 4,000 paid subscribers at the time of writing.

Allegations struck the Linus Media Group team earlier this week after failures to return a product from a startup company, Billet Labs, and instead auctioning it off without consent to do so. In light of this, a large number of other accusations have been thrown at the previously almost unanimously acclaimed technological media company - from claims of data inaccuracy to workplace sexual harassment.

Fellow tech media outlet Gamers Nexus released a video covering their concerns with Linus Media Group's testing data, ethics, and responsibility from company higher-ups. These include possible conflicts of interest with Linus Sebastian's personal investments into companies occupying the same verticals his company covers. Another possible conflict of interest was allowing companies they have partnered with frequently to place higher in their data and be given a recommendation by default.

After the initial criticism of the Linus Media Group team's malpractice, former LMG employee Madison Reeve alleged atrocious working conditions that she had to endure whilst working at the company in a series of tweets.

"I was told I was bossy, when I was trying to be assertive. (like I was asked to do) I was told I was arguing, when I was trying to discuss my point of view. I was told to 'calm my t*ts', 'stop being such a b*tch', and  other comments to similar effects."

Reeve has also come forth and stated that she was denied simple business purchases to assist her in keeping up with her work, which the company had allegedly pulled her into multiple meetings regarding such.

Additionally, Reeve claims in this tweet that she was addressed with dehumanising language in regards to the usage of ableist and homophobic slurs. In the same tweet (as well as the previous few) she mentions how she was asked to perform suggestive actions in the workplace. Reeve also claims she had to resort to self-harm to be able to get time off sick without being harassed for a reason why and stating that Linus Media Group has a "no days off, "grindset"".

In another Tweet, Reeve claims that Linus Sebastian, the owner of the company as well as the face of the brand, "[...] came over to my corner and started BERATING HER. Calling her insane, mentally ill, an attention seeker, and just digging into this poor woman who had felt wronged by him."

If all of this is the case, alongside the Billet Labs situation, Linus Media Group may have violated multiple Canadian laws in workplace safety, discrimination, and intellectual property.

In a video published in the early hours of August 16, Linus Media Group CEO Terren Tong, alongside other key figures such as Linus Sebastian himself, stated they were going to take some time to work on how things are done at the company, but failed to say anything about the allegations of sexual harassment or discrimination within the company.

What is Linus Media Group?

Linus Media Group is a Canadian entertainment company founded by Linus Sebastian and Yvonne Ho in 2012. Linus Media Group owns and operates several successful YouTube channels such as Linus Tech Tips, TechQuickie, TechLinked, ShortCircuit, Mac Address, They're Just Movies, Channel Super Fun, and LMG Clips. Recently, it was offered a one hundred million dollar buyout from an undisclosed company.