I didn't know he had a degree on psychology. Such a box full of surprises. Oh, and I'd totally buy the book. IMO Riley is one of the smartest individuals there.
@Fred Werza no, because it wasn't his fault, it was someone in the marketing department. Dosen't seem any bad consequences became of them, because Linus took great pains to say proper training was not done to prevent that kind of scam.
@Fred Werza as @doginasuit said, they took alot of effort to make it clear the employee was not at fault. I think it was a wakeup call to the executive team that the company is not all tech nerds anymore, they have departments that aren't as up to speed on IT security, and their processes weren't ready for that.
Every Colton's apparition: 1:50 - 1:54 (Cussing) 4:44 - 4:46 (Only Laughing) 9:50 - 9:59 (A sentence then groaning) 10:29 - 10:31 (Sigh) 13:30 - 13:33 (From CSF clips while Sarah is talking) 14:24 - 14:27 (Actually answering) 16:05 - 16:08 (Relocating) 17:39 - 18:00 (Finally a full section... on the weirdest thing that happened to him)
"Working with Linus is like directing a river. Can't stop it, but you change its flow." I have to say. I like this quote. It sums up the man pretty well.
Colton is head of development, probably has the most responsibility of any employee at LTT. Dude's been with the company for like 10 years or something. I hate that he's the laughing stock. Most of the people don't even know his role and how important he is. Linus doesn't like him, fine. But for whatever reason, Colton is either too good at his job or too experienced and thus too difficult to replace. Either way, he's a legend.
@@blazbohinc4964 you... do understand that its a joke yeah? if linus wanted to seriously fire colton he would have years ago. its just workplace jokes.
Damn, not having time to be reflective or retrospective seems like such a key step to be missing out especially when you are looking to implement new systems or people are looking to do more quality creative work. Obviously there will be ways to give feedback but every now and then it is healthy to step back from the carrot and see if we can make the stick any better, together of course.
@3polygons you can see his job title when his name comes up at the beginning when he's introduced. He also co-hosts, as well as he is the live producer for WAN.
Dan has a heart of gold and I enjoy him alot. On WAN-shows, he adds so much momentum because he does not have this years-old relationship that Luke has, but still does not hold back. I need more Dan in my life.
I think the most reassuring part for me was the disclaimer. The rest of the video is great. But the fact that it was mentioned that obviously not everything would be shared, because that could and possibly should have certain consequences for their professional careers, made it feel a lot more honest than it might've otherwise. Being transparent about not being fully transparent and why is usually a good sign.
I really love seeing someone go from unboxing something in their bedroom or a garage to eventually employing people and launching careers, it's mind blowing and very admirable obviously passion is key all the way, :)
@@ZenAndPsychedelicHealingCenter I didn't say it was, I wasn't talking about only Linus but in general people who started out from humble beginnings like others I follow who have done the same kind of thing.
It's wild to me that they feel like the quality is not that high. The new videos feel so much more quality and well made. Shows how much they care about the channel.
Not wild to me either. Their videos have started feeling like cookie-cutter rapid production. I only really watch the WAN show unless a unique video like this one comes out nowadays.
I don't think he's talking about production quality. A lot of LTT videos lately have been boring. Reviews of boring hardware building another pc. Their videos used to be fun and not just product reviews/advertisements
Their videos are very corporate cookie cutter type now. Still entertaining sure, but older videos back in 2017 and before had a spark and/or passion that's not in the new vids
@@Jolly_Green23 same here, so I actually enjoy the longer WAN shows. I really wish they tried slowing down a little bit and focus more on the production like they do with Mac Address.
I'd love like a timeline video of how the company started and where it is now. I know parts of this has been covered in multiple videos, but one big video 30mins+ telling the whole story of how the company and the team has evolved over time would be super cool.
Hi Linus, (putting here in case you read!) Just for another perspective on the flexible working hours thing: we have a similar sized company and we use this practice but it only applies to certain roles. Other roles are on shift pattern, some are on day with flexitime and others are day without flexitime. I think a one size fits all approach is not good longterm and with a larger company, it becomes unwieldy to do this across all specialised roles, especially when there are tight deadlines to be met - stress and anxiety can be increased. Secondly, this is a trust issue. It seems that this policy and the reason for it appears to be rooted in the fallacy that one person will ruin it for everyone. (I'm going to be harsh here) I don't believe it's sane to run a company like that. You cannot control or expect to control employees 100% of the time. To treat them like children instead of the professionals they clearly are. If they are not good at time management then that's a situation where line managers and HR need to be involved - the fear of that shouldn't reflect on how all other employees are treated. One way we ostensibly enable collaboration is through mandated office hours. Everyone on flexitime has to be on site between 10 am and 14:00, for example, unless there is prior consent from the person's manager.
I work for a decent sized utility corporation and we have flexible hours it mandated office hours. Hasn't been a problem (in my area) in the 8 years I've been there
For a company it totally makes sense to have workers go in and out on shift hours for maximum productivity. But the problem is working on shift absolutely suuucks! UNLESS it actually fits the employees schedules and doesn’t hinder their work-life balance. I used to work all sorts of shifts and it used to mess up my circadian rhythm’s so much that I was regularly sleep deprived! Right now I got a 9 to 5 and it suits me both physically and mentally much better. To each their own I guess.
I want to add that artificially reducing the amount of time that some people are *allowed* to work doesn't necessarily make things less stressful, which Anthony did briefly touch on. Give people the freedom to manage their own time because they're the ones who ultimately know how they work best. This may lead to some employees increasing their hours beyond the usual 8, but good management is able to spot this before it becomes an issue and is able to re-evaluate whether that person is being given too much work or if that role actually requires another person.
I feel sometimes maybe we take for granted to high quality content and products that LMG produce daily. This video is a nice reminder of the people behind the curtains who work tirelessly to achieve this. I don't know any other channel that is so high production but also highly transparent. Thank you LMG for everything you have done.
As an idealist: I think we should maybe start demanding any kind of percentage that equals _less_ content. I'm sure that means nothing changes and is impossible, but I think having more quality into videos makes a better experience.
I might be the exact opposite. The other day I was looking at the LMG hiring webpage (just out of curiosity, I live on the other side of the world) and I could only think how hard it must be to work there, how good one must be to get hired. I can't even fathom having the confidence to apply for a position at LMG. All of these people know their stuff and it reflects on the quality of the videos.
Coming from photo/video editor: Dear LMG Staff, I hear you say you want to improve your quality but you have some of the best production on RUclips. And it’s all because of you beautiful individuals. This video itself feels like a short documentary, all love for your hard work!
They don't mean quality as on production quality, they mean as in the passion that used to be in the videos is gone. The videos are just product reviews and promotions now, with the exception of the odd video like this one.
@@nikkiofthevalley I guess it's parallel to today's tech advancements, which kind of getting "stale" and just improvements of an already exist tech. Unlike a decade ago, tech stuffs really the talk of YT because, well, there's a lot of new techs back in that time that's groudbreaking. I would surf around LTT's old videos to check out a particular tech and it does have the quality of informations and how they present them in a fun approach
I agree with Plouffe, in the latest years LMG doesn't make too much stuff around budget hardware, it's always about the premium stuff, and yes of course that brings a lot of views but it's kind of boring that even when budget stuff is mentioned it's just to compare it as a baseline or soemthing. And Jake B is right that it's always fun to see the vloggy stuff, I would love more of it too.
I think the past couple years there really haven’t been any new supply of budget hardware. Hopefully we get budget builds again soon because I like seeing what different types of configs can give you the best bang for the buck.
@@blondiejoe Somebody else is already doing it for vlogging hardware - cameras, microphones and the odd laptop - ruclips.net/video/PuZWbUJGjTo/видео.html - so it would be cool to see LTT's take on affordable computer tech.
I had absolutely no idea how I was going to feel about Dan when he was first introduced, but I have to say, Dan has really grown on me, and I absolutely love his style of communication and humor.
I love that the disclaimer made me think people wouldn’t spill their thought like a 100% but they actually didn’t hold any punches throughout the video haha. Definitely a company of passionate AND compassionate people, keep it up
thing is. there will always be super happy people and unhappy people with any company. getting bombed by someone who leaves isnt necessarily the truth you aren't hearing. could be they themselves just weren't a good employee, or didn't fit in. it happens. i think if LTT/Linus were truly shitty, they wouldn't succeed, and retention always says a lot. i'd guess what we're hearing here is almost all the truth and not people just not speaking their minds because they're afraid of repercussions.
I don't doubt that there's some, maybe even a majority of people at LMG that have genuinely good experiences there, but the way I took that disclaimer is that if someone has a truly negative opinion towards the company, they either wouldn't say yes to the interview or reveal on camera how bad they think things are. I think the lack of drama about LMG's work practices in the many years they've been around is the most telling thing that working for Linus has been alright so far, though
The coolest thing at LMG is that a Designer, a camera operator and an Infrastructure specialist, or whatever Dan is, are hosting videos as well as the writers.
It may not be their field of expertise, but god damn do some people do it well. Dan and David are fantastic hosts and David's opinions throughout the entire video were just chef's kiss. I also really enjoy Alex as a host, simply because of the wicked ideas and his overall goofiness and he's one of those people that are just easy to listen to and follow along. Here's to hoping they'll be able to find a way to wind down a bit and still remain profitable. The way Anthony put it really didn't sound all that healthy, but that's a topic I'm sure Linus has more insight into than any of us. :)
14:40 i'm not even a big car guy but your car videos are some of the best videos you've produced. They feel like a breath of fresh air, probably because they're filmed outside of the studio (or any building for that matter) which adds some extra variety to the content that you can't get with most video projects.
Personally I think it’s because they dive in to the things that you’re going to actually use in the car Especially the infotainment system which I noticed most reviewers just glance over or skip entirely
I think this is the reason I like the mac address videos a lot more than LTT - they almost never spend the whole thing in the studio and they talk to employees we don't see much, or people totally outside the company. (way more variety)
I'd love to see more car videos, specially about the UI and stuff that we might not think about. It would also be amazing to see an LTT subscribers car roast video lmao
I think LTT's growing pains are also RUclips's growing pains. Like all the leading channels they're figuring it out as they go because there is no model for what they do. If they keep this level of honesty and transparency and keep bringing us along for the ride we'll never leave them - which is probably why this feels like the best video I've watched all week!
@@rockoman100 You might know, but I'm pretty sure the original comment meant "RUclips" as in the big channels that have been around long enough that they operate as companies themselves, not literally the company RUclips.
Linus does seem like a really neat boss. Someone who seems to be available for his people. His describing his ADD as a super power, followed by having a fella describe his energy as a river that cannot be stopped, only possibly diverted a little...that is deep. I have enjoyed much of this team's content. I look forward to seeing more. I happen to work for a really cool dude, having a job working for a good group of people and a neat boss is amazing.
Linus isn't the boss of anything, never was. His wife, who's actually the boss, does seem like a really nice boss - not that I work there or know what it's like.
@@johnnyfromstovner1286 They're 50/50 owners (and Yvonne provided the seed money for LMG), but Linus is the one who actually takes on the responsibilities of a CEO in the company. I believe Yvonne is head of accounting, among other things
They all complain that they do not get enough time on videos. LTT keeps making mistakes because they do not have time to fact check videos and do corrections. This is not the sign of a good boss. This is the sign of a company where employees (who actually knows the work best) having zero actually say.
I absolutely love the silliness and randomness of Riley and James when they present. I’m not even that much into tech, I just really enjoy the people this channel brings together. This video just confirms that, if the crew clicks and they enjoy doing what they do, you get it across.
What I find interesting about LMG as an outsider is that it's like a factory producing videos and content consistently like a well oiled machine. It's pretty amazing logistically even if it is stressful. What I'd like to see is more adult orientated content. The latest gaming stuff is cool but videos where they do repairs, add ons and such to Linus's house are my favorite because I can relate to it more in my 30s. More Brian the electrician too!
brain retired, so he's no longer an electrician. its been that long. I think he does retro computer stuff as a hobby though. also I agree, I love the less formulaic and more freeform 'dad content' my dad used to watch shows like 'this old house' and I always thought of it as a 'dad' show, not really something I would typically watch. but LMG does tech stuff to the house, which gets my attention every time even when its something I know I'm never going to purchase.
As someone who has been watching ltt videos for 10 years now, this video was an amazing video. Almost a tear jerker at times and other times an inspiration truly amazing hands down one of my favorites. Thank you
This is one of the few companies brave enough to publish something like this with complete honesty from the staff. You can tell they all like working there but also feel welcomed enough to say things to the public that most companies would prefer be kept private in a staff interview meeting. And that's something that will keep me coming back for more!
100+ employees and we saw basically only on camera talent.. this video is PR for LMG even if Linus or MGMT didnt get to see it. This is not me being a hater, I like LTT, just being honest.
Nonsense take Woodman. Linus has been on record saying new people in the 3 month period cannot be on camera for company policy reason, and early employees its not advisable to put on camera until they want to be or it makes sense in the content.
There's nothing honest about this video. No company is going to release videos of employees being completely honest about the companies. You won't even hear a fraction of the shady crap that goes on in the company. There's no such thing as a company with 100+ employees where everything is all nice, clean and honest.
In most companies many people in higher ranks specifically HR and managerial jobs are ego tripping and way overestimating themselves. Especially CEO's. The company structure in LTT is one of the most successful I've seen where while let's not kid ourselves you can't ever get full honesty but it's a lot closer to it BY FAR.
@@thenonexistinghero And they had a massive disclaimer at the start of the video acknowledging exactly that? The OC was trying to point out that this has a lot more honesty than a similar video that might get produces from, any other large company.
The reason I watch LTT is quality. I've been watching you for years and the leap you made is insane. Its basically like watching A++ cable show. Production quality for RUclips is insane.
The amount of errors in their videos tho. Like the recent Amazon cooler or putting the wrong specs in their editing. They have quality but its inconsistent
LMG produces the only content for which have notifications on… I put it on the TV and sit down to watch it everyday. Honestly, you all have created such a remarkable beast of a channel and I’m glad I found it in the midst of 2020. Thanks to everyone on the team for what they do because you resparked my love of tech that I had when I was younger :)
I actually laughed out loud at a couple of Colton's early appearances. I can't wait to watch the full interview to see how hard the editors screwed him!
Well done Linus and the whole LTT staff. It’s so valuable to hear from your colleagues, and how you build with the strengths of the brilliant people you employ. I wish more companies did the same.
This is honestly one of my favorite channels. It's good to hear that there is a good environment. If I lived in the right place, I would love to work with this company.
This honestly could be a multi-hour documentary or even a 10 part mini series and I’d watch it all. Some thing like The Making of LMG would be an epic docu-drama
As someone who has watched this channel since early days NCIX Tech Tips, I can definitely understand the desire to lower the pace and focus on quality... and also definitely understand that it isn't really sustainable to do that... I'm in my 30s and I have an attention span, so I'm slowly moving away from the target audience. It's amazing that LMG is able to put out 25 videos every week are ~90% finished, and I totally get that the last 10% or so would take 50% more time, but it's that last step that makes me prefer other channels for certain verticals. GN is able to put the time into extremely thorough computer hardware reviews, Hardware Unboxed is able to fully dive to monitor content, etc. I hope LTT is able to find a better balance eventually. The main thing that makes megacorps go bad is the endless need for growth, I just hope LTT never hits that point.
I can't stand most GN videos. He is so negative, he has such a toxic personality. IMO he presents too much opinion as fact and often makes claims that are out of line and even misinformed. And there is no way I can watch an entire video so thank goodness for timestamps because his videos are boring. I'm a Grandfather, I have an attention span long enough to watch WAN shows in their entirety as well as many other RUclips videos 1-3 hours long, so it's not an attention span thing, GN just makes videos that are not interesting and typically off putting because he is so toxic. I'm an Aussie and I almost never watch Hardware Unboxed but they would be my first choice if I was shopping for a monitor. That said there are clearly some issues with LTT. What I think makes LTT my go to tech channel is they are entertaining and fun and they are clearly good people and honestly I'm constantly surprised how much I relate to Linus. But the reality is they are not much better than a Tech Basics channel and leave a massive hole to be filled. It's only because they are entertaining and fun and a really good source for tech news and discussion that have kept so many of us engaged. One of the massive issues they are not even aware of is how much they don't seem to know despite having a massive staff, most likely because they are not as tech curious as they seem to think they are and ironically considering a recent WAN show debate they are very much like paid top list review sites in that they seem to mostly only be aware of the tech that pays to get noticed. I think for LTT to improve they need to - slow down a bit in general (clearly from this video) - have an allocation to longer term projects - know more about the subject and other options they are presenting, so they need to hire some script fact checkers and the prereq needs to be people who spends all their time researching rather than doing. Someone who can say "actually Fedora is the best option for noobs converting from Windows if the goal is long term adoption", "actually there is a massive gamer market for 3090's and here is why it's not good enough for them", "actually Linus there are PC VR headsets with OLED displays". - that last one is massively important also for labs because no matter how much they spend on testing gear they can not be a good source of review or comparison as long as they are unaware of the best tech options and unaware or the bleeding edge and unaware of gamers needs in large gamer markets. In depth technical analysis is pointless if you don't even test options because you are unaware of them or unreasonably prejudiced against them.
I think the video cadence feedback was the most important. Certainly that treadmill is scary to slow down when everything relies on views and sponsors, but LMG is at the point where they've already gained the loyal audience and foundations they need. Lowering the release frequency a bit would allow more time for that retrospection, finishing integration of the lab with the channel, provide a healthier work balance (not rushing and being chaotic all the time), increase content quality, and start that transition from a "fast growing startup" to a well-established company that can stand the test of time.
True. I don't think they can go extreme, like some channels have done with once a month posting. But maybe one week a month they can slow down a bit to get some of those other ideas out there.
To add to this, as an end user/consumer/viewer, the sheer volume of content is way too much to feasibly consume. I'm the kind of person that would love to support everything my favorite creators do, but it would practically take a whole full-time job in and of itself just to watch all of their new content. Fewer things with higher quality sounds great to me.
I'd love to see some more thought out projects on here as well. Sometimes you have a video with an interesting premise that they clearly just couldn't make work purely because of time constraints, and I'd really love to see them given more time to put these kinds of things together. And personally a lot of the stuff they put out bounces right off me. Like I'll watch all the videos about weird old tech and jank cooling concepts I can get, but the stuff where they're basically just showing off an expensive monitor or whatever I skip right over.
@@billigerfusel It's a longstanding joke that Colton keeps getting "fired" all the time. It used to come up pretty much any time he and Linus were on screen together, but hasn't happened for a few years now. There's a video talking about it on the LMG clips channel from a WAN show a while back.
I know the old staff, and some of the new staff but so many new faces I've never seen before. Obvious growth in the company and its abilities. I like that machinist employees can make stuff, and that technical employees know so much, especially about expernsive server systems, multiple VM hookups, etc. What wasn't mentioned is that LMG brings in external experts in many fields to add to the vast skills already present. Thanks for all the hard work.
the main thing i respect about linus is he built a real company. it’s stressful. it’s hard work. he’s relatable man. seeing a youtuber talk about video games and makes way too much money isn’t relatable. paperwork. deadlines. meetings. it’s what i admire.
The amount of crunch time needed from the workers is definitely alarming, especially since so many people mentioned it. Hope Linus sees that and start working towards improving it.
The point is that he won't see this so they could be honest... They discuss that in the video. Also, there's only so much they can do given the algorithms and the need for new content constantly. They've been hiring to feed the algorithms, but it's also less crunch than Linus and the team were doing in the early days, for sure, but at least they're working at 120% during the work hours with the hard cut-off instead of making them pull all nighters like before. But coming from a "normal" job, it's probably more crunch. I agree it doesn't seem fully sustainable, but they're continuing to hire so they seem to be trying to fix it but also I'm not entirely sure how sustainable it will all be given revenue streams (though they've done well to diversify) to have "slow" jobs in this industry. Heck, even television and movies that have months to make content are almost always go-go-go; news which is similarly putting out daily/weekly content is notoriously no work-life balance. That's the entertainment industry.
I'm not sure but I think no one said "crunch time". They have to crunch within a day (8h) to get the work done within timeline. They are not required to stay overtime constantly and with minimal benefits. It's not the same as in i.e. multiple vg companies..
@@SkullyGibs I think the crunch they mean is more so in terms of very busy hours instead of long hours. Since they are tied to only 8 hours a day they basically gotta start and finish all of that days work inside of that day (especially if they need to release a video that day)
Hands down, one of the hardest working RUclips channels out there with the numbers to show for it. If they were able to get that one day to focus on the retrospect and analyze, not only would productivity skyrocket, but every team at LMG is going to feel much more content and satisfied.
I think the quality is top notch. I do wish they would have more time for the videos just because they want more time. If they feel it’s not as good and aren’t proud that really sucks. I think they do a great job. Being so hectic this channel is just amazing!!
The LTT Car Videos are so much fun to watch. The camerawork/editing is often comparable to the last seasons of old Top Gear and the points that Alex made in the last Genesis Video are something that gets overlooked in most other Car Reviews. I'm all for it!
They honestly would get views if they just had a regular (ha) car channel as the EV reviews they do are pretty good. I really don't find EV only stuff that interesting though, would be nice to have a mix really.
Fun fact: Being aware of problems is the first step towards solving them, not the only step. Address the concerns raised by your employees properly or your channel will follow NCIX next to oblivion.
@@thehungryhippy the fact this video is 4 months old and it's still being pushed by the algorithm to get new comments hours ago.. shows that it's nothing close to the catastrophe of NCIX
This is hands down my favorite LMG video I’ve seen thus far after years of watching. The openness and honesty of this channel and company is something I respect so very greatly. I watch LTT to wind down almost every single night and watching LMG grow has been so fun to see
I want Riley to talk about Linus for decades with that degree in psychology. Also lowkey feel people are getting burnt out a bit, i hope it won't fold like a house of cards.
One of the biggest things that comes through in that video is kindness and caring for each other. That is what draws us audience in, feeling like we are also connected to such a wonderful group of people
@@MRJMXHD in North America it's what is likely the most expensive city. More than New York, more than LA, more than anything. It's more than very expensive
I love how far LMG has come from the very beginning. I hope Linus doesn't feel cornered in that he has to be a celebrity that has to constantly be top tier in content to get views when in reality his channels and LMG have been a community I have watched simply because I love to see what they're up to. Love all the crew and hope they stay with LMG for a long time.
It does say a lot about a company when the employees are mostly complaining about not being able to do the best job they can. Love ya'll's content and keep trucking
As a business owner I love these videos. It is a ballsy move letting the team say whatever they want, even if a reasonable person wouldn’t say anything too crazy.
They aren't saying whatever they want, they are being extremely calculated in their choice of words. This video qualifies as propaganda in the worst way. This is a rare time I'm in complete disagreement with what LMG has released.
I don't even know how you managed to come up with such a nonsense interpretation. You do realize they're still employees after the credits roll, right? That's the constraint to the "say whatever they want". Insane. Completely crazy I would be reading gibberish like this. There is a distinct surreal and inhuman character to such comments.
Guys, this was actually emotional. You're my favourite RUclips channel BY FAR and I've been following you from Spain (Catalonia) for years now. Keep it up, you've come a long way and you've become part of my "family" and my evenings. Eventhough I reckon it's going to be almost impossible, but I would LOVE to meet the "core" team one day.. It'd be nice to have a nice conversation with you lot. Take very good care and see you on the next video!!
i freaking loved Dan's description of what best at working at lmg, this dude gets to little camera time, even though he is overworked and does a great job, i enjoy him a lot on was show
Dan gets lots of camara time and for being the newest member he integrated to the core surprisingly fast... To the point that i believe he is working directly with Luke who is also now has a position in ltt (not just floatplane anymore)
Yeah that would be awesome! They have some really entertaining videos but those ones are pretty rare gems that they spent a bunch more time making. I'd be willing to watch a weekly upload where the content creators have time to put their real effort in rather than skipping most daily, thrown out videos for the sake of imposed quotas
I believe these kind of conversations, questions are what makes healthy work environment. It's not easy at all to be criticised/talked about at all, and it's not that easy to shit/talk about your boss and all that is on camera. I really appreciate you guys for doing it even though it might be so stressful.
Healthy work environment yes, if you can handle the pace. They all say the same. The pace is killing. And it looks like Colton has a burn-out because of it and needs to see a doctor.
I agree with the fact that some videos just need more time, it's always sad to see a really good concept suddenly rushed at the second half of the video because there wasn't time, or done improperly because there wasn't time for the part to arrive. But despite that working at LMG still feels like a dream job.
One that sticks out to me is the car radiator, where it's just pumping water everywhere because they couldn't take the time to get the fittings right. It's a really cool idea and potentially a relatively cheap option. (IE: go to a junkyard and get a car radiator and purchase some fittings off of Amazon.) The idea got hamfisted into sheer absurd comedy by the poor implementation. Same with the Propane idea. While I'd say that is less practical, it's an interesting concept, but they literally melted their own equipment they were in such a rush. An important question that needs to be asked is this; At what point does the short term profit of rushing things outweigh the long term value of doing them right? As an example of what I mean; The short term profit of paying your bartenders and waiters poorly quickly gets outweighed by the lost value of customers because your staff are unmotivated or just of low quality. (IE: I've had coworkers that would come in drunk every shift for weeks because management didn't want to fire them, as they couldn't get anyone else in to replace them if they did.) I don't know if LTT has or will hit that point, but it's something a lot of companies struggle with. Is the additional profit of video 25 over 24 worth the difference of the increased value each of the first 24 could've had with the time you dedicated to the 25th? Would they be able to generate the same value with less overall content? I imagine this is something they're monitoring closely, but I'd simply warn that it's a slippery slope and they should be careful to not fall butt first on the ice.
@@nevarelixe3963 ye, the cooling videos were the ones I mainly had in mind, where actually cool idea turns into "catastrophe comedy" without any real value, imagine if this had happened with whole room water-cooling, while ye it didn't work in the end it was so entertaining to watch cuz it was pretty well planned out and executed. There is ultimately finite amount of ideas and this just feels like wasting them. Also if they want to pump out more videos the could easily do more.indepth additions because the main videos are becoming dumbed down and skipping over the interesting technical details
@@kylejackson7176 she would have been crucified by the fan base if she made these accusations before LMG already got itself into hot water. and she likely still will to some extent (judging by the tone of your comment)
@@liquidhydration All we ask is you consider the evidence. Most of the time when people say "I rather let the evidence speak for itself" the really mean "the evidence is speaking to me so I'll disregard it."
I remember awhile ago (less employees back then obviously) when Linus' goal was to be able to put ALL of his employees in position to buy their own home. That tells you a lot about him.
Then the housing market spat in the face of all millenials and made them unobtainable to almost everyone. It's a great goal, but the housing markets are so screwed right now, even a 6 figure salary isn't enough.
@@coherentpanda7115don’t pretend that GenX didn’t have the same issue. Home ownership seemed out of reach for most of us. It’s not the 1950s where you could buy a home for under $20k.
@@Bob_Smith19 And let's not pretend that having two lattes a day, an annual phone upgrade, new this, new that isn't a big problem. Sacrifice is the single biggest component of getting a house. You have to be ok with having little else for a decade. If you're not ok with that, don't complain about not being able to get a house. Also don't complain about not being able to buy in your preferred neighbourhood. Or that your house isn't nice enough...Basically stop complaining because that's what's in your way. As soon as I took the advice above, I got a house.
I really appreciate this video. As a viewer for the past 6 years, I think several people acknowledged something I've noticed: more quantity over quality. I can't pinpoint exactly what's changed, but some of the magic from even just a couple years ago has left this channel, and I think a lot has to do with the pressure for quantity. Definitely agree with Plouff on more low cost content, mix it up a bit more.
It's that the whole pipeline got standartised. There's less improv, more teleprompter with baked in but lifeless jokes, it's less notable with Linus but e.g. Anthony has become completely robotic. Sure, we are not watching this for entertainment only but if I wanted pure info, I'd be reading not watching.
@@zeeninetynine Ah, I think you nailed it. I think with all the new writers there has been some sort of standardization that just feels dull and lifeless. It makes sense but is disappointing.
@@koobluh I trust they will find their way, the system is needed but it can be both efficient and flexible. They are talking about it, so they'll finetune. This is a transitional period to when they are hopefully in a good rhythm and can start to go deep again with the new lab in place.
Something I see them say a lot is they love the freedom they have. I feel the same way in my job as a quality analyst, my boss basically said "Improve the quality. Figure it out. Ask me if you have any questions". It's a shock to me, I've never had a job where I didn't have to ask for permission to do anything or be told to do something. I get to learn and study to improve my abilities and solve the problems myself. I can't help but be motivated and always try my best; not trying would throw away all the responsibility that I'm trusted with. And I can't help but grow and improve, I have no other choice, I'm in the deep end of the pool, I can't expect someone to hold my hand through all the challenges. A small but meaningful example, is I didn't like the basic report template, so I modified it. Bosses were cool with it, and gave feedback like to be more concise. I'm on the 5th iteration and everyone compliments me on my reports. That alone is so meaningful to me, to be rewarded for improving something and having the freedom to do so.
We have a similar system where we are pretty much free to do things the way we would like, no questions asked as long as it works. Even after 2 years of this, I'm still not used to it and still ask the bossman for permission if I think it is a major change compared to what we currently do. Not only that, but we have a somewhat democratic system to it as well, where if something we or the boss want to change affects multiple people, we ask them if they are ok with it. If it is a majority "no", it does not happen. A example from me would be the way we communicate in Slack. I set up automations with Slack plugins that integrate into existing systems to make it easier and more effective without asking and got a "Neat, good job!" from the boss afterwards. Other things we do that I really like: - Direct line of communication with the CEO. Have a question for him? Just ask, no matter what it is. - Weekly/Monthly sync meetings (depending on the department) where you talk about whatever with your manager. It can be a TV show you both enjoy or issues you encounter in the job or personal life. - Weekly surveys on general job happiness. (Winningtemp for the curios.) This give anonymous, actionable data that improves the workplace. - No focus on KPI. Workload and difficulties change, and KPI does not acknowledge this well. - No typical HR department. We have one of course, but your manager is your contact, also for HR issues. If you have a issue with your manager, talk to another manager or the CEO. It's hard to explain in a bullet note. Basically, our HR exist to protect the employees, not the company.
Even outside of a job, I sometimes wish I was allowed to improve things when they're bad in some way and then I get annoyed when there's no reasonable way for me to do that.
“Creating processes is not something I’m good at”? You’re the CEO. That’s your whole job. I see why you stepped down now. Once you get to be as big as you are, you’re not a garage operation anymore. You’re a real business. This shouldn’t have been a video. This should have been a task force led by Linus to improve the internal processes. Then those changes should have been implemented. You’re the big dog. You don’t have to chase the RUclips algorithm anymore. You don’t see Vox rushing down 10 videos a week do you.
mind you that LMG is not only LTT, but techquickie, shortcircuit, mac address, etc.. the point is not to lessen the output, just increase the workforce
This video showed me how much I love the channel and the people. I can't believe it's been so many years already. Seeing the older videos referenced took me back to when I started watching about 7 years ago. I wish nothing but the best for the whole group!!
The crunch doing that many videos a week is not easy, and like some people said they don't get to feel particularly proud a video they've made. As an editor this hits hard 😄. One of the best driving forces in work is when you make a video you're really proud of and that lets you showcase your skills. In a way the variety they get to work with makes up for that. The fact that you get to make so many different kind of videos keeps it fresh. These channels are easily my favorite ones and even though I find myself wishing for more videos on the main channel, I appreciate all the stuff the fine people at LMG make!
I used to work for a company that have me output like 6 videos a day and I think I've only like 1 or 2 of those videos ever that I saved up for later because I liked it, and all the other ones were vids that took like 2 days to make lol. I agree the variety kinda keeps things fresh but sometimes bigger stuff that allows for more time makes work a lot more worthwhile.
There will always a battle between quality and quantity. Facing the same problem in my workplace to. Never enough people. I’d be cool with longer format, higher quality but less videos from LMG. Davids got the right idea for moral, Team health and feeling like what you do is worthwhile, Linus though, can’t argue with his method and the powerhouse he’s created. Well done everyone at LMG I truly love your content.
Issue is they need the quantity to support such a big team, to be honest adding more writers to focus on longer projects is really the only answer if they wanted to change.
the LMG team are lucky to have a great leader who actually cares. His plan has worked pretty well so far. I'm actually not sure what David meant by higher quality tbh but they could only ever find out by giving him the time he feels he needs. I think their content is great. I live in AUS, LTT is my breakfast channel i catch it every day as new vids each morning here. I don't pretend to understand the RUclips algorithm nor care. I watch the content from the creators i like at the time i want to watch it. Saying lets hire more writers is all well and good but, it doesn't mean they will fit in, produce the same or better content. Growth is difficult and no one can deny LMG has had a very long run of explosive growth. There might be some bumps along the way but they will eventually settle into a groove.
@@jacewhite8540 interesting, see i interpreted that from David as to be something more in line with how the production is done. SYWs was awesome i don't think it will work anymore in 2023 and we also will come back around to the not enough time/people problem haha. Im sure they will figure it out. i dont actually see them as having a huge problem at the moment. They operate in a fast moving environment and seem to be keeping up pretty well. My management hides the detailed reports from employee pulse surveys, definitely doesn't publish them on RUclips! haha
I saw Linus Tech Tip at a grocery store in Los Angeles yesterday. I told him how cool it was to meet him in person, but I didn’t want to be a douche and bother him and ask him for photos or anything. He said, “Oh, like you’re doing now?” I was taken aback, and all I could say was “Huh?” but he kept cutting me off and going “huh? huh? huh?” and closing his hand shut in front of my face. I walked away and continued with my shopping, and I heard him chuckle as I walked off. When I came to pay for my stuff up front I saw him trying to walk out the doors with like fifteen Water Blocks in his hands without paying. The girl at the counter was very nice about it and professional, and was like “Sir, you need to pay for those first.” At first he kept pretending to be tired and not hear her, but eventually turned back around and brought them to the counter. When she took one of the bars and started scanning it multiple times, he stopped her and told her to scan them each individually “to prevent any demonetization” and then turned around and winked at me. I don’t even think that’s a word. After she scanned each bar and put them in a bag and started to say the price, he kept interrupting her by yawning really loudly.
Linus don't let these people burn out! The audience - I speak for everyone when I say this 😜- can understand a slow down of videos and projects for a short while as y'all focus on quality and good fellowship. Get your folks together for some fun so they get to know each other, care for each other, vouch for each other. That alone brings a level of quality no resume can compete with. Also, I dig the mention of focus on cheaper tech and fun personal vlogs of your perfect staff
100%. Imo the LTT company should do a dope yearly off-site, they probably got the money for it. Treat your employees to a week somewhere nice, do one little retro a day, spend the rest of the day letting everyone cut loose and destress.
Good video. Sounds like there is a common thread of feeling rushed and stressed. The team could be helped by loosening the release schedule a bit, or hiring more people. Rushed and stressed ultimately leads to burnout, mistakes, lesser quality, and lower quality of life.
I like this comment a lot. I mean, its a bleak view to be sure but i suspect it is rather accurate. Linus needs to see this and try to make some of these changes. Its obvious its a systemic issue and as the one who controls the system he's the only one that can fix it. Conversely, some turnover may be not only acceptable, but desired. New talent, new ideas, new directions.
It's just some empoyees are unrealistic. They imagined that with more people hired it would mean more time for them to focus on things more relaxed. But thats not how new media companies work. Thats how big tech silicon valley works. They can "absord" losses in department bloat because they are on the stock exhange, and sell data for hundreds of millions a year. So operating costs can be looser.
This level of transparency and honesty is unmatched. It was great to see what the staff loves about LMG and what can be improved. Hopefully this feedback and be used to improve the company. Awesome video
They should have sent out anonymous questionaires to ex employees instead. Some rumours have been spread that the company culture is actually not very good.
David sounds a little burnt out! I love the quality and see and appreciate the improvements over the years, we have you to thank for a lot of that and being a great host. I'm excited to see what further quality improvements you envision but don't forget what a good job you and the team are doing :)
As a viewer, alot of the employees align with what I want changed as well. A little less output, more focus on quality vs quantity, and to see some more videos focused on less expensive subjects. I want to get into building my first pc sometime, and have no idea where to start on a budget while still allocating enough into whichever sections to future proof a build for say like 5 years before needing to dump funds again.
They've had a few videos like this. Acutally one of the few vids taht they still do somewhat regularly. 69 pc upgrade of the 69 pc 400 something pc quite a few to choose from. The main takaway is that if you can get an used/refurbished workstation pc and eventually chuck a video card into it you'll be set. They said in the most recent wan show that for 90% of people you don't need top of the line because a lot of popular games (esports) don't have crazy graphics and few devs go out of their way to design a game like crysis which was built for computers several years away.
I think especially now, a good guide on GPU price/performance would be nice. With Nvidia prices going crazy, I have no idea what's good or cheap anymore.
All people suggesting they slow down upload rate for quality don't understand Linus already knows the metrics for that. He's in the game 10 years and knows the size of his company can't sustain ANY drop off. Even if it might not impact their bottom line, its a risk not worth taking. You'd hate to see lay offs in 2 years because of a move like that now
HAHA!!! Riley at 14:30 it's EXACTLY what Yvonne mentioned in their new video!!!! Funny Watching it again from that what I would change mark, almost all of them talk about the workload being too tight and needing more time for quality over quantity. Only took a Gamer's Nexus video to cascade them into listening to their employees. I think they'll be better off for it too
This channel has shot so much forward in quality and interestring stuff to watch. It actually changed my viewing behavior, I tend to watch almost everything published on this channel, whether it's relatable for me or not, I most often still find it interesting in the end, either because of the quality/writing or that I actually learned something new. Surely that must reflect that he quality actually really is there. However to some of the feedback about having more time, I can get that, things at LTT always feel like a speed film from my perspective, I guess they channel that energy to the public partly on purpose, but I defo would like to see maybe some more consistency in a topic, or a quicker follow-up.
"The job is not to say no, but to provide every reason why it is a bad idea." So many things would be better if people viewed things this way more often.
People saying that it’s amazing that he let his employees speak out… do you really think these folks were TRULY speaking their mind? How would you feel if your boss went “sure, say what you want, don’t worry - your job won’t be on the line” and then put a camera in your face. 😅 Sure, you might put out *some* of your gripes, but imagine what these folks would likely say if they no longer relied on LMG for their paycheck. Oh wait, we ARE starting to hear from those folks…
It’s always a good idea to take time and focus on quality. Don’t burn your staff out-sometimes people come up with even better ideas and execution when they have downtime.
They do have some good policies to prevent burn-out, you can't work an all-nighter to get a project done. I think the problem is RUclips, if they cut down a video or two, that's a lot of lost revenue, since their algorithm expects a video everyday to get it in to top of the feed for viewers. The only way to make that back is to hire more staff, but then that inevitably leads to pressure to get one more video out the door since they have more labor. I do agree though, the camera guys and writers especially need more time to focus on quality. Brandon I imagine left because being the camera operator provided very little challenge, since the videos were cookie cutter 90% of the time.
This was awesome on so many levels. It almost felt like a spoof video at times but that just goes to show what a diverse place to work at it actually is. It's one of those feel good success stories that you piece together from all the tidbits of backstory/history you gleen from the all the content (especially the Linus/Luke WAN dialogue). I have a lot of respect for Linus - one of the most attractive things (energetically speaking) is his integrity and desire to do the right thing, to not sell out and to basically make a change for the better in whatever limited (or not) way that he can. He's definately Willy Wonka's spiritually successor and that is the underpinning of the place. It's awesome! I also find it super reassuring that success doesn't always have to mean ultimately selling out or turning to the dark side in the often super corporate, cynical times we live in. All the staff are so varied and they all knit together to make a super wonky bunch of geek freaks (in the best possible way) - it's truly inspiring. I know it's not all roses and it does sound like it's maybe started to creak under it's on weight which is a bit concerning I guess but that's always a gamble when you expand exponentially as they seem to be doing. While Linus admits to being chaotic, he's seriously switched on in ideas and what direction he steers things in and that's a classic definition of a visonary. Yeah, I know I'm laying it all on thick, but if anyone from LMG sees this comment, I'm just trying so clumsily say, keep doing what your doing because your making a real difference AND making great entertainment on the side :)
![Lethal Company Music Video 🎵 "Follow The Orders" [VERSION A]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/QeooZB4Z7RA/mqdefault.jpg)
Riley's psychoanalysis of Linus is the thing that I did not know I needed until Riley suggested it was possible.
RileyPsychTips new channel confirmed
I didn't know he had a degree on psychology. Such a box full of surprises. Oh, and I'd totally buy the book. IMO Riley is one of the smartest individuals there.
As a fellow psychologist, I am interested as well. Maybe an April Fool's vid? lol
@@atoafriend yea, maybe one of those interviews with a psycopath type things, but it's Riley interviewing Linus and statements of lmg staff
@@atoafriend maybe renaming the channel to one as a joke? tho most people probably will think the recent event...
Colton just groaning and his answers getting cut out each time is the best part of the whole video
Well he did almost put everybody in the unemployment line recently hahaha
I'm surprised they let him film I'm sure he was fired :D :D :D
From what i see it really looks like Colton needs some time off. The guy has a major burn-out and needs to see a doctor.
@@RK-tx5lb eh, maybe, but you need to keep in mind it's on-camera and the editor doesn't seem interested in letting him do more than groan :p
I generally would like to hear from Colton!
I love how they even got ex employees like Colton to share his experience
lmao
Did he really get fired over the session token hack?
@Fred Werza no, because it wasn't his fault, it was someone in the marketing department. Dosen't seem any bad consequences became of them, because Linus took great pains to say proper training was not done to prevent that kind of scam.
Why does it feel like he is trying to get ahead of a scale.
@Fred Werza as @doginasuit said, they took alot of effort to make it clear the employee was not at fault.
I think it was a wakeup call to the executive team that the company is not all tech nerds anymore, they have departments that aren't as up to speed on IT security, and their processes weren't ready for that.
Every Colton's apparition:
1:50 - 1:54 (Cussing)
4:44 - 4:46 (Only Laughing)
9:50 - 9:59 (A sentence then groaning)
10:29 - 10:31 (Sigh)
13:30 - 13:33 (From CSF clips while Sarah is talking)
14:24 - 14:27 (Actually answering)
16:05 - 16:08 (Relocating)
17:39 - 18:00 (Finally a full section... on the weirdest thing that happened to him)
lol 😭
0:00 - 19:01 : FIRED!
xD
"Working with Linus is like directing a river. Can't stop it, but you change its flow."
I have to say. I like this quote. It sums up the man pretty well.
you can _maybe_ change its flow
rivers are famously difficult to control lol
I love how he says that while holding the LTT screwdriver
Except rivers are almost impossible to alter the flow of, humanity has learned that the hard way :)
Dams?
You don't know him though
They are such nice ppl, they let Colton hang around the offices as if he was still working there ♥
He paid the price in blood though. (you bleed when you get a tattoo)
LMAOOOO
Colton is head of development, probably has the most responsibility of any employee at LTT. Dude's been with the company for like 10 years or something.
I hate that he's the laughing stock. Most of the people don't even know his role and how important he is. Linus doesn't like him, fine. But for whatever reason, Colton is either too good at his job or too experienced and thus too difficult to replace. Either way, he's a legend.
@@blazbohinc4964 you... do understand that its a joke yeah?
if linus wanted to seriously fire colton he would have years ago.
its just workplace jokes.
Does Colton have his own red Swingline stapler?
Colt must have a lot to say after being fired so many times.
Maybe they are laundering money, gotta be some loophole with him being fired so much.
XD
He’s not even done being fired either.
10:29
But Colt isn’t an employee anymore…
Damn, not having time to be reflective or retrospective seems like such a key step to be missing out especially when you are looking to implement new systems or people are looking to do more quality creative work. Obviously there will be ways to give feedback but every now and then it is healthy to step back from the carrot and see if we can make the stick any better, together of course.
Yeah, but it costs money. Linus does not like things that cost money.
This aged like the finest wine
The prophet has spoken, give this man more upvotes
Since the new CEO I believe this all changed.
The fact that Dan said "we argue a lot" "I call him an idiot"
I knew he was perfectly comfortable and is exactly where he needs to be in life hahaha
Dan, and his dynamics with Linus, is the best.
Best hire ever!
What is his job?
@3polygons you can see his job title when his name comes up at the beginning when he's introduced. He also co-hosts, as well as he is the live producer for WAN.
@@3polygons Dan used to be my boss and now he does things. No one is sure what they are but he sure does them.
Dan has a heart of gold and I enjoy him alot. On WAN-shows, he adds so much momentum because he does not have this years-old relationship that Luke has, but still does not hold back. I need more Dan in my life.
We all need a little Dan in us.
@@didnotwantthis about 6 inches ;)
Dan is very much my favorite member of the team. I absolutely love his snarky comments on WAN-show!
@@didnotwantthissaw this joke a mile away lol
Dan is such a gem to have on WAN /streams /videos
I think the most reassuring part for me was the disclaimer. The rest of the video is great. But the fact that it was mentioned that obviously not everything would be shared, because that could and possibly should have certain consequences for their professional careers, made it feel a lot more honest than it might've otherwise. Being transparent about not being fully transparent and why is usually a good sign.
Time Stamp? I couldn't find it...
@@blackhatgaming5497 at 0:50
@@blackhatgaming5497 0:51
@@blackhatgaming5497 Did you ... play the video?
@@blackhatgaming5497 Have you started the video yet?
I really love seeing someone go from unboxing something in their bedroom or a garage to eventually employing people and launching careers, it's mind blowing and very admirable obviously passion is key all the way, :)
@@ZenAndPsychedelicHealingCenter I didn't say it was, I wasn't talking about only Linus but in general people who started out from humble beginnings like others I follow who have done the same kind of thing.
When Riley admitted that his changes would just make things worse, I felt that.
Where is Alex
@@tejasvachauhan Alex is just Riley without the glasses. I mean, have we ever seen the two in the same room before?
@@Rust1809 oh yeah they kinda look like twins
@@Rust1809 you know the can we make DIY thermal paste but i highly doubt it probably cgi
It's wild to me that they feel like the quality is not that high. The new videos feel so much more quality and well made. Shows how much they care about the channel.
not wild to me, but i do remember when the amount of passion was so much more intense per episode
Not wild to me either. Their videos have started feeling like cookie-cutter rapid production. I only really watch the WAN show unless a unique video like this one comes out nowadays.
I don't think he's talking about production quality. A lot of LTT videos lately have been boring. Reviews of boring hardware building another pc. Their videos used to be fun and not just product reviews/advertisements
Their videos are very corporate cookie cutter type now. Still entertaining sure, but older videos back in 2017 and before had a spark and/or passion that's not in the new vids
@@Jolly_Green23 same here, so I actually enjoy the longer WAN shows. I really wish they tried slowing down a little bit and focus more on the production like they do with Mac Address.
I'd love like a timeline video of how the company started and where it is now. I know parts of this has been covered in multiple videos, but one big video 30mins+ telling the whole story of how the company and the team has evolved over time would be super cool.
yes please this ⬆⬆⬆
This! I wanted 45 min on this topic
Would be nice.
Go to his video history...
@@salmantahir6361 I see we have a wise guy here.
Hi Linus, (putting here in case you read!)
Just for another perspective on the flexible working hours thing: we have a similar sized company and we use this practice but it only applies to certain roles.
Other roles are on shift pattern, some are on day with flexitime and others are day without flexitime.
I think a one size fits all approach is not good longterm and with a larger company, it becomes unwieldy to do this across all specialised roles, especially when there are tight deadlines to be met - stress and anxiety can be increased.
Secondly, this is a trust issue. It seems that this policy and the reason for it appears to be rooted in the fallacy that one person will ruin it for everyone. (I'm going to be harsh here) I don't believe it's sane to run a company like that. You cannot control or expect to control employees 100% of the time. To treat them like children instead of the professionals they clearly are. If they are not good at time management then that's a situation where line managers and HR need to be involved - the fear of that shouldn't reflect on how all other employees are treated.
One way we ostensibly enable collaboration is through mandated office hours. Everyone on flexitime has to be on site between 10 am and 14:00, for example, unless there is prior consent from the person's manager.
I work for a decent sized utility corporation and we have flexible hours it mandated office hours. Hasn't been a problem (in my area) in the 8 years I've been there
For a company it totally makes sense to have workers go in and out on shift hours for maximum productivity. But the problem is working on shift absolutely suuucks! UNLESS it actually fits the employees schedules and doesn’t hinder their work-life balance. I used to work all sorts of shifts and it used to mess up my circadian rhythm’s so much that I was regularly sleep deprived! Right now I got a 9 to 5 and it suits me both physically and mentally much better. To each their own I guess.
I want to add that artificially reducing the amount of time that some people are *allowed* to work doesn't necessarily make things less stressful, which Anthony did briefly touch on.
Give people the freedom to manage their own time because they're the ones who ultimately know how they work best. This may lead to some employees increasing their hours beyond the usual 8, but good management is able to spot this before it becomes an issue and is able to re-evaluate whether that person is being given too much work or if that role actually requires another person.
I'm sure Linus appreciates this unsollicited bit of feedback /s
Treating your employees like children just breeds resentment.
I feel sometimes maybe we take for granted to high quality content and products that LMG produce daily. This video is a nice reminder of the people behind the curtains who work tirelessly to achieve this. I don't know any other channel that is so high production but also highly transparent. Thank you LMG for everything you have done.
Its my fav part about them. I cant wait for the lab to start giving us more content.
As an idealist: I think we should maybe start demanding any kind of percentage that equals _less_ content. I'm sure that means nothing changes and is impossible, but I think having more quality into videos makes a better experience.
The videos are their business and main source of revenue, of course they have to get better, that's their cash lol
I might be the exact opposite. The other day I was looking at the LMG hiring webpage (just out of curiosity, I live on the other side of the world) and I could only think how hard it must be to work there, how good one must be to get hired. I can't even fathom having the confidence to apply for a position at LMG. All of these people know their stuff and it reflects on the quality of the videos.
Anthony is such a gem. Tbh, everyone in this segment letting loose was great. Being real with reality can be a really good thing.
Anthony has slowly become one of my favorite parts of LMG
100%
@@coisnotpog same here
I think that Anthony is more than a writer though, he's like the Steve Wozniak of LTT.
Anthony INSTANTLY became my fav LMG person except for the beautiful girl that I shall not name on here lol
Coming from photo/video editor: Dear LMG Staff, I hear you say you want to improve your quality but you have some of the best production on RUclips. And it’s all because of you beautiful individuals. This video itself feels like a short documentary, all love for your hard work!
They don't mean quality as on production quality, they mean as in the passion that used to be in the videos is gone. The videos are just product reviews and promotions now, with the exception of the odd video like this one.
@@nikkiofthevalley I guess it's parallel to today's tech advancements, which kind of getting "stale" and just improvements of an already exist tech. Unlike a decade ago, tech stuffs really the talk of YT because, well, there's a lot of new techs back in that time that's groudbreaking. I would surf around LTT's old videos to check out a particular tech and it does have the quality of informations and how they present them in a fun approach
I agree with Plouffe, in the latest years LMG doesn't make too much stuff around budget hardware, it's always about the premium stuff, and yes of course that brings a lot of views but it's kind of boring that even when budget stuff is mentioned it's just to compare it as a baseline or soemthing. And Jake B is right that it's always fun to see the vloggy stuff, I would love more of it too.
Not to increase their workload even further, but there could be a whole budget oriented channel.
Plus the budget stuff would be useful for viewers who aren't able to splash out on the premium options
@@blondiejoeI'd watch cheapest frames content and by extension eco friendly (because we pay to run stuff)
I think the past couple years there really haven’t been any new supply of budget hardware. Hopefully we get budget builds again soon because I like seeing what different types of configs can give you the best bang for the buck.
@@blondiejoe Somebody else is already doing it for vlogging hardware - cameras, microphones and the odd laptop - ruclips.net/video/PuZWbUJGjTo/видео.html - so it would be cool to see LTT's take on affordable computer tech.
I had absolutely no idea how I was going to feel about Dan when he was first introduced, but I have to say, Dan has really grown on me, and I absolutely love his style of communication and humor.
i genuinely DIDNT like him at first, but.......have to say, I'm the same. He has really grown and now seems a 'natural' part of the team.
Gives Bertram Gilfoyle vibes with the style
dan
@@Cable-Tie Such a good comparison ahaha
I like him a lot
Colton had such great insights to share! Loved listening to his opinions 🙏
Ok Colton hop off the fake account
Sarcasm
@@captainAOG you don't say
I love that the disclaimer made me think people wouldn’t spill their thought like a 100% but they actually didn’t hold any punches throughout the video haha.
Definitely a company of passionate AND compassionate people, keep it up
thing is. there will always be super happy people and unhappy people with any company. getting bombed by someone who leaves isnt necessarily the truth you aren't hearing. could be they themselves just weren't a good employee, or didn't fit in. it happens. i think if LTT/Linus were truly shitty, they wouldn't succeed, and retention always says a lot. i'd guess what we're hearing here is almost all the truth and not people just not speaking their minds because they're afraid of repercussions.
@@hoofhearted4 ???
@@p99chan99???
I don't doubt that there's some, maybe even a majority of people at LMG that have genuinely good experiences there, but the way I took that disclaimer is that if someone has a truly negative opinion towards the company, they either wouldn't say yes to the interview or reveal on camera how bad they think things are. I think the lack of drama about LMG's work practices in the many years they've been around is the most telling thing that working for Linus has been alright so far, though
el no sabe
The coolest thing at LMG is that a Designer, a camera operator and an Infrastructure specialist, or whatever Dan is, are hosting videos as well as the writers.
It may not be their field of expertise, but god damn do some people do it well. Dan and David are fantastic hosts and David's opinions throughout the entire video were just chef's kiss. I also really enjoy Alex as a host, simply because of the wicked ideas and his overall goofiness and he's one of those people that are just easy to listen to and follow along.
Here's to hoping they'll be able to find a way to wind down a bit and still remain profitable. The way Anthony put it really didn't sound all that healthy, but that's a topic I'm sure Linus has more insight into than any of us. :)
14:40 i'm not even a big car guy but your car videos are some of the best videos you've produced. They feel like a breath of fresh air, probably because they're filmed outside of the studio (or any building for that matter) which adds some extra variety to the content that you can't get with most video projects.
Personally I think it’s because they dive in to the things that you’re going to actually use in the car
Especially the infotainment system which I noticed most reviewers just glance over or skip entirely
For real I'd love them to do a dedicated car channel.
I think this is the reason I like the mac address videos a lot more than LTT - they almost never spend the whole thing in the studio and they talk to employees we don't see much, or people totally outside the company. (way more variety)
Im big on automotive and wouldn't say their car review videos are great but they see stuff that most car reviewers will never see or even talk about
I'd love to see more car videos, specially about the UI and stuff that we might not think about.
It would also be amazing to see an LTT subscribers car roast video lmao
I think LTT's growing pains are also RUclips's growing pains. Like all the leading channels they're figuring it out as they go because there is no model for what they do. If they keep this level of honesty and transparency and keep bringing us along for the ride we'll never leave them - which is probably why this feels like the best video I've watched all week!
RUclips doesn't have growing pains. RUclips is a megacorp. RUclips grows, everyone else experiences pain.
@@rockoman100 I think what OP is referring to is the community surrounding RUclips, not RUclips as in the corporation
@@rockoman100 You might know, but I'm pretty sure the original comment meant "RUclips" as in the big channels that have been around long enough that they operate as companies themselves, not literally the company RUclips.
@@rockoman100 I get OP's point, but this metaphor is accurate lmao
This was the best takeaway from this video for me regarding why they operate the way they do.
Linus does seem like a really neat boss. Someone who seems to be available for his people. His describing his ADD as a super power, followed by having a fella describe his energy as a river that cannot be stopped, only possibly diverted a little...that is deep.
I have enjoyed much of this team's content. I look forward to seeing more.
I happen to work for a really cool dude, having a job working for a good group of people and a neat boss is amazing.
Linus isn't the boss of anything, never was. His wife, who's actually the boss, does seem like a really nice boss - not that I work there or know what it's like.
@@johnnyfromstovner1286 Well behind every good dude, is a better woman, right?
@@johnnyfromstovner1286 They're 50/50 owners (and Yvonne provided the seed money for LMG), but Linus is the one who actually takes on the responsibilities of a CEO in the company. I believe Yvonne is head of accounting, among other things
@@GlorifiedGremlin she's the CFO
They all complain that they do not get enough time on videos. LTT keeps making mistakes because they do not have time to fact check videos and do corrections.
This is not the sign of a good boss. This is the sign of a company where employees (who actually knows the work best) having zero actually say.
Shoutout to David for hitting on the quantity aspect of creating content for LMG.
I absolutely love the silliness and randomness of Riley and James when they present. I’m not even that much into tech, I just really enjoy the people this channel brings together. This video just confirms that, if the crew clicks and they enjoy doing what they do, you get it across.
What I find interesting about LMG as an outsider is that it's like a factory producing videos and content consistently like a well oiled machine. It's pretty amazing logistically even if it is stressful.
What I'd like to see is more adult orientated content. The latest gaming stuff is cool but videos where they do repairs, add ons and such to Linus's house are my favorite because I can relate to it more in my 30s. More Brian the electrician too!
brain retired, so he's no longer an electrician. its been that long. I think he does retro computer stuff as a hobby though.
also I agree, I love the less formulaic and more freeform 'dad content' my dad used to watch shows like 'this old house' and I always thought of it as a 'dad' show, not really something I would typically watch. but LMG does tech stuff to the house, which gets my attention every time even when its something I know I'm never going to purchase.
do you mean Dan the electrician?
@@lonergothonline I'm pretty sure he just relocated
the moment you said "adult oriented content" my brain went somewhere completely different
More Mac Address type lifestyle content basically?
As someone who has been watching ltt videos for 10 years now, this video was an amazing video. Almost a tear jerker at times and other times an inspiration truly amazing hands down one of my favorites. Thank you
This is one of the few companies brave enough to publish something like this with complete honesty from the staff. You can tell they all like working there but also feel welcomed enough to say things to the public that most companies would prefer be kept private in a staff interview meeting. And that's something that will keep me coming back for more!
100+ employees and we saw basically only on camera talent.. this video is PR for LMG even if Linus or MGMT didnt get to see it. This is not me being a hater, I like LTT, just being honest.
Nonsense take Woodman. Linus has been on record saying new people in the 3 month period cannot be on camera for company policy reason, and early employees its not advisable to put on camera until they want to be or it makes sense in the content.
There's nothing honest about this video. No company is going to release videos of employees being completely honest about the companies. You won't even hear a fraction of the shady crap that goes on in the company. There's no such thing as a company with 100+ employees where everything is all nice, clean and honest.
In most companies many people in higher ranks specifically HR and managerial jobs are ego tripping and way overestimating themselves. Especially CEO's.
The company structure in LTT is one of the most successful I've seen where while let's not kid ourselves you can't ever get full honesty but it's a lot closer to it BY FAR.
@@thenonexistinghero And they had a massive disclaimer at the start of the video acknowledging exactly that? The OC was trying to point out that this has a lot more honesty than a similar video that might get produces from, any other large company.
The reason I watch LTT is quality. I've been watching you for years and the leap you made is insane. Its basically like watching A++ cable show. Production quality for RUclips is insane.
Same here. In addition to that, their gear is actually good and mostly doesn't scream a brand, just good designs and feels good on the skin.
It's*
The amount of errors in their videos tho. Like the recent Amazon cooler or putting the wrong specs in their editing. They have quality but its inconsistent
@@dot8803 keyboard engineer appeared, you need to be hired - don't miss the opportunity
@@AaronHuffmanPersontotally agree. It doesn't set off my sensory yuck feelings very often.
LMG produces the only content for which have notifications on… I put it on the TV and sit down to watch it everyday. Honestly, you all have created such a remarkable beast of a channel and I’m glad I found it in the midst of 2020. Thanks to everyone on the team for what they do because you resparked my love of tech that I had when I was younger :)
Do you have notifications on for every LMG channel?
Either Colton is very skillfully trolling us all here, or the video editors are trolling Colton super hard
I can't decide
yes
I think both can be true
The editors know he's a cosmic troll, so they doubled down in the edits
I actually laughed out loud at a couple of Colton's early appearances. I can't wait to watch the full interview to see how hard the editors screwed him!
He has no fear since was fired.
Well done Linus and the whole LTT staff. It’s so valuable to hear from your colleagues, and how you build with the strengths of the brilliant people you employ. I wish more companies did the same.
This is honestly one of my favorite channels. It's good to hear that there is a good environment. If I lived in the right place, I would love to work with this company.
This honestly could be a multi-hour documentary or even a 10 part mini series and I’d watch it all. Some thing like The Making of LMG would be an epic docu-drama
As someone who has watched this channel since early days NCIX Tech Tips, I can definitely understand the desire to lower the pace and focus on quality... and also definitely understand that it isn't really sustainable to do that... I'm in my 30s and I have an attention span, so I'm slowly moving away from the target audience. It's amazing that LMG is able to put out 25 videos every week are ~90% finished, and I totally get that the last 10% or so would take 50% more time, but it's that last step that makes me prefer other channels for certain verticals. GN is able to put the time into extremely thorough computer hardware reviews, Hardware Unboxed is able to fully dive to monitor content, etc. I hope LTT is able to find a better balance eventually. The main thing that makes megacorps go bad is the endless need for growth, I just hope LTT never hits that point.
I’m pretty sure they now an inch away from becoming a soulless behemoth.
@@prospersikhwari5289 I think you're a soulless behemoth
I can't stand most GN videos. He is so negative, he has such a toxic personality. IMO he presents too much opinion as fact and often makes claims that are out of line and even misinformed. And there is no way I can watch an entire video so thank goodness for timestamps because his videos are boring. I'm a Grandfather, I have an attention span long enough to watch WAN shows in their entirety as well as many other RUclips videos 1-3 hours long, so it's not an attention span thing, GN just makes videos that are not interesting and typically off putting because he is so toxic. I'm an Aussie and I almost never watch Hardware Unboxed but they would be my first choice if I was shopping for a monitor.
That said there are clearly some issues with LTT. What I think makes LTT my go to tech channel is they are entertaining and fun and they are clearly good people and honestly I'm constantly surprised how much I relate to Linus. But the reality is they are not much better than a Tech Basics channel and leave a massive hole to be filled. It's only because they are entertaining and fun and a really good source for tech news and discussion that have kept so many of us engaged. One of the massive issues they are not even aware of is how much they don't seem to know despite having a massive staff, most likely because they are not as tech curious as they seem to think they are and ironically considering a recent WAN show debate they are very much like paid top list review sites in that they seem to mostly only be aware of the tech that pays to get noticed. I think for LTT to improve they need to
- slow down a bit in general (clearly from this video)
- have an allocation to longer term projects
- know more about the subject and other options they are presenting, so they need to hire some script fact checkers and the prereq needs to be people who spends all their time researching rather than doing. Someone who can say "actually Fedora is the best option for noobs converting from Windows if the goal is long term adoption", "actually there is a massive gamer market for 3090's and here is why it's not good enough for them", "actually Linus there are PC VR headsets with OLED displays".
- that last one is massively important also for labs because no matter how much they spend on testing gear they can not be a good source of review or comparison as long as they are unaware of the best tech options and unaware or the bleeding edge and unaware of gamers needs in large gamer markets. In depth technical analysis is pointless if you don't even test options because you are unaware of them or unreasonably prejudiced against them.
I think the video cadence feedback was the most important. Certainly that treadmill is scary to slow down when everything relies on views and sponsors, but LMG is at the point where they've already gained the loyal audience and foundations they need. Lowering the release frequency a bit would allow more time for that retrospection, finishing integration of the lab with the channel, provide a healthier work balance (not rushing and being chaotic all the time), increase content quality, and start that transition from a "fast growing startup" to a well-established company that can stand the test of time.
True. I don't think they can go extreme, like some channels have done with once a month posting. But maybe one week a month they can slow down a bit to get some of those other ideas out there.
To add to this, as an end user/consumer/viewer, the sheer volume of content is way too much to feasibly consume. I'm the kind of person that would love to support everything my favorite creators do, but it would practically take a whole full-time job in and of itself just to watch all of their new content. Fewer things with higher quality sounds great to me.
@@kaiiboraka +1
@@waggy401 I would say starting by reducing LTT videos by 1 or 2 would already be a relief
I'd love to see some more thought out projects on here as well. Sometimes you have a video with an interesting premise that they clearly just couldn't make work purely because of time constraints, and I'd really love to see them given more time to put these kinds of things together. And personally a lot of the stuff they put out bounces right off me. Like I'll watch all the videos about weird old tech and jank cooling concepts I can get, but the stuff where they're basically just showing off an expensive monitor or whatever I skip right over.
"i think the worst part of working here is colton"
This man needs a raise i can't even -
Don't have to give him a raise if you just fire him instead.
@@dangerousmythbuster fire him again?
Why was he fired? Or is this just a joke?
@@billigerfusel It's a longstanding joke that Colton keeps getting "fired" all the time. It used to come up pretty much any time he and Linus were on screen together, but hasn't happened for a few years now. There's a video talking about it on the LMG clips channel from a WAN show a while back.
@@R0D3R1CKV10L3NC3 thanks
I know the old staff, and some of the new staff but so many new faces I've never seen before. Obvious growth in the company and its abilities. I like that machinist employees can make stuff, and that technical employees know so much, especially about expernsive server systems, multiple VM hookups, etc. What wasn't mentioned is that LMG brings in external experts in many fields to add to the vast skills already present. Thanks for all the hard work.
the main thing i respect about linus is he built a real company. it’s stressful. it’s hard work. he’s relatable man. seeing a youtuber talk about video games and makes way too much money isn’t relatable. paperwork. deadlines. meetings. it’s what i admire.
The amount of crunch time needed from the workers is definitely alarming, especially since so many people mentioned it. Hope Linus sees that and start working towards improving it.
i feel like these videos are linus' idea as a self audit kinda thing.
It's so weird. It seems to me they crunch a lot, but also only work 9-5 at the same time.
The point is that he won't see this so they could be honest... They discuss that in the video. Also, there's only so much they can do given the algorithms and the need for new content constantly. They've been hiring to feed the algorithms, but it's also less crunch than Linus and the team were doing in the early days, for sure, but at least they're working at 120% during the work hours with the hard cut-off instead of making them pull all nighters like before. But coming from a "normal" job, it's probably more crunch. I agree it doesn't seem fully sustainable, but they're continuing to hire so they seem to be trying to fix it but also I'm not entirely sure how sustainable it will all be given revenue streams (though they've done well to diversify) to have "slow" jobs in this industry. Heck, even television and movies that have months to make content are almost always go-go-go; news which is similarly putting out daily/weekly content is notoriously no work-life balance. That's the entertainment industry.
I'm not sure but I think no one said "crunch time". They have to crunch within a day (8h) to get the work done within timeline. They are not required to stay overtime constantly and with minimal benefits. It's not the same as in i.e. multiple vg companies..
@@SkullyGibs I think the crunch they mean is more so in terms of very busy hours instead of long hours. Since they are tied to only 8 hours a day they basically gotta start and finish all of that days work inside of that day (especially if they need to release a video that day)
I love the employees asking for fewer videos and more quality, I hope management listens and find a way. No one wants to get burnt out
Hands down, one of the hardest working RUclips channels out there with the numbers to show for it. If they were able to get that one day to focus on the retrospect and analyze, not only would productivity skyrocket, but every team at LMG is going to feel much more content and satisfied.
I think the quality is top notch. I do wish they would have more time for the videos just because they want more time. If they feel it’s not as good and aren’t proud that really sucks. I think they do a great job. Being so hectic this channel is just amazing!!
Major respect to the whole team sometimes we forget how good we have it as the audience
Colton had me chuckling every time he was on camera. Love the people here, you seem like an amazing group
The LTT Car Videos are so much fun to watch.
The camerawork/editing is often comparable to the last seasons of old Top Gear and the points that Alex made in the last Genesis Video are something that gets overlooked in most other Car Reviews.
I'm all for it!
They honestly would get views if they just had a regular (ha) car channel as the EV reviews they do are pretty good. I really don't find EV only stuff that interesting though, would be nice to have a mix really.
Fun fact: Being aware of problems is the first step towards solving them, not the only step.
Address the concerns raised by your employees properly or your channel will follow NCIX next to oblivion.
This aged like milk
@@thehungryhippylike wine?
@@thehungryhippyIt hasn’t gone beyond the best before since it’s new.
@@thehungryhippy the fact this video is 4 months old and it's still being pushed by the algorithm to get new comments hours ago.. shows that it's nothing close to the catastrophe of NCIX
@@SpicyTamatoPeople are actively searching for this vid after the GN video. I highly doubt new commenters got here through youtube recommendations.
This is hands down my favorite LMG video I’ve seen thus far after years of watching. The openness and honesty of this channel and company is something I respect so very greatly. I watch LTT to wind down almost every single night and watching LMG grow has been so fun to see
It's pretty great but I still love the whole room water cooling series better 😂 it's really just a showcase of chaotic good linus
I want Riley to talk about Linus for decades with that degree in psychology. Also lowkey feel people are getting burnt out a bit, i hope it won't fold like a house of cards.
That segway at the end just killed me. I wish everyone can have something awesome to throw themselves into like this team does passionately.
segue
@@FreshApplePie sugma
Agreed, usually I see them coming, this one felt sincere then ughhhhhhhhhh
@@istanboolbawls
Got em!
This video proved way more revealing then i previously thought :))
One of the biggest things that comes through in that video is kindness and caring for each other. That is what draws us audience in, feeling like we are also connected to such a wonderful group of people
Absolutely!
@@jeremytine of course. But for all we know neither are you!?
Kudos for being a growing company in Canada. Few will get how hard that is.
Especially in the Vancouver area.
@@samwhaleIV is rent that expensive there?
@@MRJMXHD LOL If the cost of a single bedroom rental is the comparison I can’t even imagine what these guys pay for their large unit monthly
@@perrycraigston9608Its already expensive here in Ottawa now. Can't imagine Vancouver 🤯
@@MRJMXHD in North America it's what is likely the most expensive city. More than New York, more than LA, more than anything. It's more than very expensive
18:00 lmao, the most linus move ever, love it
I love how far LMG has come from the very beginning. I hope Linus doesn't feel cornered in that he has to be a celebrity that has to constantly be top tier in content to get views when in reality his channels and LMG have been a community I have watched simply because I love to see what they're up to. Love all the crew and hope they stay with LMG for a long time.
Thumbs up with Nicholas for making more content on less expensive things. It might not be as Sexy but it will provide more value to more people.
It does say a lot about a company when the employees are mostly complaining about not being able to do the best job they can. Love ya'll's content and keep trucking
they mention having a lot of work but not being underpaid, good work environment too
As a business owner I love these videos.
It is a ballsy move letting the team say whatever they want, even if a reasonable person wouldn’t say anything too crazy.
They aren't saying whatever they want, they are being extremely calculated in their choice of words. This video qualifies as propaganda in the worst way. This is a rare time I'm in complete disagreement with what LMG has released.
@@TheJjjoj This was in the disclaimer.
I don't even know how you managed to come up with such a nonsense interpretation. You do realize they're still employees after the credits roll, right? That's the constraint to the "say whatever they want".
Insane. Completely crazy I would be reading gibberish like this. There is a distinct surreal and inhuman character to such comments.
@@TheJjjoj who hurt you?
@@TheJjjoj And they lap it up. Hope these comments are just bots.
Guys, this was actually emotional.
You're my favourite RUclips channel BY FAR and I've been following you from Spain (Catalonia) for years now. Keep it up, you've come a long way and you've become part of my "family" and my evenings. Eventhough I reckon it's going to be almost impossible, but I would LOVE to meet the "core" team one day.. It'd be nice to have a nice conversation with you lot.
Take very good care and see you on the next video!!
I think Colton has a really bad time since he always gets fired
it's okay, he gets compensated with mandatory tattoos
@@moneypowertron 😥 more than 1 company tatoo, i would resign 100%
@@vaisakh_km ...or just one....
In case this comment isn't sarcasm, It seems like a joke to me
i freaking loved Dan's description of what best at working at lmg, this dude gets to little camera time, even though he is overworked and does a great job, i enjoy him a lot on was show
Dan gets lots of camara time and for being the newest member he integrated to the core surprisingly fast... To the point that i believe he is working directly with Luke who is also now has a position in ltt (not just floatplane anymore)
Love it. :-) And a very good model to follow. :-) Also as to your last sponsor, Magic Spoon really is delicious. 😋 -Daven
Simon Whistler’s team… I know you guys must be locked in a basement somewhere don’t lie!
Lmao I was just watching the casual criminalist before this video and here is one of Simon's channels commenting on the next video in my queue.
@@RyTrapp0 dude Simon hasn't just got 'channels', he's got a freakin network!
Hey Linus. How about slowing down that production rate? Happy employees mean better quality.
Yeah that would be awesome! They have some really entertaining videos but those ones are pretty rare gems that they spent a bunch more time making. I'd be willing to watch a weekly upload where the content creators have time to put their real effort in rather than skipping most daily, thrown out videos for the sake of imposed quotas
I believe these kind of conversations, questions are what makes healthy work environment. It's not easy at all to be criticised/talked about at all, and it's not that easy to shit/talk about your boss and all that is on camera. I really appreciate you guys for doing it even though it might be so stressful.
Healthy work environment yes, if you can handle the pace. They all say the same. The pace is killing. And it looks like Colton has a burn-out because of it and needs to see a doctor.
Loved Colton's answers they prove what it feels like to be working for linus
I agree with the fact that some videos just need more time, it's always sad to see a really good concept suddenly rushed at the second half of the video because there wasn't time, or done improperly because there wasn't time for the part to arrive. But despite that working at LMG still feels like a dream job.
One that sticks out to me is the car radiator, where it's just pumping water everywhere because they couldn't take the time to get the fittings right. It's a really cool idea and potentially a relatively cheap option. (IE: go to a junkyard and get a car radiator and purchase some fittings off of Amazon.) The idea got hamfisted into sheer absurd comedy by the poor implementation. Same with the Propane idea. While I'd say that is less practical, it's an interesting concept, but they literally melted their own equipment they were in such a rush.
An important question that needs to be asked is this; At what point does the short term profit of rushing things outweigh the long term value of doing them right?
As an example of what I mean; The short term profit of paying your bartenders and waiters poorly quickly gets outweighed by the lost value of customers because your staff are unmotivated or just of low quality. (IE: I've had coworkers that would come in drunk every shift for weeks because management didn't want to fire them, as they couldn't get anyone else in to replace them if they did.)
I don't know if LTT has or will hit that point, but it's something a lot of companies struggle with. Is the additional profit of video 25 over 24 worth the difference of the increased value each of the first 24 could've had with the time you dedicated to the 25th? Would they be able to generate the same value with less overall content? I imagine this is something they're monitoring closely, but I'd simply warn that it's a slippery slope and they should be careful to not fall butt first on the ice.
@@nevarelixe3963 ye, the cooling videos were the ones I mainly had in mind, where actually cool idea turns into "catastrophe comedy" without any real value, imagine if this had happened with whole room water-cooling, while ye it didn't work in the end it was so entertaining to watch cuz it was pretty well planned out and executed.
There is ultimately finite amount of ideas and this just feels like wasting them.
Also if they want to pump out more videos the could easily do more.indepth additions because the main videos are becoming dumbed down and skipping over the interesting technical details
@@nevarelixe3963 Yeah that was super dissapointing.
rewatching this with the context of how Madison was treated is disgusting
Don't believe everything you hear online. It's funny how everything is coming out now after the nexus video
@@kylejackson7176 she would have been crucified by the fan base if she made these accusations before LMG already got itself into hot water. and she likely still will to some extent (judging by the tone of your comment)
Idk man, I rather let the evidence speak for itself before I take conclusion. Especially anything from twitter
@@liquidhydration All we ask is you consider the evidence. Most of the time when people say "I rather let the evidence speak for itself" the really mean "the evidence is speaking to me so I'll disregard it."
@@kylejackson7176she made a Glassdoor review about this. A person cannot go against a corporation.
I remember awhile ago (less employees back then obviously) when Linus' goal was to be able to put ALL of his employees in position to buy their own home. That tells you a lot about him.
Then the housing market spat in the face of all millenials and made them unobtainable to almost everyone. It's a great goal, but the housing markets are so screwed right now, even a 6 figure salary isn't enough.
@@coherentpanda7115 if anything it's a great part of linus since, buying house was always hard to do.
@@coherentpanda7115don’t pretend that GenX didn’t have the same issue. Home ownership seemed out of reach for most of us. It’s not the 1950s where you could buy a home for under $20k.
@@Bob_Smith19 And let's not pretend that having two lattes a day, an annual phone upgrade, new this, new that isn't a big problem. Sacrifice is the single biggest component of getting a house. You have to be ok with having little else for a decade. If you're not ok with that, don't complain about not being able to get a house. Also don't complain about not being able to buy in your preferred neighbourhood. Or that your house isn't nice enough...Basically stop complaining because that's what's in your way. As soon as I took the advice above, I got a house.
@@Bob_Smith19 they had the same problem, just not as bad
I really appreciate this video. As a viewer for the past 6 years, I think several people acknowledged something I've noticed: more quantity over quality. I can't pinpoint exactly what's changed, but some of the magic from even just a couple years ago has left this channel, and I think a lot has to do with the pressure for quantity. Definitely agree with Plouff on more low cost content, mix it up a bit more.
It's that the whole pipeline got standartised. There's less improv, more teleprompter with baked in but lifeless jokes, it's less notable with Linus but e.g. Anthony has become completely robotic. Sure, we are not watching this for entertainment only but if I wanted pure info, I'd be reading not watching.
@@zeeninetynine Ah, I think you nailed it. I think with all the new writers there has been some sort of standardization that just feels dull and lifeless. It makes sense but is disappointing.
@@koobluh I trust they will find their way, the system is needed but it can be both efficient and flexible. They are talking about it, so they'll finetune. This is a transitional period to when they are hopefully in a good rhythm and can start to go deep again with the new lab in place.
Something I see them say a lot is they love the freedom they have. I feel the same way in my job as a quality analyst, my boss basically said "Improve the quality. Figure it out. Ask me if you have any questions". It's a shock to me, I've never had a job where I didn't have to ask for permission to do anything or be told to do something. I get to learn and study to improve my abilities and solve the problems myself. I can't help but be motivated and always try my best; not trying would throw away all the responsibility that I'm trusted with. And I can't help but grow and improve, I have no other choice, I'm in the deep end of the pool, I can't expect someone to hold my hand through all the challenges.
A small but meaningful example, is I didn't like the basic report template, so I modified it. Bosses were cool with it, and gave feedback like to be more concise. I'm on the 5th iteration and everyone compliments me on my reports. That alone is so meaningful to me, to be rewarded for improving something and having the freedom to do so.
We have a similar system where we are pretty much free to do things the way we would like, no questions asked as long as it works. Even after 2 years of this, I'm still not used to it and still ask the bossman for permission if I think it is a major change compared to what we currently do.
Not only that, but we have a somewhat democratic system to it as well, where if something we or the boss want to change affects multiple people, we ask them if they are ok with it. If it is a majority "no", it does not happen.
A example from me would be the way we communicate in Slack. I set up automations with Slack plugins that integrate into existing systems to make it easier and more effective without asking and got a "Neat, good job!" from the boss afterwards.
Other things we do that I really like:
- Direct line of communication with the CEO. Have a question for him? Just ask, no matter what it is.
- Weekly/Monthly sync meetings (depending on the department) where you talk about whatever with your manager. It can be a TV show you both enjoy or issues you encounter in the job or personal life.
- Weekly surveys on general job happiness. (Winningtemp for the curios.) This give anonymous, actionable data that improves the workplace.
- No focus on KPI. Workload and difficulties change, and KPI does not acknowledge this well.
- No typical HR department. We have one of course, but your manager is your contact, also for HR issues. If you have a issue with your manager, talk to another manager or the CEO. It's hard to explain in a bullet note. Basically, our HR exist to protect the employees, not the company.
Even outside of a job, I sometimes wish I was allowed to improve things when they're bad in some way and then I get annoyed when there's no reasonable way for me to do that.
“Creating processes is not something I’m good at”? You’re the CEO. That’s your whole job. I see why you stepped down now. Once you get to be as big as you are, you’re not a garage operation anymore. You’re a real business.
This shouldn’t have been a video. This should have been a task force led by Linus to improve the internal processes. Then those changes should have been implemented.
You’re the big dog. You don’t have to chase the RUclips algorithm anymore. You don’t see Vox rushing down 10 videos a week do you.
mind you that LMG is not only LTT, but techquickie, shortcircuit, mac address, etc.. the point is not to lessen the output, just increase the workforce
It only took him 15 years to step down lul
You’re promoted to CEO lols
17:16 "i need to get behind you" is probably the most unfortunate thing you could say in that situation.
This video showed me how much I love the channel and the people. I can't believe it's been so many years already.
Seeing the older videos referenced took me back to when I started watching about 7 years ago.
I wish nothing but the best for the whole group!!
Anthony saying that Colton is the worst part about working at LMG made my week.
So which of these talking heads were abusing and harassing Madison during her time there?
I think its the social media manager one.
Probably most of them. Tech bros abuse and hate women and don't see them as people
@@e.g.4483what a generalisation /s
The crunch doing that many videos a week is not easy, and like some people said they don't get to feel particularly proud a video they've made. As an editor this hits hard 😄. One of the best driving forces in work is when you make a video you're really proud of and that lets you showcase your skills. In a way the variety they get to work with makes up for that. The fact that you get to make so many different kind of videos keeps it fresh.
These channels are easily my favorite ones and even though I find myself wishing for more videos on the main channel, I appreciate all the stuff the fine people at LMG make!
I used to work for a company that have me output like 6 videos a day and I think I've only like 1 or 2 of those videos ever that I saved up for later because I liked it, and all the other ones were vids that took like 2 days to make lol. I agree the variety kinda keeps things fresh but sometimes bigger stuff that allows for more time makes work a lot more worthwhile.
@@WinderTP 100% on the same page with you.
8:31 This is probably one of my top 5 favorite cuts I've ever seen in all of LMG it hits like a truck
There will always a battle between quality and quantity. Facing the same problem in my workplace to. Never enough people. I’d be cool with longer format, higher quality but less videos from LMG. Davids got the right idea for moral, Team health and feeling like what you do is worthwhile, Linus though, can’t argue with his method and the powerhouse he’s created. Well done everyone at LMG I truly love your content.
Issue is they need the quantity to support such a big team, to be honest adding more writers to focus on longer projects is really the only answer if they wanted to change.
the LMG team are lucky to have a great leader who actually cares. His plan has worked pretty well so far. I'm actually not sure what David meant by higher quality tbh but they could only ever find out by giving him the time he feels he needs. I think their content is great.
I live in AUS, LTT is my breakfast channel i catch it every day as new vids each morning here. I don't pretend to understand the RUclips algorithm nor care. I watch the content from the creators i like at the time i want to watch it.
Saying lets hire more writers is all well and good but, it doesn't mean they will fit in, produce the same or better content.
Growth is difficult and no one can deny LMG has had a very long run of explosive growth. There might be some bumps along the way but they will eventually settle into a groove.
@@executor7862 I think by high quality content they mean things like scrap yard wars
@@jacewhite8540 interesting, see i interpreted that from David as to be something more in line with how the production is done. SYWs was awesome i don't think it will work anymore in 2023 and we also will come back around to the not enough time/people problem haha. Im sure they will figure it out. i dont actually see them as having a huge problem at the moment. They operate in a fast moving environment and seem to be keeping up pretty well. My management hides the detailed reports from employee pulse surveys, definitely doesn't publish them on RUclips! haha
I saw Linus Tech Tip at a grocery store in Los Angeles yesterday. I told him how cool it was to meet him in person, but I didn’t want to be a douche and bother him and ask him for photos or anything. He said, “Oh, like you’re doing now?” I was taken aback, and all I could say was “Huh?” but he kept cutting me off and going “huh? huh? huh?” and closing his hand shut in front of my face.
I walked away and continued with my shopping, and I heard him chuckle as I walked off. When I came to pay for my stuff up front I saw him trying to walk out the doors with like fifteen Water Blocks in his hands without paying.
The girl at the counter was very nice about it and professional, and was like “Sir, you need to pay for those first.” At first he kept pretending to be tired and not hear her, but eventually turned back around and brought them to the counter.
When she took one of the bars and started scanning it multiple times, he stopped her and told her to scan them each individually “to prevent any demonetization” and then turned around and winked at me. I don’t even think that’s a word. After she scanned each bar and put them in a bag and started to say the price, he kept interrupting her by yawning really loudly.
Did AI write this?
It's always hilarious to read one of these because i dont recognize it until i get to the third sentence
Starting at 14:32 you can find the answers for fixing part of this.
Linus don't let these people burn out! The audience - I speak for everyone when I say this 😜- can understand a slow down of videos and projects for a short while as y'all focus on quality and good fellowship. Get your folks together for some fun so they get to know each other, care for each other, vouch for each other. That alone brings a level of quality no resume can compete with.
Also, I dig the mention of focus on cheaper tech and fun personal vlogs of your perfect staff
100%. Imo the LTT company should do a dope yearly off-site, they probably got the money for it. Treat your employees to a week somewhere nice, do one little retro a day, spend the rest of the day letting everyone cut loose and destress.
I love how Colton just makes noises at each question.
Good video. Sounds like there is a common thread of feeling rushed and stressed. The team could be helped by loosening the release schedule a bit, or hiring more people. Rushed and stressed ultimately leads to burnout, mistakes, lesser quality, and lower quality of life.
They are hiring at a pretty rapid rate.
It's a double edged sword. Hire more, and now you need to produce more content to afford it. Tricky balance.
I like this comment a lot. I mean, its a bleak view to be sure but i suspect it is rather accurate. Linus needs to see this and try to make some of these changes. Its obvious its a systemic issue and as the one who controls the system he's the only one that can fix it. Conversely, some turnover may be not only acceptable, but desired. New talent, new ideas, new directions.
@@RealGenious that or less revenue 😉
It's just some empoyees are unrealistic. They imagined that with more people hired it would mean more time for them to focus on things more relaxed. But thats not how new media companies work. Thats how big tech silicon valley works. They can "absord" losses in department bloat because they are on the stock exhange, and sell data for hundreds of millions a year. So operating costs can be looser.
social media manager: MY JOB IS HELL NOW
This level of transparency and honesty is unmatched. It was great to see what the staff loves about LMG and what can be improved. Hopefully this feedback and be used to improve the company. Awesome video
They should have sent out anonymous questionaires to ex employees instead. Some rumours have been spread that the company culture is actually not very good.
you can't be serious
@@GerdLPluu lol your solution is giving up?
David sounds a little burnt out! I love the quality and see and appreciate the improvements over the years, we have you to thank for a lot of that and being a great host. I'm excited to see what further quality improvements you envision but don't forget what a good job you and the team are doing :)
My takeaway is that a lot of the more senior/longest serving staff are feeling burnt out.
As a viewer, alot of the employees align with what I want changed as well. A little less output, more focus on quality vs quantity, and to see some more videos focused on less expensive subjects. I want to get into building my first pc sometime, and have no idea where to start on a budget while still allocating enough into whichever sections to future proof a build for say like 5 years before needing to dump funds again.
alot?
They've had a few videos like this. Acutally one of the few vids taht they still do somewhat regularly.
69 pc
upgrade of the 69 pc
400 something pc
quite a few to choose from.
The main takaway is that if you can get an used/refurbished workstation pc and eventually chuck a video card into it you'll be set.
They said in the most recent wan show that for 90% of people you don't need top of the line because a lot of popular games (esports) don't have crazy graphics and few devs go out of their way to design a game like crysis which was built for computers several years away.
I think especially now, a good guide on GPU price/performance would be nice. With Nvidia prices going crazy, I have no idea what's good or cheap anymore.
All people suggesting they slow down upload rate for quality don't understand Linus already knows the metrics for that. He's in the game 10 years and knows the size of his company can't sustain ANY drop off. Even if it might not impact their bottom line, its a risk not worth taking. You'd hate to see lay offs in 2 years because of a move like that now
They could do some builds for different budget-tiers indeed.
HAHA!!! Riley at 14:30 it's EXACTLY what Yvonne mentioned in their new video!!!! Funny
Watching it again from that what I would change mark, almost all of them talk about the workload being too tight and needing more time for quality over quantity. Only took a Gamer's Nexus video to cascade them into listening to their employees. I think they'll be better off for it too
This channel has shot so much forward in quality and interestring stuff to watch. It actually changed my viewing behavior, I tend to watch almost everything published on this channel, whether it's relatable for me or not, I most often still find it interesting in the end, either because of the quality/writing or that I actually learned something new. Surely that must reflect that he quality actually really is there. However to some of the feedback about having more time, I can get that, things at LTT always feel like a speed film from my perspective, I guess they channel that energy to the public partly on purpose, but I defo would like to see maybe some more consistency in a topic, or a quicker follow-up.
5:54 that clip strikes fear in the heart of any LMG worker
"The job is not to say no, but to provide every reason why it is a bad idea." So many things would be better if people viewed things this way more often.
People saying that it’s amazing that he let his employees speak out… do you really think these folks were TRULY speaking their mind?
How would you feel if your boss went “sure, say what you want, don’t worry - your job won’t be on the line” and then put a camera in your face. 😅
Sure, you might put out *some* of your gripes, but imagine what these folks would likely say if they no longer relied on LMG for their paycheck.
Oh wait, we ARE starting to hear from those folks…
Not saying he’s a horrible dude… just someone who’s adept at tripping over his own feet.
@@MisterRubbertoe Then tripping again while falling and tripping on the tripping.......come on bro
The production values of their channels is top notch and the personalities are great. Keep up the good work
I KNEW Riley had something extra about him in the way that he could lighten my mood with utter ease on the tech linked videos
It’s always a good idea to take time and focus on quality. Don’t burn your staff out-sometimes people come up with even better ideas and execution when they have downtime.
They do have some good policies to prevent burn-out, you can't work an all-nighter to get a project done. I think the problem is RUclips, if they cut down a video or two, that's a lot of lost revenue, since their algorithm expects a video everyday to get it in to top of the feed for viewers. The only way to make that back is to hire more staff, but then that inevitably leads to pressure to get one more video out the door since they have more labor. I do agree though, the camera guys and writers especially need more time to focus on quality. Brandon I imagine left because being the camera operator provided very little challenge, since the videos were cookie cutter 90% of the time.
This was awesome on so many levels. It almost felt like a spoof video at times but that just goes to show what a diverse place to work at it actually is. It's one of those feel good success stories that you piece together from all the tidbits of backstory/history you gleen from the all the content (especially the Linus/Luke WAN dialogue). I have a lot of respect for Linus - one of the most attractive things (energetically speaking) is his integrity and desire to do the right thing, to not sell out and to basically make a change for the better in whatever limited (or not) way that he can. He's definately Willy Wonka's spiritually successor and that is the underpinning of the place. It's awesome! I also find it super reassuring that success doesn't always have to mean ultimately selling out or turning to the dark side in the often super corporate, cynical times we live in.
All the staff are so varied and they all knit together to make a super wonky bunch of geek freaks (in the best possible way) - it's truly inspiring. I know it's not all roses and it does sound like it's maybe started to creak under it's on weight which is a bit concerning I guess but that's always a gamble when you expand exponentially as they seem to be doing. While Linus admits to being chaotic, he's seriously switched on in ideas and what direction he steers things in and that's a classic definition of a visonary. Yeah, I know I'm laying it all on thick, but if anyone from LMG sees this comment, I'm just trying so clumsily say, keep doing what your doing because your making a real difference AND making great entertainment on the side :)
This aged like Willy Wonka's Candy Competitors.