In November 2018, Defy Media shut down without any notice. They laid off their workers without warning and have held ransom the money earned by the YouTube C...
Hey guys, I know this isn’t a topic that interests most of you, most of your weren’t aware of, or even that you think effects you in any way- but please hear me out.
While I have been a big fan of Game Theory for many years (and am very proud to say I own every pin from every batch of merch they’ve released), this is not about my love for Game Theory as a YouTube channel or even my appreciation and admiration for MatPat as a creator and entrepreneur and trailblazer in the Wild West of YouTube.
What this is about is a company who intentionally stole $1.7 million from 50 creators, most of which were using their channel rev to support themselves, and getting away with it. If you just flat averaged that out, imagine someone promising to make your life better- if not easier- and then stealing $34,000 out of your pocket and running away. For my household, that’s getting us completely out of debt minus mortgage with a cushy safety net for emergencies; that’s a brand new car paid in full; that’s a YEAR’S salary of my husband working more than two full-time jobs’ worth of hours missing his wife and newborn son and me working whatever jobs I can get my hands on from home. That’s just a flat average, and creators probably had different amounts withheld from them; but does the outrage really change that much if it was $12,000 someone had taken from an individual or even how does $250,000 make you feel?
This is a massive con scheme that took place when those exploited had every reason to believe they would receive the money they made - like they normally did. What’s worse is that this is a common business practice in the YouTube space right now that doesn’t CARE about the people making them money. Many of us who work traditional jobs may feel that way about the labor we put in (and for a chunk of us its true), but instead of stocking shelves, answering phones, preparing food, etc.; imagine BUILDING A COMPANY FROM SCRATCH including brand and marketing, giving away chunks of your paychecks to a third party for “protection” to keep someone from just ravaging your business, and then when you’re struggling or you try to speak up about something like this you are ignored and dismissed because you “aren’t a real company” or “don’t make enough money” for the guy you’re making rich to care - all the while you’re having to cut corners to make sure your loved ones can eat and you don’t know how you’re going to pay rent this month.
That’s why I want to ask my followers to watch the video at least once, maybe even share it. There’s an opportunity to get these people back their money, maybe implement a change in how the YouTube platform treats its creators - the ones making them money, and maybe even to bring the execs and business owners who pulled off this theft to justice. We all know that tech companies and large corporations in general are disconnected with their userbase and what it takes to make them successful; but in this case it’s led to people having massive amounts of money and years of their lives taken from them and left to fend for themselves. If we don’t speak up now, it will set a precedent if one isn’t already there. It’s time we made them listen.
