Khaberni - Despite his fortune being estimated at around $2.6 billion, famous American content creator Jimmy Donaldson, known globally as MrBeast, surprised his followers with statements saying he is suffering from a severe cash shortage, to the extent that he does not have enough in his bank account to buy a meal from McDonald's.
Donaldson, who has more than 460 million followers on YouTube, told the Wall Street Journal, reported by "fortune": "I am borrowing money.. this is the extent of what I actually own, everyone watching this video has more money in his bank account than me, if we exclude the value of my company's stock, which can't buy me a McDonald's meal in the morning."
The 27-year-old businessman runs an entertainment empire valued at about $5 billion, yet he insists this wealth is only on paper, emphasizing he keeps less than one million dollars for his personal expenses, despite owning more than half of his giant company Beast Industries.
Despite signing a nine-figure deal with Amazon and owning a YouTube channel that exceeded 107 billion cumulative views, and entering the ultra-rich club through a series of successful projects, he asserts that most of his money does not stay in his bank account.
His investments included launching the famous chocolate brand Feastables, the canned food product Lunchly similar to Lunchables, and the virtual restaurant chain MrBeast Burger which relies only on external orders, in addition to the production company MrBeast LLC specialized in producing widespread video clips.
According to estimates, Donaldson's fortune is about $2.6 billion, however, he stressed that this value does not mean he has significant cash liquidity. Forbes magazine estimated his annual income at about $85 million for the period between April 2024 and April 2025, compared to the average income of an American which is $62,088 annually.
Nevertheless, MrBeast affirms that he does not live a life of excessive luxury or opulence, saying: "It's funny to talk about my personal financial situation, because no one believes me. They tell me: You are a billionaire! So I reply: that's net worth. In reality, I currently have no money."
And added: "I wake up and just work.. I am so busy with work that I do not think about my bank account, my focus is entirely on producing the best possible video clips and building the biggest business possible."
Why does MrBeast say he doesn't have the money?
Donaldson clarifies that the main reason behind his lack of liquidity is reinvesting almost all of his profits into his projects. He said in a post via the "X" platform responding to praise considering him the only billionaire under thirty who did not inherit his fortune: "I personally do not have a lot of money, because I reinvest everything, I think this year we will spend about $250 million on content."
And revealed in another surprise that he borrows money from his mother to cover the expenses of his upcoming wedding, adding: "But on paper only, the companies I own look very valuable."
Billionaires "rich on paper"
MrBeast is not an exceptional case, as several entrepreneur billionaires have expressed similar sentiments. Ben Francis, founder and CEO of the sports apparel brand Gymshark valued at $1.5 billion, said his net worth of $1.3 billion is not real.
Francis explained in an interview with The SuperPower Podcast in 2023: "People think there is a bank account in my name containing billions of dollars, and this is completely untrue, all of that is not real."
He indicated that his wealth is tied to his 70% stock in the company, making its value prone to fluctuate up or down, affirming that financial value should not be a measure of a person's worth or success.
In the same vein, Lucy Gu, co-founder of Scale AI, chose a modest lifestyle despite owning a stake estimated at about $1.3 billion. Gu, the youngest self-made female billionaire in the world, is known for avoiding opulent displays, as she travels on commercial flights, drives an old Honda Civic, and wears inexpensive clothing.
Gu previously stated: "Those who exaggerate showing off wealth are often only within the millionaire range.. Pretending to be poor is the way to stay rich."
