The first YouTube channel to hit $10 million in annual earnings was likely one of the early major creators, such as PewDiePie, but concrete data from that era is not easily available in the search results. The first time a YouTuber's annual earnings of over $10 million were publicly reported by sources like Forbes was in later years.
The first YouTube channel to reach 10 million subscribers is Smosh (USA) and was achieved in May 2013. Smosh is a sketch/improv comedy channel which started as its own website in 2002 before joining YouTube in 2005.
Smosh were the first YouTubers to reach 100,000 subscribers in 2007, and later became the first to hit 10 million subscribers in 2013.
The #1 richest YouTuber in the world is MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson), consistently topping lists with an estimated net worth often cited over $500 million, potentially reaching $1 billion, driven by viral content, massive giveaways, and successful business ventures like Feastables and MrBeast Burger, making him the highest-earning creator globally.
Yes, MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson) became a billionaire in 2024 based on his business value, but he keeps very little cash, reinvesting almost everything into his videos and philanthropy, stating he often has less than $1 million in his personal bank account, per People.com and Forbes https://people.com/mrbeast-net-worth-11879997,. His net worth is estimated at over $1 billion, potentially reaching $2.6 billion by early 2026, but he has said his personal funds are minimal as his wealth is tied up in his media empire and he pays himself only personal expenses.
Ryan Kaji, known for his YouTube channel "Ryan's World," has become a household name with an astonishing 57 billion views and $1 billion in products sold. At just 12 years old, he has made waves in the online content creation scene and expanded his brand to include a dedicated team of 30 employees.
How to grow a YouTube Channel? , There is no such concept of a dead channel in the dictionary of YouTube. But, people often determine that a channel is dead if their videos do not get enough views. Furthermore, a YouTube channel can also be considered dead, if subscribers are not increasing on any channel.
MrBeast recently celebrated reaching 100 million subscribers, prompting a reflection on his first subscriber, Roggan Minoggan, who subscribed in 2011. Minoggan created his YouTube account in 2006 and was the first to support MrBeast's initial channel, Beast5YT.
Meet YouTube's richest 12-year-old: Ryan Kaji (aka @ryansworld ) 57B views. $1B products sold. 30 employees. And now, a movie in 2,100 theaters.
The top 1 most-subscribed channel on YouTube is MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson), who surpassed the music giant T-Series in early 2025 to become the most-subscribed individual creator, boasting well over 450 million subscribers by late 2025/early 2026. His content focuses on high-budget stunts, massive giveaways, and philanthropy, attracting a massive global audience.
Billion-View Club. An early metric of a video's popularity was the so-called Billion-View Club, denoting videos which had succeeded in reaching over 1 billion views since their initial upload. In December 2012, "Gangnam Style" became the first video to reach one billion views.
The fastest to reach 10 Million subscribers on YouTube, Mr. Beast took 132 days to reach this milestone. Cristiano Ronaldo just broke the record by reaching 10 Million subscribers in less than 12 hours.
Jake the Viking left MrBeast in 2020, initially stating it was mutual because he wanted to pursue his own content, but later revealed he was fired due to brand protection issues, specifically a CBD brand deal, with the official reason being his "piece didn't fit the puzzle" as the channel grew. While he initially posted that there was "no bad blood," years later he revealed the firing was more sudden and not entirely mutual, accelerated by a desire to be his own boss and conflicts with the growing production, as noted in his own YouTube videos and later exposés.
In a February 2025 episode of The Diary of a CEO, MrBeast confirmed that he had achieved billionaire status — but was adamant that those figures did not reflect his actual bank account balance. "On paper, yeah," the creator said when asked if he was a billionaire.
Age recommendations
Common Sense Media suggests that MrBeast's videos are most appropriate for children aged 14 and up—likely older than many of his fans. This is due to the frequent presence of sponsorships and product placements, as well as some crude language, humor and risky stunts.
To make $2,000 a month on YouTube from ad revenue, you generally need 400,000 to 1 million monthly views, depending heavily on your niche's CPM (cost per mille/thousand views) and RPM (revenue per mille), but many creators report needing 500,000 to 1 million+ views for a comfortable living, with high-value niches like finance potentially reaching it with fewer views and lower-value niches needing significantly more, plus other income streams like sponsorships.
The "30-second rule" on YouTube refers to the critical first moments of a video, where creators must hook viewers within about 30 seconds to get them to keep watching, as YouTube registers meaningful engagement after this mark, impacting visibility and watch time. It's a key focus for audience retention, with strategies involving dynamic editing (B-roll, angles), emotional hooks, and clear value propositions, but it's distinct from copyright myths about using 30-second music clips.
Princess Charlotte, the daughter of Prince William and Kate Middleton, is worth significantly more to the United Kingdom (UK) economy than even her older brother, Prince George, the future king. A video explaining that Princess Charlotte is the richest child in the world quickly went viral.
Ryan's World has grown into a massive empire, with Forbes ranking Ryan as the 7th highest-paid creator on YouTube. By 2020, Ryan's estimated annual earnings were around $29.5 million, making him the highest-paid YouTuber that year.
Becoming a millionaire at 15 years old might sound like a dream come true, but for Jaden Ashman, it led to an obsession with social media that impacted his physical and mental health. Jaden shot to fame by setting a Fortnite world record, earning him a million pounds.