Linus Sebastian

Linus Gabriel Sebastian (born August 20, 1986) is a Canadian YouTuber, known for creating and hosting YouTube channels that cover technology. On November 24, 2008, he started publishing videos on his main channel Linus Tech Tips (LTT) which has 16 million subscribers and 8.27 billion views as of December 1, 2024.^[21] His channels have a combined subscriber base of over 32.01 million^[a] and over 11.04 billion views.^[b]

Linus Sebastian
Sebastian in 2023
Born	Linus Gabriel Sebastian (1986-08-20) August 20, 1986 (age 38) Ladner, British Columbia, Canada
Occupations	YouTuber Video presenter technology demonstrator
Years active	2007–present
Known for	Founding of Linus Media Group
Title	CEO of Linus Media Group (2013–2023) Chief visionary officer of Linus Media Group (2023–present)
Spouse	Yvonne Ho ​ (m. 2011)​
Children	3
YouTube information
Channels	Linus Tech Tips and others owned by Linus Media Group (see list)
Genre	Technology
Subscribers	16 million (main channel) 32.01 million (combined)[a]
Total views	8.27 billion (main channel) 11.04 billion (combined)[b]
Creator Awards 100,000 subscribers 2011, 2013, 2015, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2023[citation needed] 1,000,000 subscribers 2014, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2022[citation needed] 10,000,000 subscribers 2020[citation needed]
Last updated: 1 December 2024
Website	linusmediagroup.com

From 2007 to 2013, he was a regular presenter of technology videos for the now defunct Canadian computer retailer NCIX. He is also the founder and former chief executive officer (CEO) of Linus Media Group (LMG).^[22][23] On July 1, 2023, Sebastian stepped down as LMG's CEO, and took the role of chief visionary officer.^[23][24]

Early life

Linus Gabriel Sebastian^[25] was born on August 20, 1986,^[26] and grew up in Maple Ridge, British Columbia.^[27] He was diagnosed with ADHD as a child.^[28] He grew up on a farm with siblings^[29] and has been married to Yvonne Ho since May 20, 2011.^[30]

Career

Sebastian worked for the Canadian online computer store NCIX^[31] and was asked to be the host for its technology channel, which was created to help demonstrate products.^[32] Sebastian shot videos with a camera borrowed from the son of the company's president.^[33]

Due to high costs and low viewership during the early days of the channel, Sebastian was instructed to create the Linus Tech Tips channel as a cheaper offshoot of the NCIX channel, to allow for lower production values without affecting the NCIX brand. He described TigerDirect and Newegg as competitors.^[33] Linus Tech Tips was created on November 24, 2008.^[34] He eventually left NCIX to found Linus Media Group (LMG) following a dispute regarding company management. He negotiated an agreement in which he could keep Linus Tech Tips as a property of LMG, as long as he signed a non-compete clause.^[35]

Sebastian in a 2013 video

In a 2014 interview with technology startup website Tech.co, Sebastian said that his favourite YouTubers were TotalBiscuit, Marques Brownlee, and Austin Evans.^[36]

In September 2021, Sebastian disclosed a personal investment of nearly $225,000 in Framework Computer, a manufacturer of modular laptops.^[37]

In May of 2023 it was announced that Sebastian would be stepping down as Chief Executive Officer of Linus Media Group in July of 2023. He then transitioned into a creative role entitled Chief Vision Officer.^[23][24]

In August 2023, a controversy emerged via an investigative video by YouTube creator Gamers Nexus, which described issues specific to both Sebastian as an individual, and of Linus Media Group as a whole.^[38] The report detailed how Sebastian had negatively reviewed a prototype water block made by Billet Labs, despite installing it on hardware for which it was not designed. Sebastian also failed to return the water block to Billet Labs as agreed, instead auctioning it off. Systemic issues relating to rushed and inaccurate content were also highlighted. The company paused video production while it investigated the claims.^[39][40][41]

Listicles

Name of publisher, year listed, name of listicle, and placement

Publisher	Year	Listicle	Placement	Ref.
Inc. (magazine)	2015	Top 30 Power Players in Tech	4th	[42]

See also

• Louis Rossmann, who has collaborated with Sebastian on technology videos and electronics right to repair campaigns

Notes

1. Subscribers, broken down by channel:^{[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]}

   • 16 million (Linus Tech Tips)
   • 4.29 million (Techquickie)
   • 1.88 million (TechLinked)
   • 2.28 million (ShortCircuit)
   • 1.27 million (Channel Super Fun)
   • 566 thousand (LMG Clips)
   • 612 thousand (Mac Address)
   • 238 thousand (LinusCatTips)
   • 7.75 thousand (PSU Circuit)
   • 141 thousand (They're Just Movies)
   • 460 thousand (GameLinked)
2. Views, broken down by channel:^{[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]}

   • 8.05 billion (Linus Tech Tips)
   • 876.5 million (Techquickie)
   • 527.4 million (TechLinked)
   • 566.45 million (ShortCircuit)
   • 372.23 million (Channel Super Fun)
   • 264.79 million (LMG Clips)
   • 125.15 million (Mac Address)
   • 11.16 million (LinusCatTips)
   • 4.68 million (They're Just Movies)
   • 25 million (GameLinked)

References

1. "Linus Tech Tip's YouTube Stats". \Social Blade. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
2. "TechQuickie's YouTube Stats". Social Blade. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
3. "TechLinked's YouTube Stats". Social Blade. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
4. "Gamelinked's Youtube Stats". Social Blade. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
5. "ShortCircuit's YouTube Stats". Social Blade. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
6. "Mac Address's YouTube Stats". Social Blade. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
7. "Channel Super Fun's YouTube Stats". Social Blade. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
8. "They're Just Movies YouTube Stats". Social Blade. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
9. "LinusCatTips's TouTube Stats". Social Blade. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
10. "LMG's YouTube Stats". Social Blade. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
11. "Linus Tech Tip's YouTube Stats". \Social Blade. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
12. "TechQuickie's YouTube Stats". Social Blade. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
13. "TechLinked's YouTube Stats". Social Blade. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
14. "Gamelinked's Youtube Stats". Social Blade. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
15. "ShortCircuit's YouTube Stats". Social Blade. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
16. "Mac Address's YouTube Stats". Social Blade. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
17. "Channel Super Fun's YouTube Stats". Social Blade. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
18. "They're Just Movies YouTube Stats". Social Blade. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
19. "LinusCatTips's TouTube Stats". Social Blade. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
20. "LMG's YouTube Stats". Social Blade. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
21. "Linus Tech Tips's YouTube Stats". Social Blade. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
22. Davis, Wes (August 26, 2023). "Linus Sebastian addresses error handling and ethics in a new video". The Verge. Retrieved May 9, 2024. Linus Media Group (LMG) founder Linus Sebastian explained LMG's HR policies and how it will improve accuracy and ethics in a video posted to YouTube last night.
23. Murray, Conor. "YouTube Channel Linus Tech Tips' Inaccuracies And Sexual Harassment Allegations, Explained". Forbes. Retrieved May 9, 2024. The company was led by Sebastian, who founded the channel, until he stepped down as CEO in July 2023 to become the company's chief vision officer.
24. Boyd, Daniel (May 19, 2023). "Linus Sebastian is Stepping Down from Linus Tech Tips". Game Rant. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
25. Sebastian, Linus Gabriel (November 3, 2012). Linus Tech Tips Live Show Archive - November 2, 2012 (Video). Linus Media Group Inc. Event occurs at 1:30:26 – via YouTube. That's my middle name, actually! Gabriel.
26. Linus Tech Tips [@LinusTech] (August 20, 2014). "Me: Holy crap I'm gonna be 29 in an hour! Wife: 28.... Me: Oh, that's better Wife: My goodness..." (Tweet). Retrieved October 22, 2016 – via Twitter.
27. I Make Questionable Choices Sometimes... Linus Media Group. March 13, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
28. LinusTechTips (January 28, 2022). r/PCMasterRace Hates Me... The WAN Show (YouTube video). Event occurs at 1:48:30. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
29. Sebastian, Linus (September 14, 2022). This Is So Embarrassing! (Video). Linus Media Group. Retrieved September 14, 2022 – via YouTube.
30. Sebastian, Linus (October 27, 2017). "Bixby Showcase – It does more than you might think!". Archived from the original on October 27, 2017. Retrieved October 27, 2017 – via YouTube.
31. "I'm Linus Sebastian of LinusTechTips, and This Is How I Work". LifeHacker. July 29, 2015. Archived from the original on January 10, 2018. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
32. Ovide, Shira (February 15, 2022). "This YouTube Star Is Also a Retail Empire". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
33. "How I became: LinusTechTips (Linus Sebastian)". How I became. March 24, 2014. Archived from the original on October 17, 2018. Retrieved January 3, 2016 – via YouTube.
34. "About". Linus Tech Tips. Archived from the original on March 13, 2016. Retrieved January 3, 2016 – via YouTube.
35. "Why Linus Left NCIX". August 2, 2020. Archived from the original on August 8, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2021 – via YouTube.
36. Diab, Ann. "Secrets of the Most Successful Tech YouTube Content Creators Revealed". Tech.co. Archived from the original on January 26, 2016. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
37. Sebastian, Linus (September 15, 2021). I'm Legally Obligated to Disclose This - Framework investment. Linus Tech Tips. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
38. Burke, Stephen (August 14, 2023). "The Problem with Linus Tech Tips: Accuracy, Ethics, & Responsibility". www.youtube.com.
39. Andy Chalk (August 15, 2023). "The recent criticism of Linus Tech Tips, explained". PC Gamer. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
40. Cranz, Alex (August 16, 2023). "Linus Tech Tips pauses production as controversy swirls". The Verge. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
41. Donovan, Imogen (August 17, 2023). "What's happening with Linus Tech Tips and why has it halted production?". NME. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
42. Rampton, John (July 21, 2015). "30 Power Players in Tech You Need to Know". Inc. Archived from the original on July 24, 2015. Retrieved May 3, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)

External links

• Official website