YouTuber Linus Sebastian, best known as the host of popular channels such as Linus Tech Tips and TechQuickie, has opened up on his thoughts of retirement in a tearful livestream on January 22.
Linus is perhaps the best-known tech expert on YouTube, with tens of millions of subscribers across his team’s various channels.
After over a decade worth of content on PC’s, gaming, phones, tablets and so much more, Linus remains a mainstay in many of the videos, even with a large team of experts now on board.
All this content, and the success that comes with it, appears to have taken a toll on Linus though, who poured his heart out to fans on an impromptu livestream.
Titled “I’ve been thinking of retiring,” Linus spoke for almost half an hour about his dwindling passion for the work, and that he desired to spend more time with family.
“The truth is, I’ve been thinking about retiring for quite some time now,” he explains, “it felt so far off, I didn’t think I’d ever get there. I’d often joke that’s what I should do for ten million [subscribers], just like ‘hey, thanks, it’s been a wild ride, see ya!”
He went on to explain that a request from the Make-a-Wish foundation had been “life-changing” for him. A sick child had wished to meet Linus, but due to the severity of their ill-health, the best that could be achieved was a video message.
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“I pointed the camera at myself and tried to think of something to say, and I just couldn’t. […] The only thought going through my head was everything I know is going to die.”
Linus confirms he’s not retiring – yet
For fans concerned that he could really be stepping down, Linus confirmed that he wasn’t retiring just yet.
“I’m going to stop looking for a purpose in it, I’m just going to have fun doing what I’m doing,” the YouTuber explained, “So, I’m not retiring. That’s why the stream, which is not clickbait, is titled ‘I’ve been thinking of retiring.’ I’m also not promising that I’m not going to retire, I’m just taking a different approach and we’re going to see how it goes.”
So, for now, Linus’s content looks like it will resume as normal, but we may see less of him and more of the other members taking the helm in many of the videos.
Having just crossed the 10 million subscriber mark on the main Linus Tech Tips channel, the content is still booming in popularity, even all these years on, something many other channels will envy.