this post was submitted on 17 Aug 2023
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Gamers Nexus (another highly respected tech YouTuber) called out LTT for their mistakes and performances over the last few years, the overall point being that they're moving too fast and causing multiple mistakes in their content.
There's a current controversy with a company called Billet who gave LTT a custom water block to test and instead of testing it properly with the 3090 it was made for, they tried it with a 4090 card (and it obviously didn't work)
Linus doubled down on their results saying it wouldn't have mattered anyway because it's a rubbish product and no one should buy it (which came across very poorly, why even agree to test a product if you know your going to trash on it)
The whole situation specifically looks like it's triggered some upcoming changes in LMG and hopefully the outcome is better, more accurate video content
The Billet stuff is even worse because he trashed a startup company (that could be crushed by bad press from someone with so much reach) for his own mistakes, then doubled down to avoid blame saying that they couldn't spend a few hundred dollars to test it correctly with the right card (despite having millions of dollars) and that the results wouldn't change anyway (though it clearly would). Then, LTT auctioned the block off without Billet's permission, then tried to not pay Billet for it.
Billet also sent them a 3090 Ti with the block and they lost it. They had the hardware and they screwed up, and then just went “we’ll just talk shit about it because it wouldn’t have worked anyway, right? trust me bro”
They literally agreed to review the product just so they could shit on it. That's pretty dishonest.
Colin said in his tweet that the prototype sale "has an element of occam's razor" (he really means Hanlon's razor). So it would seem to be the former.
However Linus's reaction to the incident was the latter. He should have put his company on the line, bought it back at whatever ridiculous price would have convinced the buyer, and sent it back all expenses paid to Billet Labs. That's how you own a fuck-up.
Seems the general discussion burries what I sense is perhaps the more agregious part; LTTs business ethics.
It is inexcusable to become too big or too busy to care about how you represent those you partner with. Steve poiniently outlined significant instances where LTT took actions that negatively and unfairly impacted the vendors that expected more of a partnership in the exchange.
The Madison info just heaps onto the poor business practices.
The worse part is that the GN video was triggered by someone in LMG name dropping GN trying to cast shadow on their journalistic integrity and methods during a video and then indirectly by Linus himself during a wan podcast. GN only did the video as a self-defense roast to stand their ground. Accidentally happened to blow a giant hole on the top of the company. Because that's how bad they are as an organization.
Hey now, be fair. LTT also lost the video card Billet sent to run the test on and sold their prototype.
Look - you just don't get it. It was a hit job so using the actual hardware as intended didn't matter. Why can't people just understand that and be okay with it?
(I know I'm gonna need this: /s)