Good morning. Time to Touch Grass^TM. Developer Rhys Kentish made a productivity app that blocks other apps to help lower screentime, but with a twist—in order to regain full phone access, you have to take a picture of yourself literally touching grass. Once verified, you can get back to your screentime. That’s one way to experience the great outdoors.

— Hannah Doyle 

MrBeast’s Latest Valuation: $5 Billion

Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson is seeking a “couple hundred million dollars” to grow his empire in a fundraise that would value his company at $5 billion, according to Bloomberg. 

For reference, that would make the MrBeast brand worth more than companies like Bumble (worth $1.5 billion) and Peloton (worth $3 billion).

The potential investment would fund a holding company to own all or part of businesses like Donaldson’s video production company, Feastables, and Lunchly. 

The business of Beast, by the numbers:

• $400 million → annual sales for Donaldson’s holding company last year, according to Bloomberg

• 368 million → MrBeast’s YouTube subscribers, making Donaldson the biggest creator on the platform

• $10+ million → the amount Donaldson said he lost producing season one of his Amazon show, Beast Games

Going forward: In the wake of Beast Games, which became Amazon’s most-watched unscripted series in its first 25 days, Donaldson is making a deeper investment in his vast businesses—growing beyond YouTube to establish the MrBeast brand as a media and CPG powerhouse. 

Noah Beck 🤝 NY Fashion

Noah Beck has come a long way from Sway House and 2020 TikTok dances. The lifestyle creator recently became the co-owner and creative director of NYC-based fashion brand Sown Again.

Context: Since amassing 30 million followers starting in the early days of TikTok, Beck has become a multi-hyphenate, launching an venture capital fund, modeling, acting, and running his own undergarment brand called IPHIS.

Last year at New York Fashion Week, Beck met Sown Again founder and CEO Oliver Deane, who launched the brand in 2024 selling primarily hemp tees. 

Which brings us to today: Sown Again is acquiring IPHIS (which was incubated by Beck’s investment fund, Animal Capital) in a deal that will enable the combined brands to compete in new categories like accessories and loungewear.

“Essentials have always been part of Noah’s style, so we’re backing him to take us to the next level,” Deane said in a press release.

Zoom out: Like Ryan Trahan teaming up with candy brand Joyride to relaunch and grow an existing product, Beck is bringing marketing, brand identity, and new attention to Sown Again. In return, the brand will bring its own resources and fashion industry know-how.

Sponsored by Kajabi

Creators, Don’t Miss This.

Creators have earned over $9 billion on Kajabi through courses, communities, coaching, newsletters, podcasts and memberships.

Thousands of creators choose Kajabi because it puts them in control—no algorithms & no middlemen taking a cut. Kajabi helps creators own their audience, scale their income, and build businesses that last.

At SXSW on March 8, Kajabi is bringing together top creators and industry experts for a one-day event designed to help you turn content into a real business.

Here’s what’s happening:

🎤 Colin & Samir break down the economics of monetizing off platform through courses

🧘 Breathwork Session with Fish Fischer to reset and recharge.

🎶 DJ Matt Steffanina closing the night with a live DJ set.

If you’re serious about growing as a creator, you’ll want to be in the room.

March 8 | 12 - 10PM | Austin, TX

Spots are limited—RSVP now

Platform Roundup: YouTube Rules Them All

As YouTube dominates in more media, other social platforms are looking for a competitive edge. Here’s your rundown →

YouTube recently reported more than 1 billion monthly active viewers of podcast content, making it the most-used service for podcasts.

That means YouTube is now leading the pack in streaming, podcasts, and music. “It’s the biggest entertainment platform, ever,” entertainment reporter Lucas Shaw said on X.

TikTok is leveraging its strength in short-form video to challenge YouTube with an improved desktop experience. Its website features a more modular layout with a bigger search bar, new Explore tab, and the ability to watch livestreams in fullscreen.

Instagram may launch a separate app for Reels, according to The Information. Its effort to encroach on TikTok’s territory is reportedly called Project Ray. First up? Improving its recommendation algorithm.

🔥 Press Worthy

• John Green's book Everything Is Tuberculosis is now available for pre-order.

• Substack is hosting a virtual food festival starting on March 13.

• California Governor Gavin Newsom is launching a new podcast.

• IanOnYouTube gets rehired by 7-Eleven.

• Twitch and StreamElements partner to add sponsorships directly to creators' dashboards.

• YouTube will be the presenting sponsor of the PGA’s Creator Classic.

📚️ Thank You For Pressing Publish

The content we’re looking forward to reading, watching, and listening to this weekend.

• Read: If 2024 was for tradwives, 2025 is for nuns. For Cosmopolitan, writer Anna Cafolla explores a growing set of young women embracing monastic lifestyles. 

• Watch: A brand partnership that makes no sense on paper but was perfect in practice: Auto channel BigTime makes a car for World of Warcraft, including a sponsorship from Linus Tech Tips.

• Listen: In this timely pre-Oscars episode of You’re Wrong About, journalist Sarah Marshall dissects what’s widely considered to be the worst Oscars ever in 1989.