I stopped watching anything made by their network around the time they started shilling fake boner pills and sweeping scandals under the rug. I never saw RvB but I came in as a fan for a while of Let’s Play and Funhaus, before they acquired it. I even contributed to First for a little while.

They had a lot of momentum in those days, but I think they tried to grow beyond their ability. Most of the new programming they developed was inferior to the lightning-in-a-bottle stuff they were initially built on. They tried to expand their business while hamstrung by their own internal limitations. They did suffer from some bad luck, but really, they mostly self-destructed in slow motion.

It’s hard enough to build an internet company based on algorithms and originating on someone else’s platform. They tried to navigate independently as long as they could, but really, when fans aren’t responding exponentially to your investment, you can either sell out or die right away. Props for twenty years of capitalizing on early internet fame. But to me, this is an overdue death. Basing your brand around being a dick was bound to have a shelf life.