#23 Angelinvesting.it - From idea to Series A - Weekly Newsletter
A tragic week
3 Minutes to reflect
50 hours straight driving a Lamborghini, that’s the video the Italian YouTubers from 'the borderless' were filming when they crashed into a Smart car, tragically taking the life of a 5-year-old child.
Just the week before the incident, I had a preliminary call with them, and on the very day of the accident, I sent them a WhatsApp message to arrange a meeting in Milan for the following week (the week this post is being published).
I had reached out to them to discuss a potential investment. I firmly believe that there is a market in Europe to recreate a phenomenon similar to MrBeast, and the borderless guys immediately shared this vision.
And then the tragedy struck, one that leaves you breathless. I can’t even begin to fathom the pain that family must be going through, losing a child due to a cursed YouTube video.
It’s now up to the justice system to pass judgment, but from the seems, the guys appear to be at fault for not ensuring the video was filmed with utmost safety; there seem to be few doubts about it.
In this moment of sorrow and outrage, other voices rise. 'YouTube is to blame for providing the platform.' 'MrBeast is to blame for setting a bad example.'
I don’t agree with these voices. MrBeast is a product of an audience that appreciates him, and YouTube, along with TikTok, Instagram, and every other media platform, are amplifiers of the complex nature of humanity, with all its merits and flaws.
I mourn the loss of poor Manuel's life, and I find myself questioning a lot. In a way, I feel guilty for an investment I had wanted to make.
Simone
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When you make a product from which you gain money, you're a professional. As such, you need to follow the rules. These guys were not following any rules.
If this was a "formal", "traditional" movie set, make sure the street would have been closed, the car driven by an expert, working shifts respected, to grant some margin of safety.
But, that is expensive, it is another market.
So, yes, YouTube is partially to blame. With revenue sharing, it creates a sub-market and makes everybody a professional in the movie industry, without requiring any respect for any existing rules. The only rules they enforce are censoring content that they think is not suitable for their monetization purposes.
Instead, channels like those ones should be censored immediately because they put the life of people in danger for money. The fact that these channels work economically, is just because they do what they do in blatant violation of rules and unfair competition with those who have to respect those rules.