From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
Community icon by Alpár-Etele Méder, licensed under CC BY 3.0
"Quality clickbait" is the best description I have.
It's an entertaining channel, prone to reviewing flashy stuff, rather than useful tips as the name might suggest. But not completely stupid, those guys have some knowledge and skills to back it up.
I can't say how it changed over time, I've only watched them occasionally over the last 2-3 years.
That about sums then up. They have been on a streak promoting Linux, which is pretty great since they are a bigger channel. Are they perfect? No, but they are helping get new users into Linux.
I remember making the choice to just stop watching any Linux-focused videos from that channel. They always just tended to frustrate me. But, as I understand, the main host has started to really enjoy Linux lately due to the Steam Machine. Have their Linux videos improved at all due to that?
They're basically filling in that market for entry level tech knowledge and enthusiasts that used to be occupied by CNET and Tom's Hardware when written articles were king.
i guess thats fine, i just dont wanna support bad peeps
I used to watch them, but overtime they've become super corporate with none of the authenticity of the older videos; and also basically everyone I used to watch for has left.
Then there was the whole situation with the sexual harrasment stuff that just put the final nail in the coffin for me.
Every time it appears now in my feed its just so clearly clickbait view slop with no personality. They haven't done anything like the large-scale projects like they used to in a long time.
Also, their attitude towards Linux has always been unncecessarily hostile; with Linus refusing to respect that he has to learn how to use a different operating system and just treating it like Windows which will naturally lead to instability and crashes.
If you were to treat macOS like Windows the same would happen too.
Hes been using for about 3 months, if I remember correctly
And they've been pumping out weekly linux videos, I think, so that helps draw attention too
To be fair the last time I saw Linus try linux, he tried to install steam and the package manager removed the entire desktop environment. This was PopOS, and PopOS clarified in the comments that Linus just so happened to be making the video when there was a big bug in their system. So I don't fault Linus for being a bit put off
It gave him a very visible warning that this will break his system and only to proceed if you know what you're doing. He pressed yes I know what I'm doing and purged all of the desktop environment packages. You would get the same result on any operating system by disregarding a warning like that.
I would agree with you 6mo ago, but ever since their last Linux challenge, it feels like LTT is full linux-pilled now. Before, they seemed to exclusively compare capabilities vs mainstream OSes, and only focus on where Linux fell short, because realistically, that's all mainstream gamers care about. But after the last Linux challenge, they all chose to stay with Linux on their personal machines, because they all felt like it was worth any compromises to not have to deal with windows.
As Linus put it, if something doesn't work in windows it's because of bugs or lack of money. If something doesn't work in Linux, it's because no one in the community has been annoyed enough by it to fix it.
As Luke put it, every time he's had to fix an issue on Linux, he's actually enjoyed it because it felt like he was learning about his machine.
Linus recently did a call with Ludwig about the feasibility of non-tech YouTubers using Linux. Ludwig said "I just think it's better to have more options, so everyone can use the option they want", which is historically the line Linus goes with, except that he countered with "consider that windows actively uses their status to limit people's options, does that change your mind?"
Overall, I think the channel still has to be realistic about the general public's adoption of Linux. They review the latest tech, and if the latest tech is built exclusively for windows, then they have to review it there. But they do seem to be much more critical of window's enshittification, and openly advocate for people to try Linux in spite of a rocky transition. It's been refreshing to finally see the self-professed tech nerds actually cross that threshold into owning their hardware. And whether you like it or not, LTT and Pewdiepie are driving orders of magnitude more people to Linux than we are.
harrasment..?
This was also my final nail, especially when they "we investigated ourselves and determined ourselves did nothing wrong" happened.
Guilty until proven otherwise? I think in civilized society its the other way around, right?
A former staffer made claims of sexual harassment. It is unclear how substantiated those were, but i guess there was something going on. Since then they made a very heavily publicised effort to do better, but it's obviously hard to tell from the outside if that resulted in real changes.
LTT is not a serious tech channel. Its a guy doing anything he can to get views with tech themed content.
This is such a tired take. He gets people enthusiastic about exciting or fun things in tech. Not every tech channel or influencer needs to deep dive analytics or details. Even so, they sometimes do exactly that.
Like him/them or not, they have advanced repairablity, spotlighted unethical behavior, and made useful guides for things like ad-blocking and piracy.
He hate unions. Doesn't pay his workers fairly. Drives a porsche. Has a private jet. Knew that honey was scamming him with the last click affiliate links switcheroo and instead of exposing them he quietly ended there sponsorship with them.
Also the 2 - 3 sponsor breaks plus the "at ltt store dot com" self promotion every 5 minutes really makes the videos unbearable to watch even with sponsor block.
Let alone all the non compete shit with his workers as well as the working atmosphere that was reported by some of the workers.
[citation needed]
For unions he has said he is pro union, just that he would count it as a personal failing if his team felt they needed to unionize.
For your last point there are over 100 people working there. You will inevitably meet oddballs who are not happy with anything. Also non compete is (unfortunately) standard legalise these days.
For unions he has said he is pro union
He's not. He cannot be, it doesn't matter what he said. If you understand the meaning of "collective bargaining" you cannot believe that an employer can even remotely like unions. Of course he was pretending.
watch the video of linus buying a private jet and see if that's the kind of guy you wanna support
linus buying a private jet
Wow, thanks, I didn't know that.
Before he was just mildly annoying and not something I wanted to watch.
Now he's confirmed as an asshole, who must not be supported, from my perspective.
First trip was a family vacation to Mexico
No. Fell off a very long time ago.
"The Problem with Linus Tech Tips: Accuracy, Ethics, & Responsibility" (44:14mins) by Gamers Nexus on August 14, 2023: YouTube or Invidious or Internet Archive
This video is not monetized. This video covers our serious concerns regarding the data accuracy of Linus Media Group, including Linus Tech Tips, ShortCircuit, and TechQuickie, particularly as it relates to rushing content out the door to favor -- by staff's own admission -- quantity over quality. As the company continues to expand into its LTT Labs direction, the importance of accurate data increases; however, even as 'only' entertainment, there are still certain responsibilities to the consumer and the manufacturers to report fairly (and to have defined corrections processes in place). We tried to approach this as objectively as possible and hope that viewers are able to listen to the evidence we present, particularly as it relates to significant and frequent data errors that now present in nearly every technical review video.
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - The Last 2 Weeks
01:40 - LMG is Rushing Too Much: Establishing the Premise
03:48 - LTT's Own Employees Agree
06:58 - This Isn't "Drama" & Risks
09:05 - Bad Data from Linus Tech Tips
10:12 - GPU Review Errors
15:02 - CPU Cooler Test Errors
19:09 - PSU Review Errors
19:53 - CPU Review Errors
22:39 - Asterisked Errors
26:15 - Ethical Concerns: Irresponsible Actions & Conflicts
28:21 - Ethical Concerns: The Review of Billet Labs
34:49 - Ethical Concerns: 'Not-Review' of Pwnage Mouse
36:53 - UNACCEPTABLE & The Community is Disturbing
39:22 - Unfair to Consumers, Manufacturers, & Reviewers
New video after Linus Tech Tips responds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3byz3txpso (only from 00:48 to 12:57 part)
I'm pretty sure Linus doesn't know how to use a computer.
Hardware-wise, he knows how to put things together and modify it to suit his purpose but when it comes to installing and using software, he has no fucking idea what he's doing.
The two Linux challenges that he has participated in has made this clear for most of us Linux users...
But it's not just Linux he struggles with, he makes all the same fails with windows all the time.
Glad it's not just me that feels this way. He's always come off a somebody who doesn't really know shit about fuck but caters to people who know even less so he can pretend on the Internet.
Most of the comments here are very wrong, assuming the worst, or deliberately have their head in the sand about some of the controversies and the reality of those situations.
LTT is casual-ish tech - not as mainstream casual as MKBHD ot UrAvgConsumer, but way more casual than say, Craft Computing.
I consume a ludicrous amount (and wide range) of TechTube and have seen plenty of controversies and have ditched plenty of channels due to scandals. GamersNexus used to be a favorite. Emphasis on past tense. They did a lot of deliberate hit pieces on LTT and it's rather well documented - Zip Tie Tuning/Tech by Alex has a fantastic video shedding light on the misbehavior of GamersNexus - plenty of other folks also covered their motivations and unfair approach. Linus is a character - and definitely can be emotional - but his dialogue attempts with Steve were commendable - Steve just decided to be a whiny baby instead. Self-stylized "journalist" one might say.
Controversies fanned by GN iare what rendered a lot of people anti-LTT, and unable to rectify their views once the attacks impacted. LTT had plenty to criticize (and I do), but the GN attack topics were not them.
I almost ditched LTT and boycotted them after all those attacks. But once the smoke cleared and reality made itself known, I was pleasantly surprised to have not knee-jerk reacted.
LTT like all channels is beholden to nonsense algorithmic marketing that all channels suffer, so I've noted more clickbaity behavior in recent videos.
I'm a far-left, pro-union, Linux-loving, Windows-hating, Apple-hating, Big Tech-hating, anti-sexual assault, anti-billionaire, pro-little guy type of person.
I consider LTT to be edutainment with more good impact than bad. They'll suffer some of the pitfalls of capitalism with some aggressive marketing. They'll naturally need to compete in the YT space. But the characters running the show seem to have their heads screwed on right and their morals in a good place. They will make mistakes. The WAN show sheds light on it - including at times Linus' difficulty in handling blame at times. But he also often comes around - and all things considered I'm not too mad about that as his negative trait.
I don't love the private plane purchase but there's so much more nuance to that with an intended sell of it than others give allowance to understand.
Also I'd be remiss if I didn't highlight Linus' pro-trans (and broadly, LGBTQ+) approach - his support/ready defense of Emily when she came out was great to see.
Since Dec 2025, it has emitted 339.6 t CO₂ — 71x the average person's annual carbon footprint.
Commercial would've been 7.1 t.
Thin education through entertainment, passing as tech and product reviews. Quality is subjective, but they are the bare minimum right after mkbhd/marques brownlee.
LTT always seemed like somebody who doesn't know wtf they're talking about, but pretends to and appeals to people who know even less to make them feel smart. I can't stand the dude.
Everyone knows someone like this. Opinions about everything, but talk to them for five minutes and it’s apparent they know nothing.
LTT is the definition of a mile wide and an inch deep.
A lot of people interested in tech end up watching at least one of his channels due to internet searches confusing 'best' with 'biggest'.
You will make your own mind up one way, or the other.
Linus is a trashtuber.
I'd say there are better tech youtubers out there that you should watch instead, such as Jeff Geerling. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsd6hP-zzIkCpw8XGw7Osyw
Its just tech entertainment with surface level knowledge at most nothing useful but the vids are fun to watch while I eat something
I have a relatively positive view on LTT compared to others here.
You can't succeed on youtube without engaging in some of their clickbait bullshit thumbnails and titles. Although they're relatively honest in actually covering what they say in the title..... So over dramatic titles, but not quite click bait.
No content can be all things to all people. LTT is relatively "casual techy". If you're techy enough to be able to manage Linux yourself, then it's probably not for you. You don't need then to show you how to put a PC together, or to break the news to you that self hosting or home network storage is a thing.
The content also aimed at a certain audience. If you want more academic hardware testing and analysis, then there's Gamers Nexus. If you want in depth gaming news/analysis then there are better channels for that too. These guys look at random tech at times too (car related or making craft art cushions or something). These guys are basically the "Top Gear with Jeremy Clarkson" of tech.
Things like the sexual harassment issue and things like that, I'm not as concerned about. If you work in big corporations then you know these problems exist everywhere, what matters is how you deal with them. The court of public opinion followed the drama and came to their own conclusions. This just plays out publically because they're very public with their content.
As for Linux specifically, they did some noob videos where uninitiated staff tried to jump into Linux and hit a bunch of roadbumps (which happens often in Windows transition, fine to be open about that, but it also isn't a big deal for the first adoption to need troubleshooting). They labelled Linux as no good for regular use at that point which angered the internet. Since then I think they've realised:
So now they seem a lot more positive about Linux. But don't go here looking for anything Linux related.
I think you should just watch some of their videos from main LTT, short circuit, etc and see if you find it entertaining for yourself.
Sexual assault allegations not being a big deal to you is already a huge yikes. But you're also blatantly ignoring all of the other issues over the years:
I don't like Linus, the channel's content is half-assed at best, and there is so much sponsored content and self-promotion that it feels more like a 'skip-the-ads' game.
On the flip side I think it's good that they shit on Microslop regularly and steer their audience towards Linux. With such a huge 'normie' audience, they are helping introduce those normies to the existence of alternative operating systems and apps. Their videos can have momenta that make me smork (either because of something titanically stupid or something clownish). Additionally, I've seen some videos of them that have alerted to new projects, hardware or even situations in the tech environment (which I then research in other places, of course).
I have nothing to say about private jet, political views or orientations.
Good for entertainment. Never take anything they say seriously.
Imho they are first and foremost entertainment. If you take it as such, it's fun. Although as others mentioned it has a bit downward tendency. I think Linus, Luke and others are intelligent, reasonable people and that makes it easier to stick to watching them. True that Linus is sometimes impatient, we all saw his Linux challenges 😅 but they are ok
It used to be yes. No, not anymore really.
Entertaining, sometimes.
Useful, not really.
It is very click-baitybas many others have said. I can't expect them to be the most knowledgeable on everything (or anything...) But watching their Linux videos they've been releasing have been nothing shy of facepalm after facepalm. Sure, there are a few useful nuggets of info in there but I wouldn't take anything they say aa gospel.
Its for entertainment purposes and not for in-depth information.
I can get behind them exposing Linux to new users through their channel. But they could do it better.
I overall like it for entertainment. As far as I can tell, through the years of "scandals", Linus doesn't seem like a bad person. Just a person who means well but makes human mistakes sometimes.