PewDiePie, the most-subscribed YouTube creator with a dedicated audience of nearly 50 million peeps, had a pretty solid 2015. The wildly popular YouTube personality made just over $8 million last year, according to a report filed in Sweden and obtained by Variety. The best part? Dude also used his sustainable popularity to raise more than $1 million for various charities since becoming a household name.
PewDiePie, whose real name is Felix Kjellberg, stacked up an inarguably impressive $8.1 million in pretax profit against a total annual revenue of $8.6 million last year. To break that down for anyone who despises math with an unruly fury, that means PewDiePie (likely) made way more money last year than you or anyone you know.
The 2015 haul gives PewDiePie's Pewdie Productions AB an enviable 11 percent increase in operating profit from the prior year's returns, which were nothing to scoff at. 2014 saw PewDiePie bring in a still seemingly unattainable $7.4 million in sales, i.e. still (probably) way more than you or anyone you know.
In January, PewDiePie launched Revelmode in partnership with his longtime collaborators at Disney's Maker Studios. Revelmode, according toVariety, is comprised of "video content as well as game development, philanthropic programs, commercial partnerships, and merchandise." The vlogger network has proven fruitful for a number of charities, including the children's rights and relief program Save the Children.
Earlier this month, a glut of headlines named PewDiePie as one of several YouTube stars who were paid by Warner Bros. to provide positive promo coverage for the 2014 video game Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor. The Federal Trade Commission reached a settlement with Warner Bros. that required paid promo, such as PewDiePie's gameplay clip that garnered 4 million views, to be made more transparent in the future. PewDiePie, however, later released a video (see above) saying he had followed all requirements of the initial Warner Bros. agreement and had been unfairly used in headlines as mere "clickbait."
