LinusTechTips Responds to MegaLag Accusations: “I am a Victim in the Honey Controversy”

In a recent episode of the WAN show, the weekly live broadcast hosted by LinusTechTips, Linus Sebastian addressed the allegations made by MegaLag regarding Honey, a prominent tool for finding coupons. Linus expressed his dissatisfaction with the insinuation that he had intentionally hidden the reasons behind LTT’s decision to discontinue their relationship with Honey.

In MegaLag’s exposé, serious claims were made that Honey undermined content creators by manipulating affiliate links and cutting deals with their partners, ultimately depriving both creators and consumers of financial benefits. These accusations suggest that while Honey was profiting, end users were receiving subpar offers.

As of now, Honey has not publicly addressed these claims, nor have there been any official investigations into the company’s practices. Thus, the allegations remain unverified, primarily reflected through MegaLag’s perspective.

According to Linus, many creators, including himself, were already aware of the link-swapping practices that ultimately led to LTT severing ties with Honey. In his defense, he emphasized that this issue had been known for years prior to MegaLag’s recent video.

LinusTechTips: Setting the Record Straight

During his commentary, Linus referenced earlier videos that labeled Honey a scam, asserting that he was not the sole individual familiar with these issues. He relayed that he had communicated with MegaLag about their video, indicating, “We dropped these guys three years ago when the affiliate ripping concerns were first raised. I’m a bit puzzled about how this all relates to us.”

Linus recounted a discussion with Honey’s team where he insisted that their refusal to cease the affiliate link alterations led to the cancellation of LTT’s sponsorship. He pointed out, “Had we known about the more user-focused issues discussed in MegaLag’s video—like not providing users with the best possible deals due to undisclosed partnerships—we would likely have voiced our concerns much more vigorously.”

The Honey logo

Linus clarified that at the time, he believed Honey was simply a coupon-finding service that received a commission from its affiliate links. He firmly contested the notion that he had knowledge of the problematic practices and chose to remain silent, with co-host Luke supporting this view by stating that they were alerted to concerns about Honey’s practices from news sources.

One listener pointed out that Linus was the largest creator associated with Honey. Linus countered by noting that even MrBeast, a colossal figure with 300 million subscribers, previously collaborated with Honey. He expressed confusion as to why the focus fell predominantly on LTT instead of other creators.

“This entire situation is perplexing. I consider myself a victim in this case,” Linus explained, highlighting that affiliate revenue from platforms like Amazon was responsible for 7% of his team’s revenue in 2020. “This has not only affected us but undoubtedly impacted other creators as well, making them victims of Honey’s actions.”

Luke reiterated that the complexities surrounding the Honey controversy were not originally intended to be LTT’s story to disclose, as the company had operated under the assumption that they were only personally affected.

As of now, MegaLag has not responded to Linus’ rebuttal regarding his portrayal in the contentious video. The unfolding drama follows a recent confrontation LinusTechTips faced from YouTuber Gamer’s Nexus earlier in 2023, a controversy that prompted significant changes within LTT, including Linus stepping down as CEO.

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