There is one main issue I have with all of this drama for how it was initially reported on by GN that his audience didn't seem to care about (as it fit their bias against LTT), and people don't seem to want to keep updated on (people are still ignorantly quoting the wrong things about the situation): The Billet labs prototype auction situation.
All GN needed to do for that one was get a comment on what was going on. It wasn't an old enough story to assume malice or neglect, and considering the follow up to that story, they obviously should've done more due diligence as a self proclaimed journalist.
GN's overall point was that LTT has begun to act recklessly. With regards to Billet Labs, they showed video proof of both main points:
1) Linus reviewing a cooler intended for a 3090, on a 4090, and blamed the vendor for the associated installation and performance challenges.
2) He auctioned a prototype off
Neither charge has been refuted nor could it since it's on video. Whether or not LTT had already began a process to compensate the cost of the prototype is a mere footnote and not the main point. Nor is it obvious they genuinely had.
I may be biased here because I have worked at smaller companies that have built prototypes, and I know firsthand how incredibly valuable those prototypes are. I'm not talking just about the fabrication cost, which can be substantial. There is also tremendous opportunity cost. You can not just write another check and get one made the next day. The startup probably had to fight like heck to get everything lined up to produce one; who knows how many weeks/months it will take to receive another, and whether their funding will last that long. The idea that Linus would blast their product via a faulty review, and then ensure that no one else could review the prototype because no one cared enough to return it promptly nor keep it being auctioned off without any authorization to do so, is just plain awful.
I don't need any explanation to know that LTT's motivation was not to commit theft for the dollars. I doubt a single person watching the video thought so, nor did Steve come close to implying that. Steve's point was that LTT's recklessness was causing real harm to people, and he demonstrated that. No response from LTT was immediately necessary. (Goes 10x because Linus has his own platform, much larger than GN's, so there is no danger that LTT would not be able to tell their side of the story to the extent they have one -- which as far as I can tell they do not.)
btw I'm not sure there's a large audience of GN fans who hate LTT. I'm an example of someone who has enjoyed content from both. My hope for this drama is that it results in LTT slowing down just a little bit, so they can keep doing what they do well and just make less mistakes while doing it.
