How a YouTube Personality Unmasks Anonymous Critics

CREATOR NEWSLETTER


Presented by:

This week, we have another wild story from the drama-tuber scene. Reporter Steven Asarch spoke with some of the biggest creators in the YouTube commentary space — SomeOrdinaryGamers and the Internet Anarchist — as well as a smaller channel, the Dark Company, to discuss their experiences with a notorious YouTuber known as TechLead.

For the uninitiated, TechLead is run by Patrick Shyu, who started the channel in 2016 and claims to be a former software engineer at Google and Facebook. Shyu is known for basically being a caricature of the tech-bro-misogynist, saying things like “no one asked for women programmers” and that he “rejected all women on the spot and trashed their résumés in front of them” while working at Google.

In an interview, Shyu told Passionfruit that TechLead is just a “fictional persona built to gain attention” and that anyone watching should “take his words with a grain or large amount of salt.” But as Steven puts it in his piece, “Shyu’s other controversies cannot be explained away as a mustachio-twirling villain for clicks.”

Though Shyu claims to be “not against constructive forms of criticism or free speech,” he has sent copyright notices to three YouTubers who have created critical content about him. Shyu has also been pretty open about using YouTube’s copyright system to get anonymous creators’ names and identities.

In short, the story shows how easily YouTube’s copyright system can potentially be exploited to affect all creators, big and small. Read more about it below.


PERSONALITIES

Man in front of electronic waste background

Transform your creator business—on your own terms.

With Teachable, you can turn your expertise into fully customizable digital products. Whatever your passion, share it with others in exactly the way you want with courses, community, downloadable content, and more.


IN THE BIZ


CULTURE

Creators Shill Merch and Fan-Fic In Wake of Trump Assassination Attempt

‘It’s a lot easier to deal with a democracy in shambles if you have a silly escape.’ 

By Charlotte Colombo, Passionfruit Contributor


TIPS & TRICKS

How To Change Your TikTok Username When You Need To Rebrand

Here’s what happens when your swap your TikTok username for something fresh. 

By Rachel Kiley, Passionfruit Contributor


YOUTUBE MADE ME DO IT

Star Wars reactor Catherine LaSalle joins the Reactorverse Podcast to share her journey —  from reacting to fan edits to appearing on Howard Stern — during the Disney+ era of Star Wars TV. 

LaSalle also discusses her early days as a creator, unexpected opportunities, and the ongoing issue of toxicity in online fandoms. 

Be sure to subscribe to the Passionfruit YouTube channel so you don’t miss an episode! If you’d prefer to listen in audio form, we also have a podcast feed. And if you want to catch the episodes early, join us on Patreon!

Content for Creators.

News, tips, and tricks delivered to your inbox twice a week.

Newsletter Signup

Latest Newsletters

  • BookTok’s Hockey Smut Sexualization Problem

    BookTok’s Hockey Smut Sexualization Problem

    CREATOR NEWSLETTER Issue #156 | August 1, 2023 Ah, BookTok. A place heralded as a safe haven for young female readers—both feminist and not-so-feminist. It’s a place for some to connect over the revolutionary musings of Bell Hooks and Audre Lorde. A place to be a self-aware Sally Rooney sad girl, an unhinged satirical “My…

  • What Makes a Career Content Creator?

    What Makes a Career Content Creator?

    CREATOR NEWSLETTER Issue #155 | July 27, 2023 Words mean something. It’s important to define your terminology—especially now, during Hot Labor Summer, with SAG, the WGA, and several non-Hollywood-based unions on strike.  Unfortunately, in the case of SAG in particular, a lot of the terminology has gotten quite muddled, sometimes leading to conflicting responses. If…

  • Get Your Head in the Clouds

    Get Your Head in the Clouds

    CREATOR NEWSLETTER Issue #154 | July 25, 2023 If you’re anything like me (a creative individual with attention deficits), you’ll remember school days when teachers bemoaned you for having your head in the clouds, with end-of-semester report cards that read: “Grace is great, but has a habit of daydreaming.” I don’t know about you, but…