Despite his $2.6 billion net worth, MrBeast said he’s had to borrow cash and didn’t even have enough money in his bank account to buy McDonald’s

Some successful entrepreneurs sitting atop billion-dollar businesses say they may look rich on paper, but take a peek into their bank accounts, and they’re actually cash poor .

Social media mogul Jimmy Donaldson , known to his 514 million YouTube subscribers as MrBeast , claims he’s just as broke as everyone else despite running a $5 billion entertainment empire.

“I’m borrowing money.

That’s how little money I have,” Donaldson told the Wall Street Journal earlier this year.

“Technically, everyone watching this video has more money than me in their bank account if you subtract the equity value of my company, which doesn’t buy me McDonald’s in the morning.” The 28-year-old entrepreneur has said he keeps less than $1 million for himself, despite being a billionaire and owning more than half of his $5 billion company Beast Industries .

Aside from his nine-figure Amazon deal and popular YouTube channel with 137.5 billion lifetime views, Donaldson hit the ultra-rich club—at least on paper—from a slew of successful businesses.

He’s launched ventures including multimillion-dollar chocolate brand Feastables ; Lunchly , a Lunchables-esque packaged food product; MrBeast Burger , a virtual restaurant that only allows for pickup and drop-off; and production company MrBeast LLC, which helps manufacture his viral videos.

Through his assets, Donaldson is projected to be worth at least $2.6 billion—although he emphasized it’s not a fat wad of cash burning a hole in his pocket.

Forbes has also estimated his annual earnings reached $85 million between April 2024 and April 2025, a far cry from the typical American salary of $64,220 a year .

However, that doesn’t mean he’s splurging on luxuries and only flying private.

Donaldson claimed he’s actually in the red.

“It’s funny talking about my personal finances, because no one ever believes anything I say,” Donaldson explained.

“They’re like, ‘You’re a billionaire!’ I’m like, ‘That’s net worth.’ I have negative money right now.” “I wake up, I just work…I’m just so busy working I don’t really think about my personal bank account,” Donaldson continued.

“I’m just laser-focused on making the greatest videos as possible, and building the business as big as possible.” Why MrBeast says he’s in the red Donaldson rakes in eight-figure earnings and runs a $5 billion business, yet still claims to be broke.