‘Hidden cameras, breach of contract and…’: World’s biggest YouTuber sues former employee

Jimmy Donaldson, also known as Mr Beast, has filed a lawsuit against former employee Leroy Nabors. In the lawsuit, the YouTuber alleges that Nabors misappropriated trade secrets and breached a non-disclosure agreement. The lawsuit (seen by Polygon) that was filed earlier this month in a US court claims that Nabors, who was hired by Mr Beast’s company in 2023, allegedly downloaded over a thousand confidential files, including sensitive business strategies and employee information, before his termination in October 2024. Additionally, the complaint alleges that the ex-employee installed hidden cameras throughout MrBeast's offices. Donaldson's company, which employs nearly 350 people and reported $473 million in revenue last year, is seeking damages and a permanent injunction for the return and deletion of the obtained data.

As per the lawsuit, Nabors was initially hired as an IT contractor and was responsible for managing the company's IT network, including servers containing post-production content. He subcontracted his daughter's company, Vine Networks, to assist with these duties, the complaint alleged.
In late 2023, Mr Beast’s company moved Nabors to the "special projects" team within the development department, which focuses on content production, fundraising, and political advocacy. He remained in this role until his termination on October 1, 2024, the lawsuit noted.
Due to the sensitive nature of his IT role, Nabors signed a non-disclosure agreement. However, after an internal review, the company revealed that before his termination, he downloaded over a thousand confidential files, including business strategies, financial data, and employee personal information.
When confronted, Nabors claimed the downloads were part of routine backups. Additionally, he had synced files to a personal Dropbox account, retaining access to sensitive information after his departure, the lawsuit added.
Further investigation uncovered multiple hidden cameras installed throughout the company's offices, the lawsuit mentioned. The company also noted that no current employees admitted to installing these devices, but Nabors was known for recording meetings without consent. The company believes that Nabors and Vine Networks controlled access to these cameras.