In a post to X on Sunday, YouTube creator MrBeast called for an end to the "ultra fast paced/overstim era" of online content. But if there's any creator associated with "overstim" content, it's MrBeast. The post led some people to compare MrBeast to Oppenheimer, a person undone and remorseful about the world-changing technology he invented.

By shouting at the camera, cutting to a new shot every two seconds, stuffing the soundtrack with explosions and filling his thumbnails image with bright colors and open mouths, MrBeast racked up over 200 million subscribers, because videos which attacked the nervous system of whoever stumbled across them tended to do well over the past few years. MrBeast perfected this art of overstimulation to the point that people online made fun of him for it.

As Gen Z turned to watching Subway Surfers gameplay over podcast clips and industrial processes over Reddit stories, MrBeast and his many imitators made YouTube videos so stimulating that they might keep people from pulling out their phones and scrolling TikTok as they watched.

Now, by increasing length, decreasing volume and spending more time letting stories "breathe," MrBeast says he's figured out a new way to reach audiences.

As a famously adept interpreter of the algorithm, MrBeast knows that others listen to what he posts. Culture is always evolving, and what's perfect for one era rarely works as perfectly for the next. It seems like MrBeast may be making a bet on what the viral trends of the future will bring, and trying to ride that wave.