On today's show, Alex Blumberg talks about his exit from the Daily Wire and why it's not about the money. Alex also talks about why he decided to leave and why he thinks the conservative movement needs to change its business model.
00:00:36.000And sure enough, if you see all of the people who work there, some of whom I have relationships with, they immediately tried to make this all about money.
00:00:50.000And I'll go through with some receipts.
00:00:52.000Everything that was said about negotiations, how they transpired, beyond the numerical value, which is true and I'll get to, everything else is untrue.
00:03:08.000What I'm talking about is, you're describing a model for everyone, a model for everyone, not just, let's get rid of me here.
00:03:15.000Everyone, if there's a penalty for being demonetized on YouTube, because your business model requires that be a huge component of it, you need to change your business model or this movement cannot work, Jeremy.
00:03:28.000I can't imagine my show trying to come up And be beholden to YouTube advertiser guidelines.
00:03:35.000Let alone, I mean, honestly, being beholden from a conservative entity with hard strikes, right?
00:04:48.000But I offered a guide on how to do it.
00:04:50.000It is incumbent, this is what this is about, it is incumbent upon conservatives, if we believe what we say, to uncouple, to divest, if you want to use that term, from big tech.
00:05:04.000For the business models of the movement, as we move forward, to not rely on playing ball with Facebook And with YouTube.
00:05:12.000That is something that we have to move toward.
00:05:15.000You know that we've been trying to do that here for years.
00:05:17.000That's why every single show we say, hey, if you can watch on Rumble, please do so.
00:05:21.000We're not looking to be banned on YouTube, but we certainly won't compromise the truth in order to be advertiser friendly.
00:06:45.000Just to be clear, the entire call transcript has been sent to others to verify without hopefully having to release the whole thing.
00:06:52.000And I'll be on Tim Pool's show, I believe, on Monday to talk about it.
00:06:55.000Now, this is something else that's been brought to my attention.
00:06:58.000That, you know, look, some people have been sent out from Daily Wire and have gotten very, you know, very personal.
00:07:04.000Obviously when we released this video we didn't name names and I told you there are a lot of people in the space who have made offers and it is true.
00:07:11.000There are quite a few and there are some others that have been pretty similar to this.
00:07:14.000This isn't an incredibly unique scenario but there have been some good people out there too and we're still talking with them.
00:07:20.000So I do know that some people from Daily Wire have sort of come out, maybe been instructed to, I have no idea, I don't care, and they've gotten very personal.
00:08:15.000Only after that final call, after negotiations had followed through, pleading on the side of principle and knowing that it was completely met with deaf ears, did I come out like I did.
00:08:51.000Sure, I run a business, but it's not just business.
00:08:54.000And let me ask you, when have you ever heard someone say it's just business when they're doing the right thing?
00:09:01.000Ever hear someone give $250,000 to charity and say it's just business?
00:09:05.000And here's something that I would like to ask you, because I know that they've tried to play the identity politics and, you know, misrepresent the whole financial situation.
00:09:14.000But yeah, over the course of four or five years, the total operational budget, meaning 25, 30 employees, all of the costs, security, health insurance, would have been somewhere in the $50 million ballpark for that total operational budget.
00:09:31.000First off, I think It's a good thing for conservative companies out there to be generating or capable of generating far more than that.
00:09:39.000It'd be better than just Disney and just Netflix and just Hulu Plus and I'd like the people who are in charge of that to be people who are willing to walk away from that if it comes with strings attached.
00:09:49.000With people who hate everything you stand for.
00:10:21.000What would it take for you to be willing to walk away from at least $50 million because of it causing harm to someone else that doesn't even affect you?
00:10:52.000I want there to be someone else to do this.
00:10:54.000It can't happen if this is how our movement is structured.
00:11:01.000And you know that, by the way, This could do irreparable damage to the movement, the country, and the people who've fought so hard for the ground gained if we've decided to get in bed with these people who want to strip it away.
00:11:26.000And so long as these contracts out there include enforcement Of big tech.
00:11:32.000Of punishing conservative creators on behalf of the people we claim to fight and the people who have long since demonetized us and can't stand me and part of me doesn't blame them!
00:11:45.000As long as these contracts include that, not even for me, but the next person, I wouldn't take a billion dollars.
00:11:53.000And certainly not if, you understand in context, when behind closed doors I know, and these people know and acknowledge, exactly what's
00:12:04.000being done to the next generation of creators.
00:12:07.000Bench talent, young talent, they don't get deals like this.
00:12:50.000As someone who does run a business and has 20, I think maybe 25 employees, I don't know, we're expanding, I understand people run businesses differently and have different priorities.
00:13:01.000Here's the thing, I would genuinely still, Daily Wire, Jeremy, love to sit down at the table and explain to you how you can make all of this work How you can scale what we do and not have to be beholden to the people who... We all go out and claim that we're fighting.
00:13:26.000And especially with all of the financial resources.
00:13:29.000that you have, which by the way are very impressive. And by the way, since fielding requests for people
00:13:35.000who've sent this in, you guys are under these kinds of contracts, right, you've sent in your emails
00:13:40.000if you're looking to either join a network or looking to navigate these contracts.
00:13:44.000We've been flooded. I'm going to try and get to all of you, but here's the thing. Let me give you
00:13:52.000Everyone, you can timestamp it, call me on it.
00:13:54.000Here at Mug Club, we will never take any ownership over your social media platforms or your channels, and I don't want a dime ever of your YouTube revenue.
00:14:07.000You make your own decision as to whether you want to be monetized or not.
00:14:09.000Some people want to, some people don't.
00:14:13.000I just have a problem with requiring that you do, and penalizing you.
00:14:19.000And to Daily Wire, to the rest of the people out there, give me a call and look, let me put it this way.
00:14:30.000If you give me your word, this is all that matters here, just give me your word that there will never be a clause in a contract again for some unsuspecting kid or someone who doesn't have the luxury to walk away from $50 million, as I did.
00:14:46.000Give me your word that you will not penalize them 25% for demonetization, another 20% for a strike, another 20% for Facebook, Spotify, Apple, up to 80%.
00:14:57.000Just give me your word That that clause, that that spirit, will not be in any contract sent out to anyone else who's at the front lines fighting for this country.