Hundreds of tech decision-makers subscribe to Big Technology’s premium tier for straightforward, agenda-free reporting on the industry’s biggest issues. Join today!

Get 20% off for 1 year

The Russia-Funded YouTuber Story Will Only Get Bigger

YouTube has removed Tenet Media, a political network allegedly funded by Russia. But who’s next?

Late last year, a popular conservative YouTuber was about to earn a windfall, but something felt a bit off. A Brussels-born businessman named Eduard Grigoriann was offering him $100,000 per week to join a new network of ideologically aligned commentators, one meant to counterbalance Grigoriann’s frustrations with mainstream media bias. The deal was exceptional, paying more than any other network would consider offering, but Grigoriann was suspiciously impossible to find online.

Before moving forward, the YouTuber asked for press releases, interviews, a LinkedIn profile, or anything mentioning Grigoriann to review. He was persistent. Ultimately, Grigoriann’s team sent a one-pager, with a prominent photo a man sitting in private plane, along with some details about Grigoriann’s career and interests. Outside of that document, Grigoriann was a ghost, leaving no trace online. The YouTuber was apparently satisfied. He moved forward, joining a channel called Tenet Media, and netted a $100,000 signing bonus.

We now know that Eduard Grigoriann was a fabrication, a fiction created by Russian state media, according to a DOJ indictment published this week. The YouTuber’s windfall was in fact distributed by the Russia-sponsored RT network, the DOJ said, spent in an effort to advance Russia’s interests abroad. The YouTuber was right to be skeptical. But ultimately, the money was too sweet to turn down. The venture eventually attracted a slew of conservative talent, allegedly including Tim Pool, Benny Johnson, and Dave Rubin.

The DOJ’s revelation was stunning, but a line buried within the indictment was even more noteworthy. The Tenet Media channel was just one of many such networks operating in the U.S.. The RT employee running it, the indictment said, “manages multiple RT covert distribution channels in the United States.” RT’s editor-in-chief has boasted that the company has "an enormous network, an entire empire of covert projects that is working with the public opinion.” Tenet is just the first we’re hearing about. The story is only beginning.

Upgrade to paid

RT built these ‘covert’ networks after Western countries banned and deplatformed its main channel following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. As it sought to continue influencing public opinion, its money found willing recipients. Popular commentators looked the other way and took the cash despite obvious warning signs. Even though basic due diligence would show Grigoriann was almost certainly a sock puppet, they went ahead.

The DOJ’s allegations are still unproven, and the commentators in this case may technically be victims of a crime perpetrated by the Russian defendants. But Russia seems to have gotten its money’s worth. In one clip from the channel now circulating online, Pool called Ukraine the “greatest threat” to the United States and the world and demanded an apology for Russia. In another case, the Russians pushed the channel to tie a terror attack in Moscow to Ukraine, even though ISIS claimed responsibility, according to the indictment. The Russians also asked the channel to cover Tucker Carlson fawning visit to a Russian grocery store. And eventually, RT employees allegedly secured access to post videos directly to the Tenet channel.

Covert operations like this are difficult, if not impossible, for tech platforms to detect since nearly everything — the recruiting, payments, and editorial direction — happens behind the scenes. These channels can run until governments figure them out. And indeed, it took the DOJ publishing an indictment for YouTube to learn about it. From the sound of it, the DOJ is not done.

YouTube on Thursday told me it was removing Tenet Media from the service. “Following an indictment from the US Department of Justice and after careful review,” a spokesperson said, “we are terminating the Tenet Media channel and four channels operated by its owner Lauren Chen as part of our ongoing efforts to combat coordinated influence operations.”

In context, the Tenet Media episode shouldn’t be blown out of proportion. It was one channel with a bit more than 300,000 subscribers that got a lot of money from Russia for a questionable ROI. It didn’t swing an election or meaningfully change public opinion on the Ukraine war. But it wasn’t alone. And in time, we’ll likely find out where else Russia was distributing its money.

Share

Lighting the Halo of Innovation at LB NOVA InnoFest 2024 (sponsor)

LG NOVA’s fourth annual InnoFest will take place at the Place of Fine Arts in San Francisco September 25-26. The event provides attendees with the unique opportunity to join in the discussion on the future of innovation in the HealthTech, AI, CleanTech, Life Sciences, Smart Life and Mobility ecosystems.

Register today and come be inspired and energized to build a better tomorrow.

Learn More

Advertise with Big Technology?

Reach 145,000+ plugged-in tech readers with your company’s latest campaign, product, or thought leadership. To learn more, write alex@bigtechnology.com or reply to this email.

What Else I’m Reading, Etc.

OpenAi hits 1 million paid corporate users for ChatGPT [Bloomberg]

26% of advertisers are planning to cut their spend on X next year [The Guardian]

It’s harder than ever to gauge what’s actually popular online [Garbage Day]

Andressen Horowitz leaves Miami [Bloomberg]

The presentation Doubleclick used to sell itself to Google [Monopoly Report]

Primary Hosts NYC Summit Featuring Top VCs and Founders [Reuters] (sponsor)

Quote Of The Week

Hire good people and give them room to do their jobs. Sounds great when it's described that way, doesn't it? Except in practice, judging from the report of founder after founder, what this often turns out to mean is: hire professional fakers and let them drive the company into the ground.

YC co-founder Paul Graham describing Brian Chesky’s views on ‘Founder Mode,’ an alternative to the Manager Mode some big company CEOs embody as their startups mature

Number of The Week

1 billion

Ex-OpenAI chief scientist raised $1 billion for his new venture, where he intends to produce ‘safe superintelligence’ with the backing of venture capital

This Week on Big Technology Podcast: How Ozempic Changes Our Bodies, Minds, and Economy — With Johann Hari

Johan Hari is a New York Times bestselling author and has a new book, Magic Pill, about his experience with weight loss drugs. Hari joins Big Technology to discuss the impact of Ozempic on our relationship with food and the economy. Tune in to hear how these medications work, their benefits, and their potential risks. We also cover the science behind these drugs, economic implications, and ethical considerations. Hit play for an in-depth conversation on the future of weight loss drugs and their broader societal effects

You can listen on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Thanks again for reading. Please share Big Technology if you like it!

And hit that Like Button and you’ll help us never have to beg foreign governments for money!.

My book Always Day One digs into the tech giants’ inner workings, focusing on automation and culture. I’d be thrilled if you’d give it a read. You can find it here.

Questions? News tips? Email me by responding to this email, or by writing alex@bigtechnology.com Or find me on Signal at 516-695-8680

Thank you for reading Big Technology! Paid subscribers get our weekly column, breaking news insights from a panel of experts, monthly stories from Amazon vet Kristi Coulter, and plenty more. Please consider signing up here.

Upgrade To Paid

© 2024 Alex Kantrowitz
548 Market Street PMB 72296, San Francisco, CA 94104
Unsubscribe