This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.
The original was posted on /r/linustechtips by /u/Ok_Refrigerator_5864 on 2025-01-27 01:50:13+00:00.
I listened to Rossman's entire hour-long hit piece, and I couldn't help but want to straighten out some of the story behind this back-and-forth communication that he spent a significant amount of time talking about.
Note that given Rossman did an hour-long hit piece, my opinions in this post are targeted at him in response. Additionally I was inspired to review this because I have a history with people like Rossman and it was therapeutic to break this down while my newborn was sleeping on my chest with little else to do.
I will refer to Louis Rossman as just "Rossman" to avoid the whole Linus/Louis confusion when reading.
LMG/Rossman Email Correspondence Summary with Timeline (and paraphrasing)
July 6th, 10:08 PM
Yvonne emails Rossman seeking more travel information. She indicates that LTX is over budget and is unable to cover travel costs for +1s.
July 7th, 12:54 AM
Rossman responds understandingly. He informs Yvonne that he paid his own way to LTX last year since he was already going to be in British Columbia for vacation. This year, however, because it would be more difficult for him to get away from work. He indicates he will get back to them with a final answer.
July 7th, 11:41 AM
Yvonne confirms they can cover his flight and hotel but unfortunately cannot cover +1 airfare. She offers to help book flights, etc.
July 7th, 9:37 PM
Rossman writes a more formal email indicating:
- He paid his way to LTX in good faith last year.
- Rossman expresses that LMG's failure to consider that he paid his way last year, in addition to not covering his +1, goes against the values of community spirit and good faith.
- Rossman asserts they are nickel-and-diming him to appear at LTX pro bono, especially given that LMG will profit from his appearance.
- Rossman reminds Yvonne that he paid his own way to LTX in the past.
- Rossman appreciates that budgets are thin and acknowledges he might not be a big-time creator, but he believes the budget should not be so tight as to deny paying for additional airfare for his girlfriend.
- Rossman calls the emails "squabbling" and says all of this is indicative of both a negative community spirit and future of LTX
July 7th, 10:27 PM
Yvonne apologizes and offers to pay for the +1, mentioning it was never their intention to cause any bad feelings.
Opinions
Rossman flips back and forth on the 2018 travel. He was already going to be in BC for vacation, so it was no problem for him to appear in an LMG video and at LTX. Linus later clarifies that LMG offered to pay for his travel, but Rossman declined. In 2019, Rossman is frustrated they didn't consider the fact that he paid his own way for LTX in 2018, while failing to mention that LMG offered to pay and that he declined.
Having a strict creator travel budget and needing to set limitations is not indicative of any lack of community spirit or good faith. If word gets out that some creators got their +1 covered and others were denied, it would be a bad look. Outright paying for all creator +1s would significantly inflate costs and blow the LTX budget.
Rossman's messaging suggests his appearance in videos and at LTX is only beneficial to LMG, as opposed to appreciating any potential mutual benefit (e.g., Rossman has an opportunity to interact with fans, gain exposure to other potential fanbases, etc.).
Rossman fails to consider that Yvonne may have had no context surrounding his travel accommodations last year.
Rossman appears quite agitated in this email, and I would agree there was a significant tone shift. He could have simply said: "Hi Yvonne, Unfortunately, I'm not in a position to leave work or my girlfriend for travel at this time, and it's not in the budget to pay for her travel. Thank you." Instead, the email is accusatory, contains conjecture surrounding the LTX budget and profitability, and has an overall negative tone about the future of the event and the community they are fostering.
July 10th
Rossman streams and expresses his frustration that they wouldn't cover his +1, further implying LTX is going to be very profitable. He is frustrated that he paid his own way last year. Rossman again highlights how this is primarily beneficial for LMG and how it's a difficult time in the business given recent layoffs, and spending any time away from work would be a costly business decision. Rossman is further frustrated, indicating LMG is charging for the event, charging for VIP tickets to have dinner with Linus, and overall feels slighted that LMG wouldn't consider the cost Rossman would incur by leaving his business. He feels they are nickel-and-diming him by not covering the cost of his +1 travel.
Rough transcription of the key part of the stream
_________________________________________
A - I had to let go of several employees which means that I am going to have to do their job. It was a long and arduous process of going back and forth, trying to set an expectation that wasn't met so I will have to be here.
The second thing is the apparent somewhat nickel and diming when it came to the trip. So when I went to LTX last year, I paid my own airfare. Linus asked if I wanted to do this iMac video, fine, whatever, may be interesting cause you know I am going on vacation anyway with my girlfriend. So I paid my airfare, I paid my hotel, I paid for my food all that stuff. And they asked if I wanted to go to LTX well you know fine, and it was kind of interesting. There were a lot - surprising amount of people that knew me there. It was weird, many of you know I'm not exactly a big fan of people flocking up to me it's just... even when just one person comes into my store and says "Oh my god I watch your stuff!" it's weird. So they asked if I wanted to go this year and I said "Sure, fine, I'll see what my schedule is like and we'll go from there." So I said okay, let's do it. So they said "Great! So, give me your information" and I said my girlfriend may be flying out as well with me, I'm going to be taking maybe 2-3 days off business, so uh, what are you covering? So they say you know, we will cover, we can cover your plane ride but we can't cover hers. I'm thinking to myself okay, I own a business, if I leave my business I'm kind of giving up a few thousand dollars if I am going to be leaving for 3-4 days. I am going to your event for free. You're charging a lot of money for tickets to this event like last year I think it was like 300-500 dollars to be able to have dinner with Linus. I'm going to be there for free. You're going to be able to advertise that I am there for free. Charging people to go to the event, you're nickel and diming me about my +1. How about I don't go to your event. That really put a bad taste in my mouth.
--break about Tim Hermin and how if he was putting together a small get together--
If you're charging people 10/20/50/100/500 dollars for tickets, and you want me to travel and you want me to leave my business to go to your event for free. I'll even do that. But then when you say that not only do I have to do that, but I have to pay for my girlfriend to go, or I have to choose to not have her show up, I have to choose to essentially leave the people I care about to go to your event, and you're not even willing to pay for the fucking plane ticket. Get the fuck out of here. Get the fuck out of here. I'm not going to LTX. Fuck that shit. That pissed me off. That actually pissed me off. The thing is it probably wouldn't have pissed me as much if I didn't pay my own way last year. But it's like, you're not even paying for a second ticket. Cause you didn't pay for my ticket the last time, you know? I don't know. That just kind of pissed me off.
--break about how it would be different if Paul Daniels asked him to come, and couldn't afford certain aspects about it--
You have at least a fucking thousand people last year that all paid out the ass to get there. Yeah I mean if you want me to show up you're paying for my +1 and if you don't wanna do that then get the fuck out of here. I have a business to run, that's the thing, it's weird, I have a business to run. I'm not... I do this AMA because a lot of people recommended it and they thought it would be fun, but for the most part you know, I spend my day, I get here 10/11 o'clock I start shipping stuff. 12 o'clock I deal with customers. From you know maybe like 2-5 during the lull in the day I'll fix boards, 5-8 deal with customers. 8-11, 8-12, 8-2 as you often see, I'll be here fixing boards and streaming fixing boards but... I am not a content creator. I am a business owner and technician that just so happens to stream his job. So if I am leaving my job there as to be a good reason that I am leaving my business. And, uh, I don't know. Somebody says **we would like you to leave your business, we would like you to leave the money you would make at your business, so you can come be at our event which we're making good amounts of money and charging people to show up at. And we know you would have spent that weekend with your girlfriend, but you're not going to spend that weekend with your girlfriend cause we're only going to pay the ticket for you to show up, and we're not even going to pay you to show up at the event. Get the fuck out of here. ...
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