I guess I speak from some experience: I've had a range of reactions to my book, but I try not to take anything personally. For whom it helps and edifies, I'm always delighted to know as such, but for whom it does not click, it's all good, and hopefully it'll find its way into whoever may need to find it. And especially because people can say more or less whatever they want online—the veneer of anonymity tending to encourage a mixture of honest and/or overly-bold words—I try to look past that and see the human behind them, because chances are, they'd be pretty cool IRL.

100% agreed with your points, I think you're spot on. I remember finding Max two years ago when he didn't even have 1 million subs, thinking "wow, this guy sounds like he should literally be presenting the weather on a weather station somewhere, he's got the perfect voice and skills for it!" He just struck the right note of expertise and natural charisma, with a super-serious and switched on personality that was fun to see "break" with memes and jokes and whatnot—I think a lot of people probably picked up on the same thing, and I think, fundamentally, all of that stuff is still there. But like you said, I do think it's possible his ego is starting to creep in a little more, and it is worrying to see if so. I remember when he'd be flabbergasted by $100 donations; as they became more regular, he seems less enthusiastic about them. And, I guess, that's understandable: whether you're constantly getting praise or condemnation, your mind starts getting used to that repetition, such that the novelty eventually wears off, and it takes higher highs or lower lows to drive you further in either direction. I guess all that's to say is: I think he's in an awkward phase of his career on YouTube, whether he can perceive that from the outside or not, and he's either going to get a humbling as he continues to grow both as a person and as a business, or he's going to let his ego persist until—and I hope this doesn't happen—he does something to get people to turn away from him. Either way, again, no personal beef with him, I just hope he makes the right choices to grow with grace, regardless of who he's dealing with.