SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 13 — Tech reviewer Marques Brownlee, widely known by his online alias MKBHD, was caught accelerating a Lamborghini to 96mph (154kph) in a school zone with a 35mph (56kph) limit.
The whistleblower? MKBHD himself, in an advertorial video he posted on his YouTube channel that showed the speed at which he was travelling as well as a road sign indicating he was in a school zone.
A controversy is now brewing online as MKBHD blurred out the speedometer on the Lamborghini, indicating he knew he was speeding, but missed out a second speed readout on the passenger side of the vehicle.
He later deleted the clip under the guise of removing superfluous content from the advertorial, which some critics said would include the entirety of the video.
“Cut out the unnecessary driving clip that obviously added nothing to the video. I hear all your feedback on sponsored videos too,” MKBHD said in a reply to the video.
When this did not slow down the backlash, the YouTuber finally apologised.
“Last video I did something pretty stupid. You might've already seen it, but maybe not so I'll address it here.
“There was a clip with the action cam of me test driving a car and going way to fast. Absolutely inexcusable and dangerous.”
Last video I did something pretty stupid. You might've already seen it, but maybe not so I'll address it here. There was a clip with the action cam of me test driving a car and going way to fast. Absolutely inexcusable and dangerous.I've since cut it out of the video with...
— Marques Brownlee (@MKBHD) November 12, 2024
MKBHD started his channel as a teenager in 2009, growing it into one of the biggest technology news outlets in the world.
His rise was confirmed when he was first featured in the annual YouTube Rewind in 2015, before going on to take increasingly prominent roles in the series and on the platform.
He has interviewed high-profile figures in tech and entertainment, including Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and former US president Barack Obama.
In more recent times, however, there has been growing disillusionment with MKBHD, due largely to his abandonment of previously declared principles for commercial returns.
Earlier this year, he was also forced to apologise for launching an app charging subscribers US$50 a year for wallpapers, despite having proclaimed that it was a cardinal sin to charge for things already available for free.
