PewDiePie

Early Life and Path to YouTube

Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg was born and raised in Gothenburg, Sweden. From a young age, he was interested in art and video games, playing titles on his Super Nintendo and drawing popular game characters. After high school, he enrolled at Chalmers University of Technology to study industrial engineering and management but left in 2011 due to a lack of interest in his course. He later clarified that leaving university specifically for a YouTube career would have been a poor decision.

Following his departure from university, Kjellberg pursued his passion for Adobe Photoshop, entering contests and nearly securing an apprenticeship at a Scandinavian advertising agency. When that opportunity did not materialize, he sold prints of his photoshopped artwork to fund the purchase of a computer dedicated to creating YouTube content. His parents' refusal to support him financially after he left school led him to take other jobs, including working as a harbor captain and at a hot dog stand, to support his early video-making efforts.

Rise to Prominence on YouTube

Kjellberg registered his PewDiePie YouTube channel in April 2010. In the early years, he focused on Let's Play commentaries, particularly of horror and action games like Amnesia: The Dark Descent and Minecraft. He noted that speaking alone into a microphone felt unusual at the time. His channel grew steadily, reaching around 60,000 subscribers by December 2011 before experiencing rapid growth in 2012.

In 2012, his channel was ranked the number one YouTube channel by OpenSlate in October, and he signed with the multi-channel network Maker Studios in December after feeling neglected by his previous network, Machinima. During this early period, Kjellberg faced criticism for using rape jokes in his videos. He addressed the controversy in October 2012, apologizing and stating he would no longer make such jokes, a decision that was noted as a responsive move to fan and critic feedback.

Becoming YouTube's Top Creator

The years 2013 and 2014 confirmed PewDiePie's status as a YouTube giant. His channel became one of the fastest-growing on the platform, gaining more subscribers than any other channel in 2013 according to Billboard. He won awards at the Starcount Social Stars Awards and, on 15 August 2013, surpassed Smosh to become the most-subscribed user on YouTube, earning a Guinness World Records certificate. Although briefly overtaken by YouTube's Spotlight channel, he reclaimed the top spot by late December 2013.

In late 2014, his channel also became the most-viewed on YouTube, having amassed over 7 billion views. During this period, Kjellberg experimented with his interaction with the audience, disabling video comments due to spam and self-advertisements, instead directing fans to his website forums and social media. He also expanded his business with Maker Studios, which launched an official PewDiePie website, merchandise store, and a dedicated iPhone app.

Content Evolution and Major Projects

Around 2015, Kjellberg's content began to shift. While he continued gaming videos, he started experimenting more with viral challenges, comedy sketches, and formatted shows. He attributed this change to boredom with gaming, a sense that his channel's growth had plateaued, and the incentives of YouTube's platform. This era included high-profile projects like Scare PewDiePie, a reality web series produced for YouTube's subscription service, YouTube Red.

His deal with Maker Studios, owned by Disney, faced tension after a video where he read erotic fan fiction about Disney's Frozen characters reportedly angered Disney's CEO. Despite this, he continued with Maker. In 2016, his influence was recognized by Time magazine, which named him one of the world's 100 most influential people. His channel also achieved a milestone by becoming the first to surpass 10 billion video views in September 2015.

Controversy and Media Scrutiny

While always polarizing, Kjellberg's content attracted intensified media scrutiny in the late 2010s. A defining moment came in 2017 when a Wall Street Journal article alleged his videos included antisemitic themes and imagery. This prompted widespread criticism from other media outlets and led several companies to sever business partnerships with him.

Kjellberg acknowledged that the content which drew media ire was inappropriate but defended it as humor taken out of context. He vehemently rebuked the Journal's reporting in particular. Media opinions on him remained divided, with some outlets opining he promoted hateful ideologies and others calling such descriptions unfair.

The T-Series Race and Later Career

In late 2018 and early 2019, Kjellberg engaged in a public competition for the title of most-subscribed YouTube channel with the Indian record label T-Series. His channel was ultimately overtaken by T-Series, ending his long reign at the top. Shortly after this, he returned to making regular gaming uploads, with a particular focus on Minecraft that generated record viewership for his channel.

Entering the 2020s, Kjellberg became more reserved online. He began uploading less consistently, took frequent breaks from the internet, and moved to Japan with his wife, Marzia. He has since described himself as semi-retired from YouTube, choosing to upload less frequently and for his own enjoyment rather than as a career. His content shifted to center more on his family life and personal interests.

Legacy and Influence

PewDiePie is widely considered a pioneer and ambassador of YouTube's platform and culture, with significant influence on internet culture and the gaming subculture. His popularity was noted to boost sales for the video games he played, especially independent titles, and he used his platform to support charity fundraising drives.

As of August 2026, his main channel has over 109 million subscribers and 29.51 billion views, keeping it among the most-subscribed on YouTube. His journey from a university dropout making Let's Plays in his bedroom to the most recognizable name on the platform for nearly a decade charts the rise of gaming content and creator culture itself.