Why did Caspar Lee quit YouTube? Former viral internet personality says he made first million at 21 on the platform

Caspar Lee, one of the biggest YouTube stars of the 2010s, has revealed why he left the platform at the height of his career, despite making millions and building up a huge global following.

For the 31-year-old content creator, who started uploading videos at 16, YouTube supposedly began as an exciting hobby and not a career.

"I started making YouTube videos when I was 16. It wasn’t really a business avenue. I just thought, this is a cool thing and I want to try to build it up as big as I can," he told the The Times of London in a recent interview.

He stated that by 18, he had persuaded his parents to let him take a gap year before attending university so he could commit his full effort to YouTubing, despite having only a few thousand pounds in his account.

Caspar Lee went viral on YouTube in the 2010s, leading to some mind-boggling million-dollar paydays. https://t.co/xxFC7JzArE

— Us Weekly (@usweekly) July 5, 2025

Caspar Lee’s gamble paid off. His humor-based content, which consisted of pranks, challenges, and interviews with A-list celebrities such as Ed Sheeran, Kevin Hart, and Dwayne Johnson, brought in millions of views.

In 2019, Lee left the platform and moved on to entrepreneurship. He co-founded Influencer.com in 2017, a marketing agency that specializes in connecting brands and creators. He then went on to co-found a talent management company, MVE, with fellow YouTuber Joe Sugg.

According to CNBC, he has also spent on student housing in South Africa and has co-founded the venture capital fund Creator Ventures, which closed its first $20 million fund in 2022.

A look into Caspar Lee's thoughts on being a YouTuber and his current career

During his prime on YouTube, Lee boasted over six million subscribers and viral videos garnering more than 18 million views. He supposedly made his first $1 million by the time he was 21.

"It felt good to get to that point and have a financial cushion for me and my family, but making even more money doesn’t incrementally make you more happy," he told The Times of London.

But despite his online stardom, Caspar Lee said he had always imagined a future beyond YouTube.

"I always wanted to do something outside of YouTube, because I knew in my 30s and 40s, I didn't want to necessarily just be relying on that," he said in an interview with CNBC Make It.

Creator Ventures, co-founded by former YouTuber Caspar Lee, has created a new $45 million fund to focus on consumer-focused online startups and AI. With its second fund, the VC doubled the $20 million fund it closed in 2022. pic.twitter.com/DYFbGzsQnc

— Swipeline (@Swipeline_Media) May 20, 2025

Lee thinks that creators are “natural entrepreneurs” because they already know how to build and serve an audience. However, he thinks that businesses driven by influencers can succeed only if they provide real value beyond their fame and personality.

Today, Lee is interested in growing his wide-ranging portfolio of companies and investments. Even though he doesn’t have children yet, he said he is looking for a way to provide for his future family. According to Caspar Lee, fulfillment and happiness come from the process of building and creating rather than accumulating wealth.