YouTuber Logan Paul Says Not Everyone Is Cut Out to Be an Influencer

Mr. Paul said that surveys have shown the majority of Gen Z wants to be social-media influencers and lamented that aspiration. “I’m like, ‘No, please be careful.’” He added, “We need doctors. Be a doctor!”

The 27-year-old YouTube star, who has more than 23 million subscribers, realizes that he is now a veteran in the space. As someone on a career path with no blueprint, he said changing and learning from missteps has been critical to his decade-plus career.

He said there are new platforms popping up all the time and each has its own language, which he said he has learned to speak and adopt quickly.

Mr. Paul, who said he had a 4.0 grade-point average when studying to become an industrial systems engineer before dropping out of college, said that working in media not only allows him to exercise the creative part of his brain but is also more fun.

“You’re paving the path, but it also leads to some of the most rewarding results,” he said.

While acknowledging that the internet can be a negative space where people often express anger and outrage more freely than they do positivity, Mr. Paul said that hatred is “burdening” and that he feels empathy for people who are so angry.

“Hate rolls off of me,” he said. “I simply don’t have the time to focus negative energy anywhere. I’ve barreled through it all and I’ve learned that truly, truly if you don’t give up, you’re going to be a tough person to stop.”

Mr. Paul also said he thinks people are generally becoming more aware of who and what is real—and that it matters for businesses, which he said will continue to rely on humans rather than virtual characters to serve as influencers or stars.

“I think genuine, authentic human connection, likability, the ability to navigate and garner attention, comes with a human,” he said.

Asked about

Elon Musk’s

whipsawing bid to buy

Twitter Inc.,

Mr. Paul said that he believes in the billionaire and that free speech is important but that moderation is needed.

“The spread of disinformation is incredibly dangerous, incredibly dangerous, and it needs to be moderated,” he said.

Mr. Paul called his decision to get into boxing a “cheat code.”

He said that it was easy to tell that the sport was ripe for the spectacle that ultimately saw Mr. Paul go eight rounds with

Floyd Mayweather.

When children brawl on a playground, all the attention goes to those fighting, he said, adding that the same rule applies to adults.

“If you have enough of a draw, and you’re willing to get in the ring or that octagon and quite literally risk your life for entertainment, put the work behind it and you’ve got a formula for success,” he said.

Mr. Paul’s other recent business endeavors include releasing a lifestyle hydration drink with former boxing rival KSI called Prime Hydration and creating an NFT community set up to fund other entertainment projects. He credits his ideas to what he says is his ability to understand what people like.

A decade from now, he may be finding out just how much people like him. “I, Logan Paul, will be running for president in 2032,” he said with a laugh.

Write to Anne Steele at [email protected]