A warning to all Los Angeles–based job hunters: If you see a listing for a human resources professional at something called Vlog Squad in Sherman Oaks, stay far, far away. In spring 2021, Vlog Squad’s dum-dum-in-chief, David Dobrik, was at the center of a sea of allegations about how the culture behind the group’s playful, prankful YouTube videos is defined by toxic bullying, blurred consent, and sexual assault. Now, after the inner workings of his channel were brought to light by the likes of Trisha Paytas, and after he lost tens of thousands of followers and many major endorsements, Dobrik told Rolling Stone in a profile that he’ll start actually getting onscreen talent and prankees to sign consent forms, and said that “he’ll also hire something akin to an HR department, so people can go to them with complaints if they are uncomfortable with something they are asked to do.†You gotta respect when a multimillion-dollar operation meets the bare minimum as mandated by OSHA.
“My friends call me a sociopath,†Dobrik also revealed, echoing what his more critical followers have been saying on social media. “That’s kind of like the ongoing joke. And, yeah, I think now people have more of a reason to be like, ‘Oh, they weren’t kidding about the sociopath stuff.’†We … stan a self-aware king?