FaZe Apex: The Secret Muslim Behind a $2 Billion Empire

Yousef "FaZe Apex" is a Palestinian-American YouTuber and entrepreneur and co-founder of FaZe Clan, one of the biggest gaming and entertainment brands in history.He joined at 14, grew his channel to over 6 million subscribers, and over 15 years helped build it into a cultural phenomenon that peaked at a $2 billion valuation. After the company collapsed, he walked away. Throughout his career, he kept his Muslim identity hidden - praying behind locked doors, never revealing his real name to his audience.-------------------Join Alif Sessions: https://alif.build/sessionsUse promo code "muslimfounder" in your application to get 20% off and a guaranteed spot. -------------------Follow Yousef:https://www.youtube.com/@apexhttps://www.instagram.com/apex-------------------0:00 Introduction1:07 Growing up Palestinian-American in Orange County4:29 Visiting Palestine for the first time at 217:27 The story of his cousin who was killed10:54 Studying Arabic and enrolling in Islamic studies14:56 How 14-year-old Yousef discovered YouTube and gaming16:58 Joining FaZe Clan 19:57 First $200 from YouTube 20:45 Why he hid his Muslim identity online22:11 Getting hacked and swatted at his family home24:03 Moving to New York at 18 and holding onto his faith28:28 The moment a friend stopped him from smoking weed30:10 FaZe Clan's explosive growth and business evolution36:29 Learning business through experience vs education39:49 The IPO, $2 billion peak, and the crash44:55 Watching FaZe collapse and accepting Allah's decree48:40 Why he deleted 1,200 YouTube videos after reading a Quran ayah54:07 Advice to young Muslim creators on content59:25 Khabib's influence and going public about being Muslim1:04:29 Guilt over Palestine and trying to do enough1:07:06 Building a new startup after FaZe1:11:42 Why he paused content creation to focus on building1:15:36 Applying to YC and learning the startup world1:17:14 What legacy means to him1:20:50 Stories of Abu Bakr and Omar that shaped his worldview_____________Muslim Founder Socials:https://www.linkedin.com/in/sohaibash/https://www.instagram.com/muslimfounderpodcast/https://twitter.com/sohaibashraf97/