Joe Rogan vs. a YouTuber over an Elon Musk gaming claim? This copyright drama just took a wild turn!
When it comes to YouTube and copyright claims, controversy is never far behind. This time, speedrunning YouTuber Karl Jobst has found himself in a dispute with none other than Joe Rogan. The issue? A 30-second clip from Rogan’s podcast where Elon Musk boasted about his Quake skills. Jobst used the clip in his video about Elon Musk and how he allegedly fakes his gaming skills – a normal thing for a billionaire to do.
Jobst claims that the strike was not random by an algorithm but came with intention, sparking backlash from fellow creators. Here’s everything you need to know about the latest copyright drama.
Karl Jobst Fights Back
Despite speculation that the copyright strike was automated, Karl Jobst directly shut down that theory. When a user suggested the claim might have been flagged by YouTube’s system, Jobst replied, "This one wasn’t."
However, he couldn’t provide details on why he believes it was a manual claim. This has fueled further debate about how intentional the takedown really was.
My entire Musk video was copyright claimed by @joerogan because I showed a 30 second clip of him talking about quake.Petty.
— Karl Jobst (@karljobstgaming) March 4, 2025
Interestingly, the video is now back online, including the disputed Elon Musk-Joe Rogan clips. The 41-minute video only features short snippets of their discussion, often muted or barely noticeable. The only fully audible moment is when Rogan asks Musk, “Are you in the top 20 in the world?” to which Musk casually responds, “Yeah, yeah.” Yet, these minor inclusions were enough to trigger the strike.
I encourage everyone to click on the linked video, which has a timestamp for that conversation, and watch the way Musk says 'yeah' while tilting his head. Look, I'm no expert, but if that ain't a 'yeah, kinda who cares' moment, I don't know what is.
YouTubers Slam Copyright Abuse
The drama caught the attention of fellow creators, with 2-million-subscriber-strong The Act Man weighing in. He tweeted, "This new generation of snowflakes love to abuse the Copyright system, I've noticed." While not explicitly naming Musk, many saw it as a direct jab. Musk, known for his anti-woke, free-speech stance, has positioned himself against censorship – buying Twitter and launching a game studio after claiming modern games had become too woke.
This contradiction has only added fuel to the fire. Critics argue that Musk’s supposed free-speech advocacy clashes with his involvement in a copyright dispute that appears overly aggressive. Whether intentional or not, this incident has sparked a wider conversation about fair use and the power dynamics between major media figures and content creators.
An intentional strike would also go against Musk's statements. He has nothing to apologize for since he never claimed to have played his way to that game progress himself instead of paying someone to do it for him. If he doesn’t need to apologize, then why strike the video? On the other hand, Rogan is one of the biggest social media figures right now, so is it really that unlikely that the algorithm is being a bit more cautious? Ah, I don’t know either.
Do you think the strike was intentional? If it was, was it appropriate? Tell us in the comments!