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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/sessions
Use promo code "muslimfounder" in your application to get 20% off and a guaranteed spot.
-------------------
Follow Yousef:
https://www.youtube.com/@apex
https://www.instagram.com/apex
-------------------
0:00 Introduction
1:07 Growing up Palestinian-American in Orange County
4:29 Visiting Palestine for the first time at 21
7:27 The story of his cousin who was killed
10:54 Studying Arabic and enrolling in Islamic studies
14:56 How 14-year-old Yousef discovered YouTube and gaming
16:58 Joining FaZe Clan
19:57 First $200 from YouTube
20:45 Why he hid his Muslim identity online
22:11 Getting hacked and swatted at his family home
24:03 Moving to New York at 18 and holding onto his faith
28:28 The moment a friend stopped him from smoking weed
30:10 FaZe Clan's explosive growth and business evolution
36:29 Learning business through experience vs education
39:49 The IPO, $2 billion peak, and the crash
44:55 Watching FaZe collapse and accepting Allah's decree
48:40 Why he deleted 1,200 YouTube videos after reading a Quran ayah
54:07 Advice to young Muslim creators on content
59:25 Khabib's influence and going public about being Muslim
1:04:29 Guilt over Palestine and trying to do enough
1:07:06 Building a new startup after FaZe
1:11:42 Why he paused content creation to focus on building
1:15:36 Applying to YC and learning the startup world
1:17:14 What legacy means to him
1:20:50 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/
View all episodes
By Sohaib AshrafYousef "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/sessions
Use promo code "muslimfounder" in your application to get 20% off and a guaranteed spot.
-------------------
Follow Yousef:
https://www.youtube.com/@apex
https://www.instagram.com/apex
-------------------
0:00 Introduction
1:07 Growing up Palestinian-American in Orange County
4:29 Visiting Palestine for the first time at 21
7:27 The story of his cousin who was killed
10:54 Studying Arabic and enrolling in Islamic studies
14:56 How 14-year-old Yousef discovered YouTube and gaming
16:58 Joining FaZe Clan
19:57 First $200 from YouTube
20:45 Why he hid his Muslim identity online
22:11 Getting hacked and swatted at his family home
24:03 Moving to New York at 18 and holding onto his faith
28:28 The moment a friend stopped him from smoking weed
30:10 FaZe Clan's explosive growth and business evolution
36:29 Learning business through experience vs education
39:49 The IPO, $2 billion peak, and the crash
44:55 Watching FaZe collapse and accepting Allah's decree
48:40 Why he deleted 1,200 YouTube videos after reading a Quran ayah
54:07 Advice to young Muslim creators on content
59:25 Khabib's influence and going public about being Muslim
1:04:29 Guilt over Palestine and trying to do enough
1:07:06 Building a new startup after FaZe
1:11:42 Why he paused content creation to focus on building
1:15:36 Applying to YC and learning the startup world
1:17:14 What legacy means to him
1:20:50 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/