Introduction

Sad Linus is a meme that showcases a still image of tech YouTuber Linus Sebastian, taken from his January 2020 video where he contemplates retirement.

Background

The image captures Linus with a solemn expression, wearing a headset, and has gained traction as a reaction image and in ironic memes across platforms like Reddit and iFunny.

How It Began

On January 22, 2020, LinusTechTips hosted a YouTube livestream titled "I've been thinking of retiring," where Linus discussed reaching 10 million subscribers and his thoughts on retiring. The stream quickly gained popularity, amassing over 2.3 million views and 234,000 likes within two days. The following day, Redditor chickenfart29 shared a still image from the video on r/memes, suggesting that the video encapsulated genuine sadness. The post received over 1,900 points with a 98% upvote rate within just 24 hours.

Internet Reaction

Following its initial posting, the Sad Linus image became a popular reaction meme on Reddit. On January 23, 2020, another Redditor, PowerPond, shared the image on r/dankmemes with the caption "when you're browsing new and see the same shit 20 times in a row," garnering over 85,500 points and a 90% upvote rate in a day. Similarly, SpanishGarbo utilized the image in a four-panel meme on r/linuslore, receiving more than 1,400 points with a 98% upvote rate. The meme's popularity led to various video edits and further adaptations across different platforms.