Pornhub is owned by a mysterious businessman through a 'complex network of subsidiaries' that have kept his identity a secret until now, according to a new report

Advertisement
Pornhub is owned by a mysterious businessman through a 'complex network of subsidiaries' that have kept his identity a secret until now, according to a new report
Bernard Bergemar owns MindGeek, which runs major sex sites like Pornhub, RedTube, and YouPorn.Ethan Miller/Getty Images
  • The Financial Times published an explosive report that said the businessman Bernard Bergemar owned much of MindGeek, which runs major porn sites like Pornhub, RedTube, and YouPorn.
  • Bergemar and other owners of MindGeek have stayed away from public scrutiny because they own stake in a "complex network of subsidiaries" belonging to the porn company, FT reported.
  • Pornhub recently took down all videos from unverified creators after Mastercard and Visa withdrew support for their services from the platform.
  • Former content moderators at MindGeek recently told Business Insider the firm allowed questionable videos to live on the site.
Advertisement

The businessman Bernard Bergemar owns MindGeek, which runs major porn sites including Pornhub, RedTube, and YouPorn, according to an explosive report from the Financial Times.

The publication said Bergemar's name had been known only in a "small circle" of MindGeek power players until the report came out. Before the FT story's publication, a Google search result showed only three results for Bergemar's name.

Pornhub, a private company, declined to comment, saying it does not discuss financial information. A company spokesperson would not confirm their identity after multiple requests.

Complimentary Tech Event
Transform talent with learning that works
Capability development is critical for businesses who want to push the envelope of innovation.Discover how business leaders are strategizing around building talent capabilities and empowering employee transformation.Know More

Bergemar owns shares in a majority of MindGeek subsidiaries, which allow him to be the biggest beneficiary of the company, FT reported. MindGeek pays license fees for the "complex network of subsidiaries" and owes them millions of dollars in dividends, the FT report said.

"The opaqueness surrounding the company's financing also covers management," FT's Patricia Nilsson wrote. "The names of many of the company's senior executives who feature in corporate filings do not appear in internet searches, leaving little or no trace of who they are."

Advertisement

A Business Insider investigation previously found no evidence that supports the existence of multiple Pornhub executives quoted in press releases and news articles.

Read more: Former Pornhub moderators describe lax rules while being ordered to watch up to 1,200 videos per day: 'Our job was to find weird excuses to keep videos on our sites'

Pornhub recently took down all videos from unverified creators, which had accounted for most of the site's content, after Mastercard and Visa withdrew their services from the platform. The move came after a New York Times opinion article said there was child pornography on Pornhub, but sex workers and porn performers told Vice the credit-card companies' move could lead to lost income.

Pornhub has long faced scrutiny over accusations that it does not do enough to remove sex-trafficking content and child pornography. Former content moderators at MindGeek recently told Business Insider the firm let questionable videos live on the site. "Our job was to find weird excuses to keep videos on our sites," a moderator said.

Victims of a sex-trafficking operation filed a $40 million lawsuit against MindGeek on December 15, Vice's Samantha Cole reported.

Advertisement

Read more: Pornhub has been widely covered for its marketing savvy. But its most-quoted executives are nearly invisible, and it's unclear if they actually exist.

MindGeek recorded more than $460 million in revenue in 2018, according to FT. Google data reviewed by the publication showed more people have searched "Pornhub" than "coronavirus" or "Trump" in the past month.

{{}}