When Aravind Srinivas, CEO of Perplexity, went looking for advice on making ads go viral, he spoke to the internet’s ultimate attention hacker: MrBeast.
And MrBeast didn’t sugarcoat it. He basically said:
“The IQ level on the internet is not that high.”
Translation: keep it simple, or no one cares.
Why Simple = Viral
If you want millions to watch, you don’t hit them with deep philosophy. You don’t give them a 50-page pitch deck that feels like an MBA thesis.
You give them:
- Big obvious contrasts → “Perplexity vs Google”
- Clear binary choices → “Links vs Answers”
- Everyday problems → “Why won’t cheese stick to pizza?”
It’s the same in trading. Nobody wants to decode a 100-page quant model. They want something as simple as “NIFTY vs BankNIFTY” or “Buy vs Sell.”
Think of it like food. Sure, five-course thalis exist. But 500 million people would rather just grab a plate of samosas or idlis or a plate of biryani.
But What’s the Real Average Internet IQ?
Since the Internet isn’t handing out IQ tests, we can only guess. But if we go by vibes, memes, and the collective chaos of online communities… here’s my (completely unscientific, very unserious) breakdown:
Twitter / X – IQ: 75–150
One tweet sounds like Nobel Prize economics. Next tweet says, “Reliance will take Sensex to 1,00,000 this week.”
Reddit (WallStreetBets) – IQ: 115 (on leverage)
Knows option pricing like a genius, but still blows up the month’s rent on out-of-the-money weekly contracts.
TikTok – IQ: 78 (creativity: 200)
“Here’s how to double your account in 5 minutes” — explained while making filter coffee.
Instagram – IQ: 79
Trading content = Goa trip photos with captions like “Charts before parties.”
LinkedIn – IQ: 105 (self-claimed 140)
“At 12, I sold lemonades in summer. At 32, I run a fintech unicorn. Lesson: always hustle.”
YouTube Comments – IQ: 40–160
Either “2:14 best part” or “the market is manipulated by Dalal Street cartels.”
WhatsApp Family Groups – IQ: 60
“This IPO will definitely double. My neighbour’s cousin’s astrologer confirmed.” Also the global HQ of fake news and endless “Good Morning…” forwards.
Telegram – IQ: 55 (scam density: 1000%)
The official headquarters for crypto scams, shady stock tips, phishing links, and pump-and-dump VIP channels.
Google Search – IQ: Adaptive
Smart query = “NIFTY open interest analysis today.”
Dumb query = “best stock for 200% tomorrow in India.”
Business News TV Panels – IQ: 90 (volume: 180)
Anchors scream “MARKETS CRASHING” while NIFTY is down just 0.3%.
Bloomberg – IQ: 120
Explains carry trades in perfect detail. But no retail investor has the patience to care.
CNBC – IQ: 110
Banners flashing, tickers running, five analysts shouting. Confusion looks like intelligence.
Economic Times / Business Insider – IQ: 100
Half serious GDP analysis, half “7 morning habits of billionaires you should copy.”
Internet Explorer Users – IQ: 65
Still waiting for 2008 crash charts to load.
Google Chrome Users – IQ: 95
47 TradingView tabs, 12 broker logins, and one lonely tab searching “best pizza stock in NSE.”
Where Do ChatGPT Users Fit In?
ChatGPT – IQ: 100–115
Ask: “Write me a stock market strategy that makes 200% a day.”
Get: Python code, technical analysis, and sometimes a random cooking tip in the same reply.
Smarter questions and better prompts now, but still occasionally type: “pls give me working algo with no losses.”
Prompt Engineers™ – IQ: 125 (but 90% of time spent tweaking commas in prompts)
Convinced they have created a new profession. Basically modern-day alchemists trying to turn prompts into gold.
ChatGPT Users Asking for Homework Help – IQ: 95
“Explain quantum physics in 50 words. Deadline in 2 hours.”
Usually copy-pasted directly into the assignment without reading.
Traders Using ChatGPT – IQ: 105 (cope level: 200)
“Give me a sure-shot intraday strategy.”
Market goes the other way, stop-loss triggers, and they still blame ChatGPT for the loss.
Key Lessons for Product Developers & Content Marketers
1. Keep It Simple (Really Simple)
- The average online attention span is tiny — like a 1-minute candle chart.
- If your product pitch or ad isn’t understood in 3–5 seconds, you’ve lost them.
- Use blunt contrasts: “Perplexity vs Google”, “Links vs Answers” → just like stock traders love “NIFTY vs BankNIFTY.”
2. Relatability Beats Complexity
- Don’t talk like a whitepaper. Talk like a friend fixing a real-world problem.
- Examples: “Cheese won’t stick to pizza?” → relatable.
- In trading: “Why did my stop-loss trigger early?” → relatable.
The moment your content feels abstract, you shrink your audience.
3. Emotion Drives Virality
- MrBeast doesn’t sell complexity — he sells emotion: wow, surprise, contrast, humor.
- Marketing works the same way: people share content that makes them feel, not think too hard.
- Even financial products go viral when explained with humor or everyday analogies.
4. Design for the “80–100 IQ Zone”
- This isn’t an insult — it’s a design principle.
- Most internet users are smart enough, but not interested in solving puzzles.
- The winning formula = clarity > cleverness.
If your user has to decode your product’s value, you’ve already lost.
5. Platform Matters — Tailor the Message
- Twitter: one-liners, fast takes.
- TikTok/Insta: quick visuals, vibes.
- LinkedIn: professional storytelling.
- Telegram: (okay, mostly scams — but still shows how “clear promises” spread).
Your product’s message has to be shaped for the channel, not copy-pasted.
6. For Product Developers
- Build onboarding flows and UIs with “grandma clarity.”
- One screen, one action, one benefit.
- Think: “Buy Stock → Done” not “Navigate Settings > Advanced > Execute Order.”
7. For Content Marketers
- Boil down your story into contrast + benefit + relatability.
- Example:
- Contrast: “Google gives you 10 links.”
- Benefit: “We give you 1 answer.”
- Relatable: “Like asking your smarter friend.”
Final Trade Call
Aravind wasn’t insulting the world. He was just making a MrBeast-style trade:
- Don’t overthink.
- Don’t over-explain.
- Just buy simplicity.
Because whether it’s virality or volatility, the internet proves one thing:
Average IQ online is like the stock market — it swings wildly, but always trends sideways around 100.
