AboFlah: From Glass Box Charity Stream to 100 Million Subscriber Goal

Popular content creator Hassan Suleiman, known online as AboFlah, has shared his plans and reflections in an interview with Wired. The YouTuber, who currently has 50 million subscribers, says his next target is to reach 100 million — a milestone that would make him the first Arab creator from the Middle East, North Africa and Africa as a whole to do so.

AboFlah co-founded 8Flamez with Eyad Siyam and Saad Sarwar, a company that works with creators and builds infrastructure for the creator economy. While he says he feels confident in content creation, he is less involved in the business side, explaining that he doesn't even know how much he earned last month. He is also preparing an animated series called "Slayman" with Spacetoon, expected to arrive by the end of the year or early next year. He notes that traditional TV never appealed to him because social media allows more freedom and spontaneity.

One of his most notable achievements is a charity livestream in which he spent 12 days inside a glass box in Dubai, raising $11 million for refugees. The event set two world records — for the longest livestream and the most viewers for a charity livestream. AboFlah says he made no personal financial gain from the charity itself, but it brought him greater recognition and new business opportunities.

Asked about countries banning social media for children, AboFlah says he sees such moves as positive. In his view, responsibility lies with both content creators and, even more importantly, with families. He argues that if parents shift responsibility to creators, the situation becomes risky, because creators cannot know every child's background. He also emphasizes that creators are only human and may make mistakes, so families should not hand over their duty to monitor children.