In the modern age, white collar jobs are the least glamorous type of work. The internet, combined with the advent of social media, has created a new range of zero jobs that only require your talent and dedication. No degree, no formal education of any kind is required. Apart from online sports competitions which have their own gigantic financial rewards, video game streaming popularized by Twitch has created a new line of rich youngsters. Saqib Zahid, better known as Lirik, is one of those people.
Lirick’s bio
The new types of work created by modern inventions have helped a number of economically disadvantaged people to rise out of poverty. The low entry point into the world of streaming or online video creation allowed those who had a creative mind but had little to no financial backing to grow their own following and make money. This is the story of Saqib Zahid, born in Germany after his parents emigrated from the Middle East. Although he was born in Germany, his parents moved to Boston, Massachusetts in search of greener pasture.
His profile suggests a difficult childhood and there are currently no details on what level of education he completed before becoming a full-time streamer. Lirik was born on October 29, 1990. In Boston, Lirik entered the world of video streaming after being partnered with Towelliee, another top streamer. He took lessons with Towelliee and, within a short time, he created his own channel.
In 2011, Lirik began streaming. It started with the game World of Warcraft. Like when starting a new business, it took a while for Lirik’s streaming channel to pick up speed, but that changed after the release of DayZ in 2012. Lirik became the go-to player for enthusiasts to learn and watch the game. the channel pretty much exploded.
Combined with his mastery of the game and the YouTube comedy short that he started posting on his YouTube channel, Lirik’s subscriber base became a Them Behemoth. It averages between 20,000 and 40,000 viewers per stream and has over 2 million Twitch subscribers.
This popularity led to him being sponsored by gaming affiliates like Discord and becoming part of the exclusive group of streamers on the Twitch platform paid by the company for his promotions.
Among the highlights of his streaming career, he interviewed by PCGamesN magazine in 2016. He earned over $200,000 in 2017 and was ranked 5th in the top 10 on the platform. Besides DayZ, it streams other games such as Fortnite, Arma 3, H1Z1, and BattleUnknown.
Its technical configuration includes a 2-SLINvidia GeForce 12 GB Titan X Pascal and RTX 2080t GPU, an Intel Core i7 6700k processor and a 32 GB HyperX Savage DDR4 RAM. Lirik is equipped with an Asus ROG Swift monitor and a HyperX Alloy FPS mechanical gaming keyboard. Lirik is known as the only top streamer whose streaming episodes do not have a webcam for his looks.
Outside of gaming, very little is known about Lirik’s private life other than the fact that he is a cat lover and has a brother who is also a Twitch streamer.
Net worth: how much is he?
Lirik is thought to be worth around $1.5 million. This growing wealth stems from the partnership between a Twitch streamer. It broadcasts 6 hours a day for 6 days, with an average audience of 20,000 to 40,000 people. Such numbers make it an attractive hotspot for big brands to team up to promote their products and services. Lirik exploits this level of influence, especially on its YouTube page.
Although there are currently no official figures on his monthly or annual income, Lirik currently has 16,000 active subscribers and $2.50 per subscriber, which represents a monthly income of $40,000 for Twitch and the estimated percentage intended for to the streamer would allow Lirik to earn between $3,000 and $5,000 per month.
Why was he banned from Twitch?
In September 2018, Lirik was banned from Twitch for alleged copyright infringement. The request appeared to come from UEFA, European football’s governing body. Upon further investigation, however, this was a false claim and Lirik’s channel was returned to the platform. Lirik has expressed his intention to take legal action for the suspension, but there have been no developments in this regard.