Do you remember, a few years ago there was a name “Salt Bae” that blew up across social media? All it took was a 36-second video of sprinkling salt over beef, and this guy went from an ordinary chef in Turkey to the center of global attention. Bruno Mars shared the video—then boom: millions of views, millions of fans. After that, each month a new restaurant branch opened in some major city—New York, London, Dubai, Mykonos... A total of 31 outlets worldwide.

I remember back then that in London, 24 karat gold-wrapped steaks cost 700 pounds, and gold-wrapped hamburgers could go up to 100 pounds. Stars like Leonardo DiCaprio, Messi, and the Beckham family lined up to have Salt Bae cut meat for them. Even the Prime Minister of Dubai is a fan of his. This guy has two Rolls-Royces, private planes, speedboats, and real estate everywhere. His life of luxury is no different from Hollywood stars.

But that’s only the first part of the story. The second part is completely different.

By 2023, negative voices began to appear. Customers complained that they paid 500 pounds to have Salt Bae cut their meat, but he wore headphones and talked to someone else—unfocused. Then lawsuits came one after another, with employees being dismissed over trivial matters, working without pay, and having their tips cut. A female employee revealed that the workplace environment under Salt Bae “was very stressful,” with long hours being normal; even drinking water or going to the bathroom was monitored. There were also employees accusing him of sexual harassment, saying they were required to wear short dresses and high heels.

And that’s not all—those pricey steaks were also exposed as “a marketing scam.” It’s simply a cheap edible layer of gold, sold with an extra markup of a few hundred pounds. Salt Bae’s food empire is now wobbling: losses are up to 5.4 million pounds, and seven steak restaurants have been reduced to just two barely propping themselves up.

There’s also one more thing—his relationship with Diddy. In the past, Salt Bae often appeared alongside this showy boss, from restaurants in London to nightclubs in Dubai, and he was even invited to cook at Diddy’s villa. But now, as Diddy’s sex-crime case has shocked the United States, this relationship has become a negative label for Salt Bae.

Then there was the incident at the 2022 World Cup—bursting onto the field, tightly hugging Messi, kissing the trophy, and disrupting the celebration activities. The video went out, and the whole of social media blew up. He apologized, saying he was “dazed by being carried away by excitement,” but netizens didn’t buy it and criticized him for trying to attract attention.

Salt Bae’s story teaches us a lesson: success in the age of social media can come very quickly, but once the flash fades, if there isn’t a solid foundation, the collapse can come even faster. From an ordinary person to the top—then back down again—that’s Salt Bae’s story.