Internet famous

TikTok turned Josh Richards from an ordinary small-town teen into a multimillionaire, CEO and venture capitalist. How to make a fortune via bedroom eyes, 10-second lip syncs and a signature 'do

- KATRINA ONSTAD

JOSH RICHARDS IS semi-sprinting down the stairs of his vast LA home. If you are under 30, this counts as a celebrity encounter. If you are over 30, the name Josh Richards is likely vague to meaningless-maybe that guy in IT? This Josh Richards has 40 million followers on social media, heads several start-ups and is 21 years old. When he extends a hand to the decidedly older legacy media reporter intruding on his crowded calendar, he is polite but wary, shaking a cloud of platinum-blond hair out of his eyes. This recent mane change is a big deal in the Josh Richards universe, prompting online comments like "Love the hair it's giving Jack Frost" and "The hair is hairing." He's followed down the stairs by his bandana-wearing dog, Buddy, a Siberian husky he got off the internet. I nod, not admitting that I've already met her on TikTok. This happens a lot around Richards: because so much of his life exists online, and has ever since he first posted, at age 14, from his basement bedroom in Cobourg, there's an uncanny feeling of familiarity in his presence-a kind of humming déjà vu, like hanging out with an avatar who has magically become a real boy.