Australia’s Kick Billionaires Tied to Livestream Scandal

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Australia’s youngest billionaire, Ed Crave, and his business partner Bijan Tehrani are facing global scrutiny after their streaming platform Kick was linked to the controversial broadcast of a French content creator’s death.

Craven, 29, and Tehrani, 31, co-founded Kick in 2022 after launching Stake.com, the world’s largest crypto-backed online casino. Together, the pair is worth an estimated $5.6 billion. Craven drew headlines previously for purchasing two Toorak mansions valued at a combined $120 million.

The streaming platform has been thrust into the spotlight following the death of Raphael Graven, known online as Jean Pormanove, who was allegedly subjected to extreme “humiliation streams” before being found dead in Contes, Nice. Kick, often compared to Twitch, allows users to livestream content to paying audiences. Graven’s final broadcast reportedly raised more than £31,000 before being shut down.

Graven’s case sparked outrage across Europe, with France’s junior minister for AI and digital technology, Clara Chappaz, calling the events “absolutely horrific.” French prosecutors, however, later reported that initial forensic examinations suggested Graven’s death was “not traumatic in origin” and possibly linked to medical or toxicological causes. Additional tests are underway to confirm the findings.

Despite these developments, questions remain over Kick’s moderation policies. The platform has promoted itself as an alternative to Twitch with fewer restrictions, but critics argue this looser approach has enabled harmful content to spread. Kick’s guidelines state it does not permit content involving “abhorrent violence” or self-harm, yet users pointed to Graven’s streams as evidence of weak enforcement.

The scandal has also shaken Kick’s high-profile partnerships. Canadian rapper Drake, once an ambassador for the platform, abruptly deleted his account after Graven’s death. Internet personality Adin Ross and Drake have since pledged to pay for Graven’s funeral.

Craven and Tehrani’s rise began as teenagers playing the online game RuneScape, where they developed a shared interest in cryptocurrency. They later built Primedice, a crypto-based dice game, and expanded into Easygo, an online casino company. Stake.com, launched soon after, saw revenue surge from $100 million to $2 billion during the pandemic by paying Twitch creators to livestream gambling. When Twitch banned Stake from advertising due to weak consumer protections, Craven and Tehrani launched Kick as a direct competitor.

The pair also moved into Formula One sponsorship, taking over the Sauber team last year and rebranding it as Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber. Following the controversy, Sauber issued a statement saying it was “saddened by this tragedy” and trusted Kick to uphold safeguards for creators.

While much is known about their business ventures, both billionaires remain private about their personal lives. Tehrani was last reported to be linked to Australian model Mila Mary, but little else is public.

The unfolding case has reignited debate about responsibility in the tech industry. Critics argue that platforms chasing rapid growth often fail to protect users, while defenders of Kick say personal accountability must remain with content creators. For now, Kick has removed Graven’s channel and launched an internal investigation, but the tragedy continues to raise concerns about the risks tied to livestreaming in the digital age.