7 Internet Influencers Who Completely Destroyed Their Careers

1. Salt Bae (Nusret Gökçe)

The Crime: Terminal Cringe & Greed Salt Bae is the blueprint for “how to lose your cool.” He started as a suave meme but quickly morphed into a Bond villain parody, charging $1,000 for gold-leaf steaks that critics described as “over-salted shoe leather.” The final nail in the coffin was his unauthorized invasion of the 2022 World Cup pitch, where he desperately pestered Lionel Messi for a selfie and physically grabbed the trophy. In 2024 and 2025, reports surfaced that his burger joints were closing and his profits were tanking—proving that no amount of elbow salt can fix a bad reputation.