He's definitely on the payroll. Smart guy, world class grower, but I take all recommendations / endorsements with a grain of salt.
Not directing this at you just my opinion on the subject of overall knocking him.
I dont really look at it as payroll or endorsement. All the gimmicky catchphrases aside. Its no different then code gurus, or writers, experts in fields. What you are getting is a recognized persons recommendations and guidance. hes providing an informative lesson
Endorsement would be chuck norris bonsai'ing a tree talking about how GH has the greatest nutes in the world, while discussing super cropping.
cannabis is an industry with many... but few faces. Everybody is selling something. They sell guidance, reassurance. Same thing THC farmer sells through all of us as the proverbial kyle kushman's.
Im not saying i disagree with peoples premise, most people at a certain level of discussion come across as shallow. As far as i know hes pushing nutes and his seeds. But lets be honest. He could push his products 1000x worse or with even less substance. Anytime someone who is on to something good. They always have 10 people that say "you should totally make your own line of XXXX fill in the blank". lets be honest we arent talking about a nobody. This guy has been on the scene writing about the scene. Partaking in the scene. Longer than your average grower who will find his information as something new.
When i look at any real cannabis marketed Company. Kyle is not them and shouldn't be classed as less than IMO for having his own offerings for his following. Which is a good respectable following he has amassed in his career. I say this as a long time reader of high times. Not just someone who liked the pictures. Some of the late 90s early 00s stuff wasn't just bought paid for articles. It was legit insight of things most of people had to struggle to find to even test.
Im sure hes had things in the past people don't agree with. We are all human. But if he wanted to sell out. I mean truly sell out hes had over 20 years to do it.
if making up names for techniques is a crime. Then im guilty as charged. Cause i have stupid names for everything i do.
I put Kyle in the class of people that have a long standing of trying to help growers be better growers. I do not fault him in any way for trying to and profit from his work. Nor would i any man who tries to make a living helping people grow cannabis. Cause again there is people helping and people there only to sell. He definitely isn't on the scene only to sell IMO. We can all think of at least 1 or 2 companies in that category." But at the end of the day he has to work with companies and talk about their products and get a paycheck. That has always been his job. Costs money to grow plants and test everyones stuff. Same thing to just discuss it. There are lots of growers even on this forum. Id say they are worth a paycheck if a company wanted their legit endorsement. Id argue they are selling themselves and their grows short if they did anything less.
Again not directing at anyone or anything. Just saying of all the people on the scene to knock or fault. I don't see him being one outright. Or not at the top of the list in the slightest for me.