Hiring people isn't retirement, if anything it means growing your business. You're outsourcing some of the menial tasks and inherit managerial tasks instead. The show and the ROI on all those expenses still ultimately depend on him.

That's a completely normal evolution for any succesful influencer. In what world is that retirement? The only thing I can see being retired is his old online persona, the new persona seems more mature, likely tailored to please his fanbase who presumably have grown out of their teenage instincts (and have more money to spend now).