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Bet #1: YouTube Will Remain the Epicenter of Culture
YouTube has emerged as the world’s most influential platform, not just for consumer goods, but for cultural expression. During the highly successful 2024 U.S. presidential election, 45 million YouTube users consumed content about the election, diverse beyond partisan divides like Joe Rogan and Saturday Night Live. This shift reflects YouTube’s growing role as the digital hub for public discourse, a natural extension of its creator ecosystem. As an investor, YouTube’s dominance in podcast and video permissions markets presents a significant opportunity. The platform’s willingness to integrate video with other media and prioritize creator tools is reshaping the medium—a move that’s immediately defining how creators will consume and share content elsewhere.
YouTube’s global success is also testament to its ability to foster cultural exchange despite vast gaps in communication. French creator Sarah Lezito, who dominated over 95% of U.S. viewers on YouTube for a year, and Australian channel GLITCH’s “The Amazing Digital Circus” created over a billion simultaneous views, highlight YouTube’s unparalleled talent for bridging digital and physical audiences. These examples underscore the platform’s ability to work across borders, create multilingual content, and build global brand recognition, all with minimal effort.
Bet #2: YouTubers Are Becoming the Startups of Hollywood
For those looking to take their craft seriously, YouTube’s investment in creator tools and monetization efforts vanish into the shadows. This trend signals a fundamental shift in the creator economy, where creators aren’t just individual workers but full-fledged media companies with technical and marketing prowess. For instance, the success of Alan Chikin Chow’s 10,000-square-foot studio in Burbank exemplifies this trend. As creator tools grow in sophistication, we can expect more than mere fund-raising to transform into tangible value. YouTube’s diversification of revenue streams is a critical step toward maximizing creator contributions.
What truly excites me is the growing differentiation of creator payments. YouTube claims that over 50% of its highly profitable channels generate most of their income beyond traditional ads and premium subscriptions. Meanwhile, future creators—like Mia Plays and Kouman—still struggle to connect directly with audiences. However, this premium extraction is paving the way for a more inclusive economic landscape, where creators feel the
