I would be fine if YouTube crumbled and was put into second place by a better platform or two.

Yes it’s the best option currently which is why they can do such ridiculous practices.

But once they have actual competition, I expect them to bend over backwards for my attention. Because if they don’t change the current trajectory, they’ll go the way of the other digital giants of the past.

Do not worry about having a viable platform in a future without YouTube. I am 100% sure there will be one.

Why not pay creators directly through Patreon PayPal or equivalent instead of Google as well?