For years, YouTube was working toward a revamp of its payment system for creators. Then, in 2018, the company killed it, according to the new book “Like, Comment, Subscribe: Inside YouTube’s Chaotic Rise to World Domination” by Bloomberg Technology reporter Mark Bergen.
The company faced a major advertiser boycott in 2017 over YouTube’s content moderation policy and efforts, and especially the fact that it couldn’t seem to stop commercials from appearing on extremist content from the likes of ISIS. YouTube reacted by adjusting its systems to remove ads from any videos considered remotely controversial. Some creators lost as much as 80% of their ad revenue, Bergen writes.
