It’s a preview of all big fish:small fish acquisitions really. There are some notable exceptions, but for the most part you should assume that an acquisition of a product you use will eventually mean you’ll need to go elsewhere imo.
Like twitter, being dominant is no measurement of success for an established network.
Is there any innovation apart from the increase in advertising? Tiktok offers a new suggestion algorithm. Why has something like that not been invented at Youtube? Why does Youtube try to copy Tiktok a bit but does not generalize and does not offer more ways to access videos?
At their position, they could turn Youtube into a platform and let others do the innovation. Instead, they lock it down and double down on their limited user experience.
In 30 years, when something else has been established, Youtube can ask itself why it was not them. But it will take time for a competitor to establish itself and overcome the network effect.
Business wise, I am sure its doing great despite the possibly dropping amount of DAUs. But it is a terrible terrible app that has become something completley different from what it once was.
