YouTube CEO Neal Mohan discusses evolving media consumption habits and shifting mental models of digital video with Nikhil Kamath.
Opinion
YouTube is a video platform, not social media or linear television
“We're not social media. We're not a place where you go To connect or share with your friends. You're primarily there to watch video. And we're not sort of linear, traditional television either.”
Assertion Not checkable as stated
YouTube's recommendation system reflects user interest, not narrative control
“There's obviously, we endeavor to show a diversity of content, but it's generally oriented around what we know to be of your personal interest based on your viewing habits, et cetera. So you, as the user, really are in the driver's seat in terms of what type o…”
Opinion
Podcasters and independent commentators played a major role in recent elections
“News commentators, podcasters, or whatever you want to call them, played a big role in that election. And I do think that candidates that got the word out as a result of engagement in what, you know, in generations past or years past would have been overlooked…”
Assertion Not checkable as stated
YouTube CEO Neal Mohan admits YouTube Originals was a failure
“We've tried in, in the past. We had something called YouTube Originals. It wasn't successful. So we don't do that.”
Disclosure
YouTube CEO Neal Mohan says he votes for both political parties
“I've been, I've, Voted on both sides for a very long time, let's put it that way.”
Prediction Not checkable as stated
News consumption won't be binary between legacy media and creators
“I really don't think it's going to be one or the other... Five years from now you should expect to see more of that diversity, not less. I think if I were predicting anything, I don't think it would be a one or zero between those two types of options. I could …”