The Future. YouTube stars like MatPat, Tyler Oakley, and Lilly Singh are signing off YouTube or significantly cutting back on how much they’re posting, igniting fears of a platform exodus. If YouTube no longer seems like a viable place to start a career as a digital creator, and TikTok ends up getting banned, that could leave a hole in the market for Meta to rule social media.

Logging offWhy are some of the OG influencers leaving YouTube? It’s complicated…

  • Some have burned out or aged out, citing unpredictable income streams as inconsistent with having a family and mortgage.

  • Speaking of unpredictable income, many say that YouTube’s unexpected algorithm changes and the platform’s focus on short-form content has hurt their viewership or made their content obsolete.

  • That’s led some to expand their efforts beyond YouTube into comedy, music, acting, and business.

  • Also, the rise of expensive, stunt-based content (MrBeast) and AI-generated content has made competing for attention harder than ever.

If the days of the vlog-making, skit-filming YouTuber who ruled the 2010s are officially behind us, a new era could begin where TikTok is the main hub for creators, while YouTube is used mostly for general video-hosting (trailers, music videos, etc.)… as long as it’s still around.

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