this post was submitted on 26 Jul 2023
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So I've got a couple feelings on this.
This is a fools errand. It's like antivirus companies, no matter how well you make your product, the hackers are always going to be one step ahead. If they manage to obscure ads so well they can't be detected the way we do them now, ad blockers will find a new way to go about it. Especially when the way Google wants to do it involves pushing shitty web DRM that other browsers have actively said they won't play ball with.
These tech megacorps seem to think they're invincible. Like people have always used their services, and will always use them. That just isn't true. Youtube, for example, is impossible for me to use without adblock these days. It's just a horrendous experience without it. And when your product is awful to use, that opens the door for someone to come in with something that isn't awful. Yes video hosting is difficult and costly, but it's not nearly as bad as it once was. I really feel like they're digging their own grave here. At least I hope they are.
The biggest obstacle to a YouTube competitor is that YouTube themselves can barely turn a profit. The operating costs are ginormous, beyond what most people realise.