[kassner]

I can’t wrap my mind around those goals, because (IMHO) the number one thing that would improve viewership is entirety outside of YouTube’s hand: content quality. So the author can only ever move needles that are thrice removed (i.e.: improving backend tools -> creators have more time -> creators create better content) or are statistical coincidences (we made the buttons round -> viewership went up 0.2%).

[qweiopqweiop]

The time spend in the app can be heavily gamed. Better algorithmic recommendations, pushing addictive features like shorts.