Is YouTube becoming more corporate? PewDiePie predicts the future of the platform
The current king of YouTube, Felix ‘PewDiePie’ Kjellberg, is in a race against Bollywood label T-Series for the most subscribers on the platform – but this race could be the beginning of what Pewds calls a ‘depressing’ new trend.
PewDiePie remarked that YouTube could be heading in a more corporate direction during a reaction video that he posted on November 9, taking note of many YouTube channels with increasingly corporate ties or hired actors.
“Logically speaking, it’s going to become more and more corporate,” he stated of the matter. “There’s just so many giant companies trying to keep up with YouTube, and if they want to stay in business, they’re obligated to do something.”
He also made mention of previous trends on the website, claiming that early YouTube saw major corporate channels before creators stepped in to take over.
“When I started off, there were… more companies big on YouTube, but creators kind of took over,” he continued. “I wonder if the same sort of trend will apply to India now.”
Other YouTubers in the ‘YouTubers React’ video that PewDiePie used in his segment stated that more and more of YouTube’s trending videos are being published by major companies, such as Netflix or late night shows. Even some of the top channels on the platform are run by representatives of pop stars like Justin Bieber, who currently sits at third place in the runnings.
The YouTubers also called for a separation of categories between independent creators and bigger corporations, to which PewDiePie heartily agreed.
However, even if T-Series manages to surpass PewDiePie, he will still remain the platform’s largest, single creator – a spot that he is successfully holding against his Bollywood nemesis thus far.