from Hacker News

Why are so many car YouTubers quitting?

by rkwz on 8/11/24, 4:53 PM with 31 comments

• by jerlam on 8/11/24, 10:16 PM

  In January this year, a lot of independent YouTubers, unrelated to private equity and cars, also quit:

  https://www.theverge.com/2024/1/20/24044533/mkbhd-weighs-in-...

  The car YouTubers are just a little behind the curve.

  There was a pandemic bubble in 2020 - 2021 where ad spending on video was huge, tech companies increased their headcount substantially, and creators were riding high. Twitch and YouTube were dropping eight-figure exclusive contracts left and right. Those days are over, the money isn't there anymore, and we are seeing the tail end.

• by Havoc on 8/11/24, 11:03 PM

  Some of the YT people I'm following seem to be having a really tough time with the lack of control over outcome.

  Like they put effort into a vid and it just bombs for unclear reasons. Or it goes great for unclear reasons.

  Having your financial health depend on that sort of dynamic seems really rough

• by sschueller on 8/11/24, 8:02 PM

  I noticed that the car YouTubers I watch all recently got divorced. Very odd.

• by simonblack on 8/11/24, 11:43 PM

  Is it really quitting when they leave one channel to start their own?

  Click-bait title.

• by djmips on 8/11/24, 10:45 PM

  I don't really like the production values / content is these channels and don't watch them. I don't know but maybe they are at the mercy of the 'algorithm' and huge ambition. The channels I do watch seem more stable and somewhat more satisfied with their views.

  Then there's Cleetus McFarland which has diversified and taken business to the real world but even they have been pressured by the popularity of 'stupid' auto related channels* to make more jackass style videos.

  *WhistlinDiesel

• by TylerE on 8/11/24, 7:53 PM

  Seems fairly simple. The collectible car market was insanely bubbled during Covid, with ma y things double in price or more what they weee gen a year or so earlier. This attracted a ton of people who rushed to start making video content about these cars.

  That bubble has truely burst, and now those same cars are back to pre-pandemic levels.

• by maxglute on 8/12/24, 3:50 AM

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_longest-running_script...

  I think just like TV, very few creative endeavours can keep even fans entertained for more than single digit "seasons". Even the biggest pop stars can only keep their parasocial relationships lasting so long. People grow up along with creators, and sometimes creators stops being the kind of person you are invested in following at new stage of life. And like TV, production value of earlyTube is not great, very few worth revisiting, and most are filler "content" not worth remastering.

• by dfex on 8/11/24, 8:05 PM

  Creative souls build successful startup, but sell to big media/private equity, then instantly regret it when big media/private equity squeezes fun out of it and want ROI. News at 11.

• by squarefoot on 8/11/24, 10:08 PM

  Not surprising at all. If your creation is being bought by some entity whose raison d'etre is to maximize profits, you shouldn't be surprised if they behave like an entity that wants to maximize profits. When success comes in the form of a great offer, just sell and move your creativity elsewhere before becoming part of the enshittification; loyal followers will follow and you'll keep your reputation intact.

• by zomg on 8/13/24, 12:29 PM

  i find that the automotive/gearhead youtube channels i enjoy most tend to be ones run by individuals who do it on the side and enjoy documenting and sharing their work. the content on these channels is also very technical in nature.

  a few to check out are Dieselcreek, I Do Cars, and Watch Wes Work.