This would be quite interesting. I don't think both could continue to grow and thrive without each other though.
Android, Youtube, Google Search, Gmail and Google Maps feel like the only things that keep Alphabet relevant.
Google search ads appear to be a losing battle with uBlock, pi hole, etc. I also think a significant portion of their users have trained themselves to skip the results marked as Ads altogether when looking for results. The saving grace in this space has been the mobile landscape where they can be gatekeepers to prevent ad blocking.
Alphabet/Google has already been walled out of most social spaces, Tiktok, Snapchat, Instagram (not entirely), WeChat, and WhatsApp.
Youtube is fairly unique with the ability to embed the ads within the video stream itself.
It is technically possible on the technological side, but at what time and effort cost? It would be a lot of effort to break apart all of the infrastructure that YouTube has that is general Alphabet infrastructure.
My understanding would be their costs would both go up as well because their volume would decrease as standalone entities.
It would be a bold & interesting change but I don't foresee it in the near future unless DoJ breaks them up.
YT is uniquely integrated with Google infrastructure. It can be spun off on paper, but if it’s spun off technologically, its expenses will rise a lot, since right now it gets cost reduction by sharing infra with other Google properties.
> If google was selling youtube today, would anyone even buy it?
Of course. It's the premier video platform not just of the US but the world. And it's only going to grow.
> How many companies can afford to keep it running? How many would want to?
Every major company in the US. And every major international company around the world and maybe even governments around the world would want to buy youtube. But I highly doubt we'd let a foreign company get control over youtube. Youtube is important enough to be a national security matter.
Google is known for shutting down products left and right. It's kept youtube around for 15 years. That, in and of itself, should tell you something. Youtube is one of the world's most valuable/important products right now. You think no one would be interested in buying it?
