I have no way to prove this, but based on a ton of research and talking with other tubers, I believe that this is at least part of the issue. Like I said, it is just logical. Tik Tok has now surpassed YT in watch time. Personally, that fact right there just makes me want to cry for what it says about the state modern society, but putting that aside for the moment, from a strictly business standpoint, YT is worried.
Think about it. YouTube only pays us if we make them money, right? It is called "profit-sharing". But Shorts do not make money. At least very little in comparison with long-form content. Why else would YT put up 200 million out of their own pocket? It is because there was not enough organic money in Shorts to attract creators on its own. It really is simple logic. If Shorts made a lot of money, YT would not need to pay out of pocket to encourage creators to create shorts. YT does not pay long-form content creators out of its own pocket, it pays out of the profits we make for them. Which brings me to my point.
YouTube feels threatened by the success of TokTok. They needed to find a way to encourage YT creators to create a lot of TikTok-style content for YT in order to try to compete with TikTok. YT owners decided to take 200 million out of their own pocket to basically bribe TikTok creators to create content for YT. But what if nobody on YT WATCHES that content? Hmm....? They paid through the nose for it, right? They NEED people to see it because at some point, the money well from which they are throwing money at Shorts creators will run dry, and if the content they created is not doing very well on the YT platform, those creators will head over to TikTok. YT has invested 200 million into this content. It would be insane for them to leave it up to chance that people will see it based on AI organics of viewer preference. Again, it is just plain simple logic. It is what any good company would do. It is just smart business investing.
YT is a for-profit company and they have the right to do what they want to and invest their money however they want. I think they have made a bad bet here. If you eat too much sugar, you are going to get sick. TikTok and Shorts style content is nothing but sugary junk food for the eyes and brain. There have been many short-style video platforms that have come and gone, because eventually, people just get sick of that crappy style of content that has no real value. It works for a season and then it is gone. YouTube is hurting the bread and butter channels that have been the staple of its success trying to compete with TikTok. Some channels have left and gone elsewhere and many will follow if YT does not stop chasing TikTok and get back to its roots. This TikTok fad will fade. Long-form solid content will hold its value much longer than junk food videos.JMHO