In a 2025 deposition of John Harding, the Vice President of Engineering for YouTube Music and YouTube Premium, lawyers representing more than 10,000 plaintiffs confronted Harding about the apparent admission.
"Goal is not viewership, it’s viewer addiction,” an unnamed YouTube employee noted in the email to others. The note appeared to be part of a collection of thoughts from something called “iOS Creator App review.”
The purpose of these “services” at this point is to make sure people waste away when they’re not working.
It’s to make sure they’re never exposed to critical thinking or ideas, just whatever is safe for the people taking them for a ride.