Tom Scott Calls It Quits

[EEVblog]

After a video a week for 10 years he's calling it quits:

[RoGeorge]

My understanding was he's saying he quits YouTube.

[Retep]

Lately quite a lot of YouTube content creators I regularly watch have announced "changes to the channel", meaning fewer (or no) videos and different focus.

[Peabody]

6.3 million subscribers.  That's quite a bit to be walking away from.  But maybe he's made his fortune by now.

[langwadt]

6.3 million subscribers.  That's quite a bit to be walking away from.  But maybe he's made his fortune by now.

or maybe subscribers don't count for much anymore, it's all been tiktokified

[janoc]

6.3 million subscribers.  That's quite a bit to be walking away from.  But maybe he's made his fortune by now.

Likely at the expense of own health and personal life. Not sure you realize how much work it is to be able to produce a video a week. For 10 years.

Burnout is a thing and it is not fun.

[schmitt trigger]

I believe Voltaire said it better:
“One starts writing because you love it, then to impress your friends and finally you prostitute yourself and do it for the money.”
Or words to the effect.

Replace writing with making videos.

[Bud]

This guy has always looked to me nervous and kind of being on the edge.

[Bud]

or maybe subscribers don't count for much anymore, it's all been tiktokified

The 8-Bit Guy said same.

[boB]

I saw Tom's video and was surprised.  Will still get his newsletter at least.
And I see there is a new  Lateral with Tom Scott  video.

But Dave !  Don't succumb to retirement just YET !

There are more great videos to make.

Besides, you look like you are still having a bit of fun with your videos and channels. 

Would be nice to take a break from all that editing though I would guess.

boB

[langwadt]

I saw Tom's video and was surprised.

he announced quite a long time ago, some time last year he asked people to send in ideas for the final 26 weeks of videos

[ataradov]

And I see there is a new  Lateral with Tom Scott  video.

He says right in the video that Lateral and other projects will continue.

He retires from going all over the world for a 10 minute video. I'm surprised that worked for as long as it did.

[SiliconWizard]

It's always best to call it quits when you're at the top of your game rather than wait till it's going downhill and waste your health along the way. And it's not just true for Youtubers.

[T3sl4co1l]

It was never going to be forever, that would be foolish to think; and it's not goodbye forever either, he'll likely be back -- just more sporadically.

To have done it so consistently, is excellent; for so long, superb; and with such quality and engagement throughout the run -- legendary.  Bittersweet, perhaps, but congratulations are certainly in order!

Tim

[pickle9000]

Yup, I wish him well.

And I hope he finds what he needs, and for my sake I want that to be YouTube.

[EEVblog]

6.3 million subscribers.  That's quite a bit to be walking away from.  But maybe he's made his fortune by now.

At around 2M average per video every week, that's around $5k-$10k per week for new content.
Probably $5k/week from his back catalog alone. How long that continutes without new contant remains to be seen.
Throw in some sponsorship money over the years and spead it out over 10 years when he was earning much less, he didn't exactly make a fortune when he has to travel every week.
And that's why he's stopping, the constant travel got too much. Maybe he wants to settle down and start a family or something.

[EEVblog]

He retires from going all over the world for a 10 minute video. I'm surprised that worked for as long as it did.

Indeed.
And that brings up, for me, the most infurating thing about his content.
To go to that sort of effort only to shoot that 5-10min video (which he pre-scripts and rehearses before he gets there), I just find madening. No 2nd channel content with extended interviews with people etc.
Maybe that's just because if I did the same effort to go somewhere I'd come back with many hours worth of material.
But hey, it worked.

[EEVblog]

or maybe subscribers don't count for much anymore, it's all been tiktokified

The 8-Bit Guy said same.

For those who didn't catch it:

[EEVblog]

But Dave !  Don't succumb to retirement just YET !

No chance. You can put money on me being the last one left standing.

[EEVblog]

Likely at the expense of own health and personal life. Not sure you realize how much work it is to be able to produce a video a week. For 10 years.
Burnout is a thing and it is not fun.

It's not making a video a week that's the problem, that's fairly easy. In this case it's the travel involved.
8 bit guy also mentioned this in his video, travelling to a dozen conferences a year was just too much.

[RoGeorge]

If it were only YouTube.  I'm afraid it is much larger than a creator who decided to close a YT channel.  To me it looks like a generalized 'exit' is happening, on many fronts at the same time, not YT or content creators related only.  By 'exit' I mean when somebody squeezes the most out of a company's legacy and fame, then sell it, or let it go bankrupt.  My guess is that's the true reason for why youtubers are leaving YT.  Either they know it is happening, or they "feel" the generalized 'exit' in how the business goes lately.

Looks like the western world is driven into ground intentionally (I'm not sure by whom, just that it is too much to be taken as an unhappy chain of events - it's a setup), while everybody is trying to get a decent 'exit' (as individuals), instead of staying unite, disobey the saboteurs, identify and remove them.  Interesting times are coming, that's for sure. 

[nightfire]

Another thought: Or might it finally happen that we see the effects of an over-saturated market for content? For some time, the content creators were able to squeeze some more money out of content by thinning it a bit, lowering the quality of the content, recycling other content of other people to make "react" videos of them, etc.
But only a fraction of them was giving good and constant quality, AND were able to see youtube and other channels like tiktok as means to draw people to a sustainable product they could sell, like chefs promoting their cooking books and making money off of them- or like Dave by selling multimeters and Gizmos like the µCurrent.

And after all: The last word in how a platform is to be run have the big advertising companies that pay for the opportunity to have their ads being pushed to the videos, and they demand some quality of clearly assorted and defined audience as not to waste their precious money to the wrong target audience. (Like promoting the newest burger of a fast-food chain on a channel targeted to vegetarians or people that live in an area where the next burger joint is far away...)
 

[langwadt]

He retires from going all over the world for a 10 minute video. I'm surprised that worked for as long as it did.

Indeed.
And that brings up, for me, the most infurating thing about his content.
To go to that sort of effort only to shoot that 5-10min video (which he pre-scripts and rehearses before he gets there), I just find madening. No 2nd channel content with extended interviews with people etc.
Maybe that's just because if I did the same effort to go somewhere I'd come back with many hours worth of material.
But hey, it worked.

yeh, I watch Ian at forgottenweapons he often travels to museums, auctions or private collections, but when he's at a place he films many videos in a day

[pickle9000]

It's hard work if you don't enjoy it.

[EEVblog]

It's hard work if you don't enjoy it.

Are you saying that guy doesn't enjoy making videos?

[EEVblog]

yeh, I watch Ian at forgottenweapons he often travels to museums, auctions or private collections, but when he's at a place he films many videos in a day

I got several hours of footage when I visited the quantum computer lab. Still haven't released part 2 yet.



Same with my Deep Space tracing videos and the Apollo 50th, I shot the shit out of that, recording every event.
Been meaning to visit the Siding Springs observatory, have had an invite for a while, but it's a 6hr train ride each way. So will no doubt shoot hours of footage when I'm there.
I just can't comprehend being a Youtuber and going to all that effort to travel to places and just getting a 5 minute scripted talking head and some b-roll footage and a few minutes of interviews.
Tom and I are in different worlds.

My favourite was his visit to the worlds largest radio telescope 3 months ago. It's a 30min and took time to shoot and produce a highely polished detailed video, it was great.
So it really shows he can do this detailed content.

[RoGeorge]

I got several hours of footage when I visited the quantum computer lab. Still haven't released part 2 yet.

I've seen the 1st part, and it's by far the best video out there about the topic, and one that shows the actual hardware of a quantum computer. 
Thank you so much.

I don't think there is any other quantum computing video with the level of detail you brought with that extended version part 1.  Then the edit inserts with essential pics related to the explanation, very helpful, then the cuts and edits to form a coherent explanation, crisp sound and image, finding a professor that is very gifted at explaining and passionate at the same time, etc.  Everything is stellar quality.  It felt like I was there and the professor was talking to me.

Can't talk for others, but I wouldn't mind at all watching raw-like footage in part 2, given the fact that video editing takes a ton of time.

[pickle9000]

It's hard work if you don't enjoy it.

Are you saying that guy doesn't enjoy making videos?

This channel is his second one, pretty much for personal enjoyment. As a side note he has had pretty big pauses in both his channels and then just continues on. He really seems to enjoy YouTube.

[pickle9000]

Dave, Matthias Wandel could be good hit for The AmpHour. He has 1.7m subscribers on his main channel, and was a part of the team that developed the Blackberry.

[EEVblog]

Some reactions to Youtuber quitting videos, by other big Youtubers:

[EEVblog]

Good discussion by Joe Scott on people quitting Youtube.

[@rt]

But Dave !  Don't succumb to retirement just YET !

No chance. You can put money on me being the last one left standing.

Regardless, Is what 8bitguy says regarding revenue strictly from YT advertising true from your perspective as well?
I have what I think is a good idea that could cause me to ditch electronics on YT, and monetise for the first time.

But this kind of thing isn't exactly good news! The idea has it's costs.

[EEVblog]

But Dave !  Don't succumb to retirement just YET !

No chance. You can put money on me being the last one left standing.

Regardless, Is what 8bitguy says regarding revenue strictly from YT advertising true from your perspective as well?
I have what I think is a good idea that could cause me to ditch electronics on YT, and monetise for the first time.

But this kind of thing isn't exactly good news! The idea has it's costs.

My revenue is flat. Although ti does say 35% down on previous year.

[madsbarnkob]

6.3 million subscribers.  That's quite a bit to be walking away from.  But maybe he's made his fortune by now.

or maybe subscribers don't count for much anymore, it's all been tiktokified

Subscribers never accounted for much. Its search results and recommended that makes up most of the traffic/views. Around 20% from subs and 80% from the rest, is not a wild off guess.

Lets look at his stats: https://socialblade.com/youtube/c/tomscottgo

3 months ago, he made his last video, which also shows from last 10 weeks of flat/very declined views. But still making 500-800k views a week the last 5-6 weeks.

So its gone back to a passive back catalog income of 500$'ish a week, where his peaks of 15 million views on a week is around 11000$.

Turning out a video a week is not easy, I do mine as a hobby next to full time work, family, house renovation etc. Making a video every 14 days is what I can manage, But not always to the quality I dreamt of, but there is just not time for retakes in the one-man-army business

Regardless, Is what 8bitguy says regarding revenue strictly from YT advertising true from your perspective as well?

My revenue have been about the same for the last 3 years, so it is declining as the channel has also grown in the same 3 years. But it's nowhere near down TO 10-20%. It's maybe down BY 20%.