The Vergecast YouTube wants you to go live
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Sep 23, 2025 
Mia Sato, a technology reporter for The Verge, dives into YouTube's bold shift towards livestreaming, exploring its new commerce features and AI tools. Hayden Field shares insights on the necessity for clearer AI terminology and engages in lively discussions about social media quirks, including Threads. Jake Kastrenakes joins the conversation with David's summer takes on media frustrations and the potential of self-driving cars. Expect a mix of humor and tech-savvy banter that highlights the future of content creation and consumption.
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YouTube Is Betting On Live As Ad Real Estate
- YouTube is increasingly prioritizing live streaming as a major product focus tied to ad revenue and commerce.
- Live features (product tagging, non-interruptive ads, reaction windows) reveal YouTube's drive to capture shopping-style, watch-time ad inventory.
Live Streams Are Content Factories
- Live streaming becomes both an entry point and content factory because streams can be clipped into shorts or on-demand videos.
- YouTube's tools (practice mode, horizontal/vertical streams, auto-clips) nudge creators to stream more and repurpose content for watch time.
Platforms Tell Creators What To Make
- Platforms now openly tell creators what to make and how to optimize it, replacing earlier opaque 'black box' dynamics.
- YouTube's AI tools (thumbnail/title testing, critique bots) institutionalize optimization and shift creative control toward platform signals.