Squawk Pod Leaders Playbook: Inside YouTube 2/4/26
Feb 4, 2026
Neal Mohan, YouTube CEO and long-time product leader, talks creator-first thinking and flexible leadership. He covers how YouTube listens to creators and iterates products, the strategic bets on subscriptions, Shorts, and TV, and how AI tools are reshaping creation and safety. Short, candid conversations about risk, scale, and building for billions.
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Platform-As-Stage Mentality
- Neal Mohan frames YouTube as a stage where creators are the performers and the company must build the best platform for them.
- This metaphor drives product, tech, and experience priorities across the company.
Talk Directly To Creators
- Neal Mohan tells product teams to go talk to creators to truly understand product behavior.
- He says creators provide detailed, actionable feedback that teams should use to iterate the product.
Creators' Hour With The CEO
- Colin and Samir spent an hour with Neal Mohan and gave direct feedback on the platform.
- Mohan acted on their requests, adding tools and monetization features they had asked for.