YouTube at 20: From Wild Fun to Polished Empire

It’s hard to believe, but YouTube is now two decades old. What started as a chaotic, hilarious hub of random videos has transformed into a massive, polished content empire — packed with influencers, brand deals, and endless ads. And while some of us miss the wild, scrappy days, it's impossible to imagine the internet without YouTube today.

In the early days, YouTube was magic. I remember laughing endlessly at videos like David After Dentist, The Evolution of Dance, and Charlie the Unicorn. They weren’t slick or professional — that was the charm. They felt real, rough, and hilarious. Back then, it honestly felt like internet content couldn’t get any better.

But it did. YouTube didn’t just stay a place for silly clips. It grew. Suddenly, you could dive deep into learning channels like Crash Course or geek out over tech reviews on TechnoBuffalo, the channel that kickstarted my own love for technology. YouTube became more than entertainment; it became a classroom, a theater, and a meeting place all rolled into one.

Of course, I still stuck around for the laughs. I watched Letterkenny Problems blow up into a full-fledged show on Hulu. I saw Roosterteeth rise and fall, creating brilliant ideas like Immersion, a gamer’s version of Mythbusters. The beauty of early YouTube was simple: if you had a good idea, you could find an audience. It didn’t matter if you had a million-dollar budget or just a shaky webcam.

Yet, as YouTube grew, change was inevitable. First came the ads. At first, they were harmless — five-second clips you could skip before jumping into your next video. But slowly, ads crept in at the end of videos, then the middle. Skipping became harder. Then came YouTube Premium, offering an ad-free escape — but only if you paid.

Today, even long videos come with the hollow promise of "fewer ad breaks," which somehow means more interruptions, not less. The magic of clicking from one funny clip to the next, uninterrupted, feels like a distant memory.

Advertising itself became a messy battleground. Early YouTube had a "wild west" feel — creators could post almost anything, and advertisers were happy. Then came the first Adpocalypse in 2016, when YouTube cracked down on content to keep things "family-friendly." Many top creators lost revenue overnight. Since then, YouTube has juggled between pleasing advertisers and keeping creators afloat — often failing both.

Even now, controversies around explicit ads and unclear demonetization rules show that YouTube, despite its age, still hasn’t totally grown up.

When I sit back and think about it, part of me wants to complain. I miss the scrappy, raw YouTube that didn’t care about polish or monetization. I miss the weird little videos that didn’t feel like business ventures. 

But honestly? YouTube has done a remarkable job surviving. Platforms that refuse to evolve fade away — just ask Vine or MySpace. YouTube’s willingness to borrow (like launching Shorts to rival TikTok) and adapt has kept it alive. If it hadn’t chased ad revenue, we wouldn't have the high-production content that fuels the platform today.

Sure, YouTube today is shinier, more corporate, and way more ad-heavy. But it’s also bigger, more diverse, and still full of creativity if you know where to look. It still gives anyone with a camera and an idea a shot at being seen.

Maybe for old times' sake, we can skip an ad or revisit one of those early classics. YouTube may have changed, but it’s still very much a part of the internet’s beating heart.