Who is Tom Scott? YouTuber’s 'retirement' announcement raises concerns about creator burnout

Within the first three days of the new year, several big YouTube accounts announced various forms of retirement from the platform and thanked their millions of fans for their support over the years.

One of them is Tom Scott, someone whom YouTube fans like to call an “OG YouTuber” — referring to an “original” creator who has been posting on the platform since its inception. Scott created his channel in 2006 and has accumulated over 6 million subscribers who follow him for his videos that answer questions people have probably thought about but haven’t necessarily been able to answer. His most popular videos include explaining what happens when you eat garlic bread that’s been in space, why British electrical plugs are superior and whether YouTube will ever run out of video ID codes.

But in a move that shocked and saddened fans, Scott announced his sort-of retirement from YouTube on Jan. 1 — 10 years after he pledged to post new content weekly. While his YouTube post asserted that “it’s time to stop making videos,” on his website, he referred to it as “an extended sabbatical,” adding that he will “likely return in the future.” Scott did not respond to a request for comment from Yahoo News.

His goodbye video included some of the channel’s greatest moments and hit 5 million views in the first 24 hours.

The timing coincided with several other YouTubers announcing they were stepping back from the platform. On Jan. 2, Joel Haver, who writes and films his own web series, told his almost 2 million subscribers that he would be focusing more on feature-length films in 2024. He, like Scott, was posting at least one video a week. Hunter Hancock, the animator better known as “MeatCanyon” to his 6.6 million followers, has been uploading his cartoons since 2015. He said goodbye “for now” on Tuesday and thanked his supporters.

YouTube fans on Reddit speculated that the exits might have to do with the new year, while some pointed out that Scott announced his plans to slow down in 2023.

But a larger question regarding these creators who consistently upload what viewers call “high-quality content,” is whether issues with YouTube’s algorithm changes have played a role in them stepping back.

In 2012, YouTube ranked its videos by views, which led to the phase of clickbait video titles. The next iteration of the ranking was prioritizing longer videos, which some creators leveraged by uploading overly drawn-out streams. Four years later, in 2016, YouTube started using an AI algorithm to suggest recommended videos for users.

At VidCon 2019, Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast, told audiences that the best way to hack the YouTube algorithm and maintain a steady audience is to stay consistent.

“If you watch 100 episodes of ‘SpongeBob’ and then the 101st is ‘Adventure Time,’ you’d be like, what is this?” Donaldson said at the time. “The same is true about your audience.”

YouTube’s director of discovery, Todd Beaupré, was on stage with Donaldson and argued that YouTube had teams dedicated to making sure small and up-and-coming creators are given opportunities to break through to the algorithm.

A 2023 report from Adobe had similar findings and published that social media users tend to trust creators more when they put out the same type of content regularly.

Arguably, creators like Scott, Haver and Hancock have followed these rules and reaped the benefits of growing their audiences. But they also admit that it’s a lot of work.

Kati Morton, a licensed therapist who has 1.3 million subscribers, acknowledged the toll regularly filming and uploading to YouTube was taking on her mental health. She told CNN in 2019 that she was sharing at least two videos a week before she recognized she needed to take a break. Swedish YouTuber Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg, better known as PewDiePie, told his 111 million followers at the end of 2019 that he was tired and needed time off. Creator Alex Wassabi, known for his comedy videos and vlogs, was uploading three videos weekly for years before he told his 11 million subscribers that he felt burned out.

In response to the number of creators succumbing to burnout in 2019, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki urged YouTubers to take time off.

“I’ve heard some creators say they feel like they can’t take a break from filming because they’re concerned their channel will suffer,” Wojcicki wrote. “If you need to take some time off, your fans will understand. After all, they tune into your channel because of you.”

And with some YouTubers not willing to fully commit to a complete sign-off, we might be seeing them again after some well-deserved downtime.