YouTube’s Wallet: Ask Nicely or Walk Away Broke
Despite Google's "cash pile," YouTube's former CPO Shishir Mehrotra reveals the harsh truth: "I had to go ask for investment from it," like some beggar at a family reunion. The catch? YouTube hands 25 cents of every revenue dollar to Google and only gets 75 to play with. Mehrotra compares the internal funding pitch process to "raising money from a venture capitalist," except with only Sundar Pichai as the gatekeeper who can say yes. Meanwhile, OpenAI's Sam Altman strolls around asking everyone and their dog for billions, because why not?
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(1 of 3)When your trillion-dollar parent acts like the stingy uncle at Thanksgiving: 'No money falls from sky,' YouTube says, begging Google for scraps. Meanwhile, OpenAI's Sam Altman cashes checks like he's doing a garage sale.
YouTube's donation model: ask Google's CEO nicely so your idea doesn't starve. At least OpenAI's Sam Altman can hunt investment like a maniac in a free-for-all buffet.
Imagine working at a cash-rich giant but having to play corporate Simon Says just to get budget. Mehrotra says it's like fundraising, but with one grumpy overlord saying 'no'.
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 8/11/2025 | Author: Henry Chandonnet
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