There are two kinds of readers here right now. Those that have heard of Linus Tech Tips and those who are really struggling to read that headline. I’m going to get right into it, but apologies for the “cooking receipe” style context start to this article, because I know I had to speak to two kinds of reader here! You can go straight to the recipe if you like!
Who is Linus Tech Tips?
It’s hard to know whether I’m saying “who” or “what” is Linus Tech Tips and impossible to describe it without speaking about it over time.
Linus Tech Tips, more commonly referred to as LTT is a massive YouTube channel. It was founded by Linus Sebastian, a Canadian computer enthusiast. He started out building PCs in his teens and got a job at a computer store called NCIX. It was here he started creating videos for the company and when that company folded, he went out on his own.
Today, LTT has become LTT Group, with many YouTube channels amassing millions of views per video. The group’s videos consist of tech advice, PC part reviews, software tests and general entertainment and challenges but also several other business interests too.
For example, a recent video shows Linus touring a building he’s investing in to co-host LAN gaming parties and badminton competitions, a sport he enjoys.
LTT likely generates as much, if not more, revenue from the LTT Store than advertising, which gets mentioned in every video they create. The LTT store sells a wide range of products from apparel to tools and is best known for the LTT Screwdriver.
You can see, what started out as creating tech videos has grown substantially into a content and product empire for Linus.
LTT Taking on Google
Moving towards the crux of this story, brings us to LTT, Linus and Google. Most YouTubers have a love-hate relationship with the platform. There’s an old saying that “you shouldn’t build on rented land” and this relationship between creators and YouTube is a perfect example of that.
LTT is a great example. They have millions of subscribers who watch videos and generate ad revenue for the group. But sweeping algorithms changes, obscure demonetisation rules and general practices that are anti-viewer have lead to LTT making many changes. This has left LTT in a position of needing to decentralising the empire.
Floatplane
Floatplane is LTT’s own subscription based video streaming platform. The name has been mentioned many times on the WAN Show, the groups Friday live-streamed podcast, as deriving from the platform always floating. That is to say that while it might never “take off”, it will never cost more money to exist than it generates.
The platform is open to other creators who you directly subscribe to and support with a monthly fee for exclusive content. For example, LTT often posts videos here before YouTube with extended cuts and behind the scenes exclusive content.
I do like to think that Floatplane is also a waiting escape vehicle for LTT in the event that YouTube goes through a dramatic fold or targets LTT directly with strikes and channel removal.
YouTube Paid Feature Alternatives
For example, most creators simply make money from ads that Google injects into their videos. LTT instead has their own sponsor spots which has given birth to two meme-like segues in every LTT video. On Fridays, Linus is a co-host of the groups live-streamed WAN Show podcast which typically runs for a few hours, discussing the week’s tech news. Instead of using YouTube’s Super Chat feature, which lets people pay for their comment to be more likely to reach the hosts, LTT implemented Merch Messages. In return for buying a LTT Store product during the live-stream you can also have a message sent to the hosts. This is a great alternative to Super Chats as LTT sells a product that you get, and you get your comment interacted with.
The De-Google Your Life Series
And we finally reach the De-Google Your Life Series.
De-Google Your Life Episode 1
On 23 May 2024, the main LTT channel posted the first of the De-Google Your Life series. This was the first in a series of videos which would give you all the information you need to remove Google products from your life. Instead of Chrome Browser, you could use Firefox. Instead of Google Search, try Bing (yes, I know). Stuck in Gmail, try Proton Mail. The list goes on, even giving alternatives to Google Photos.
Are all of the alternatives better than the Google options? That’s subjective, and likely decided by how tech savvy you are and how much you want to get away from Google’s products.
As of today, the video has over 2 million views and nearly 6,000 comments.
De-Google Your Life Episode 2
Episode 2 in the series was published on 20th August 2024, but has since been removed by YouTube for “violating community guidelines”. You can still watch De-Google Your Life Episode 2 on the Internet Archive, Reddit and, of course, Floatplane.
In this episode, Linus shows how you can use password managers instead of Google’s password management options, some Google Maps alternatives and how to block Google’s ads.
But it’s likely his mention of YouTube alternatives that has led to the video being removed. Linus talks about JDownloader and Tarrube for downloading videos and introduces FreeTube and LibreTube as streaming apps that “hook” into YouTube itself.
But are these apps breaching any community guidelines or terms of service?
Relevance of YouTube Removing the De-Google Your Life Video
As I’ve mentioned, platforms like YouTube generate revenue through advertising and user engagement. By showcasing alternatives like FreeTube and LibreTube that allow users to access YouTube content without ads or potentially even without needing a YouTube account. Google could easily see the video as directly undermining YouTube’s business model.
While tools like JDownloader and Tarrube can be used for legitimate purposes, they can also be employed to download copyrighted content illegally. Even if the video didn’t explicitly encourage such use, merely mentioning these tools could be seen as promoting copyright infringement, which YouTube strictly prohibits.
It’s also possible that this is a false flag event. YouTube’s algorithms may have flagged the video for removal based on keywords or phrases related to bypassing ads or downloading content. Even if the video’s intent was informational, the algorithms may have interpreted it as erroneously breaching YouTube’s terms of service or community guidelines.
There are lots of if’s and buts, but there is one thing fore sure – the timing is uncanny. Regardless of how it’s happened, this is a bad look for Google, YouTube and Alphabet, though let’s not forget that these are all the same thing. Given this comes just weeks after a U.S. Judge ruled that Google is a monopoly. The ruling has put Google under intense public and regulatory scrutiny. Any actions they take, especially those that could be perceived as anti-competitive or censorship, are likely to be examined closely and potentially criticised. The removal of the LTT video could be seen as an example of Google abusing its market power to suppress content that challenges its dominance.
Removing a video which promotes the removal of Google from your life, adds fuel to the narrative that Google’s monopoly status allows it to act arbitrarily and unfairly, particularly towards content creators who dare to question its practices or promote alternatives. This reinforces the concerns raised in the court ruling and strengthens the arguments for increased regulation or even breaking up the company.
This could be a storm in a teacup as a single event. YouTube could reinstate the video at any moment and say it was just a mistake. However, it shows the dangers of building on rented land and the potential power a company like Google has. I know one thing for sure. I’ll be tuning into the WAN Show this week to hear what Linus and Luke themselves have to say on this story.
