I get that it started for free with less intrusive ads, but YouTube has had a huge impact on the way we all share and consume information. Understanding how much money it takes to run a service with the technology needed to provide high definition videos on a site that is up 99.9999999% of the time, I have no issue paying for a service that has changed my life in many positive ways. Now I do hate price gouging like everyone else, but it’s inescapable from gas & groceries to all streaming platforms.
I subscribe too. I’m an expat in a SE asian country where the subscription cost is a bit lower so, I do have that going for me. (~$5.50)
My consumption of YouTube is primarily through the official app on my Xbox. I also have a Pihole but it doesn’t work for YouTube.
This subscription lets me watch the creators I want to see, on the device I want, with the least amount of friction.