It made me switch to FreeTube, which has been wonderful.

I feel like YouTube and Google have forgotten the adage:

"The Internet sees censorship as damage and routes around it."

In this case it's an ad paywall but still appropo.

That's similar in spirit to the issue with Microsoft forcing Edge down Windows users' throats: companies don't realise the qualitative difference between being slightly pushy and too pushy. They see results from being slightly pushy, then they do it harder, then it backfires.

Even my tech illiterate parents and SO are now using ublock and piped. In your face Google. If you'd left well enough alone they'd still be watching your techno-aids ridden ads.