© 2024 All Rights reserved WUSF
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

YouTube Announcement Scares Some

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

And today's last word in business is one of this year's contenders for highest profile April Fools joke.

The video-sharing website YouTube announced yesterday it's shutting down.

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

In a video message, YouTube executives said that the whole site was actually designed as an eight-year contest to find the best video on the web. Well, eight years are up. And now panel of experts, the company said, will spend the next decade watching everything uploaded on the site to choose a winner.

SALAR KAMANGAR: We always said that this shouldn't be a popularity contest. "Gangnam Style" has the same chance of winning as a video with 40 views of a man feeding bread to a duck.

KASSEM G: Of course, I'm hoping to win, but even if I've inspired just one person to go out and harass people on the beach, that's something I still feel pretty good about.

INSKEEP: That fake announcement brings to mind something that somebody said yesterday on Twitter, that our ability to distribute interesting content has far exceeded our ability to create it.

That's the business news on MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. I'm Steve Inskeep.

GREENE: And I'm David Greene. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

You Count on Us, We Count on You: Donate to WUSF to support free, accessible journalism for yourself and the community.