An Indian YouTuber has quit the video-sharing platform after three years, saying her investment of ₹8 lakh brought her zero returns. Nalini Unagar put her studio equipment and kitchen setup for sale on X this morning, announcing her decision to quit YouTube after a three-year struggle. She also expressed her dissatisfaction with YouTube’s algorithm, which, according to her, favoured certain content creators over others.
“Angry with YouTube”
Nalini ran the “Nalini's Kitchen Recipe” channel on YouTube, which managed to amass only 2,450 subscribers in three years. She recently deleted all the videos on her channel.
In several posts shared on X, the former YouTuber expressed her anger and dissatisfaction with YouTube. She said that she invested ₹8 lakh over the course of three years into building her brand. She got nothing in return.
“I failed in my YouTube career, so I’m selling all my kitchen accessories and studio equipment. If anyone is interested in buying, please let me know,” Nalini wrote on X, sharing photos of the kitchen setup she used on her YouTube channel and the equipment she used for filming.
“Let me confess today—I have invested approximately ₹8 lakhs in my YouTube channel for building a kitchen, buying studio equipment, and promotions. The return? ₹0,” said Nalini.
{{/usCountry}}“Let me confess today—I have invested approximately ₹8 lakhs in my YouTube channel for building a kitchen, buying studio equipment, and promotions. The return? ₹0,” said Nalini.
{{/usCountry}}In a separate post, she said that she risked her career and spent money to build her channel, only to receive no support from YouTube.
“I’m honestly angry with YouTube. I spent my money, time, and even risked my career to build my channel, but in return, YouTube gave me nothing. It feels like the platform favors certain channels and specific types of videos, leaving others with no recognition despite the hard work,” Nalini said.
Her posts highlight how content creation has become a lucrative field in the last few years, but also the pitfalls associated with it. Content creators typically earn money through brand collaborations, advertisements etc. This means that the more visible their content is, the more they are likely to earn.
However, several content creators and influencers have highlighted how their visibility and engagement are subject to the whims of social media platforms like YouTube and Instagram. Nalini's announcement is another example of the difficulties in monetizing content.
In the comments section, hundreds of people urged Nalini not to quit and give YouTube another go. She responded to these suggestions by pointing out that she gave three years of her life to her channel, saying luck did not side with her.
“I’m overwhelmed by your suggestion not to quit YouTube. Let me remind you—I dedicated 3 years to YouTube, creating over 250 videos. However, I didn’t get the response I had hoped for, so I’ve finally decided to stop making videos and have deleted all my content from the platform. Online platforms require a bit of luck too, so it’s wise not to rely on them as a primary source of income. Your ‘shop’ can shut down before you even wake up the next day,” she wrote.