YouTube’s Ad Revenue Growth Slows; A16z Leads Funding for Launch House

YouTube ad revenue growth has slowed over the past three quarters. That may sound alarming for the YouTube creators who make significant income from ads running on their videos. But the rate is coming down from pandemic-jostled year-ago periods and was bound to fall. Here’s a look at what happened, and what else Alphabet execs said about the creator economy—including possibly bringing shopping to YouTube Shorts. 

Google parent company Alphabet reported that YouTube ad revenue rose 25% to $8.6 billion in the quarter ending in December, down from 42% growth in the third quarter and an 83% surge in the second quarter. Alphabet CFO Ruth Porat attributed the fourth quarter slowdown to a particularly strong period the year before.