[nextweek2]

> If it's truly unprofitable then separating it from the mothership means it goes bankrupt so no more YouTube

You have to look back at Microsoft's Antitrust case around Internet Explorer, the were bundling the software into the operating system for free to kill any competition.

It maybe a loss leader but it plays into an overall corporate strategy.

Splitting YouTube off would not trigger it to go bankrupt, market forces would come into play, they'd have to seek revenue and others players would come into the market to offer a competitive offering.