[andrewla]

It wouldn't be the work of a couple of hours and changing DNS records. Youtube runs on Google hardware in Google datacenters running proprietary Google software that integrates throughout the Google proprietary ecosystem. Everything will break.

Realistically, once the division is somehow negotiated through, Youtube will have to find a way to make enough money to support its operations, and would find itself in the same bind that every other video site has hit in terms of balancing adoption with income.

The only barrier they will not have to face is competing against Youtube, the big free elephant in the room.

[lokar]

Not just data centers, a world wide network with servers in POPs in like every city in the world, and peering with every residential network in the world (and cache nodes on them)