3Blue1Brown slams YouTube's planned A/B testing for videos as a bad idea
3blue1brown · x · 2026-10-02
YouTube plans to introduce A/B testing for videos, and 3Blue1Brown creator Grant Sanderson publicly called it a bad idea.
- He argues that even if watch time improves short term, undermining the sense of a shared viewing experience is too steep a price
- In follow-ups he adds that the best videos feel intentionally crafted, and viewing becomes sourer the more it feels like the output of an optimization process
- His alternative: test alternate concepts as sneak peeks for a small inner audience — share a link, delete it after 5 minutes, and be upfront that it's a test
The debate touches on algorithmic distribution vs. creator control and has resonated with the creator community.
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