Around 2016, in the wake of a contentious election that put tech companies under greater scrutiny, viewers started to cast more of a light on YouTube's offline influence. People started to put pressure on YouTube for the effects of its content and decisions, with some claiming that its recommendation engine highlighted extreme or polarizing videos.
With 104 million subscribers, Swedish creator PewDiePie — aka Felix Kjellberg — has held the title of most popular YouTuber since 2013. His wild and crude behavior has gained him a loyal following, but has also garnered backlash. In January 2017, PewDiePie posted a video featuring two men he had paid to hold up a sign, reading "Death to All Jews."
It was only his latest stint in a long history of racist and anti-Semitic rhetoric, but it cost him. In the fallout of a bombshell Wall Street Journal story, Disney cut its ties with PewDiePie. YouTube suspended an upcoming season of a show it was producing with him called "Scare PewDiePie," and removed him from its preferred advertising program.
This incident also had far-reaching implications in driving a discussion about what YouTubers should be able to say and present to their young audiences. After the incident, PewDiePie has not backed down from controversy, and he still is raking in brand deals and millions.