What It's Really Like Being Head of YouTube for Ali Abdaal

My first interview about the role

When the co-hosts of the Gimbal Podcast asked if I wanted to come on, I almost said no.

I was still so new to YouTube! In fact, I was only reaching out to thank them for putting together such thoughtful episodes about the behind-the-scenes of creator businesses.

The first episode I listened to was their second one, featuring Eric Villa from the MKBHD team. I took copious notes. It was the first real insight into what an A-list YouTube producer looked like.

I didn’t expect them to reply saying I should go on the show 😳

I even floated their message to my manager Angus Parker (who would later be on the show himself), hoping he’d say “no, you’re too new for this.” Instead, he said, “Why not? You should go for it. You have something to say.”

I thought at least it would be good documentation of where I was at that point in time. And I used the opportunity to ask questions on air… some of which made it into the episode.

I still haven’t fully listened to it. The fear that I sound incoherent is real. But I was told by enough people that I sounded fine, so that gave me the audacity to share it here 😅

Anyways, enjoy. And if anything stood out to you, I’d love to know which part.

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Update log:

• 📞 Got on a call with Justin Donaldson to talk about YouTube. What a crazy full circle it was to have started learning gouache from his videos years ago to now yapping about YouTube with him.

• 🏈 Having Benito Bowl on loop

• 📺 Really enjoying Brennan Lee Mulligan on Mythical Kitchen. He

• 📝 Continuing my logs with the February entry

• 📘 Finished reading Morgan Housel’s The Art of Spending Money. Will forever envy how the man can write so simply and succinctly.

• 🎧 Listening to A Bad Idea I’m About to Do by Chris Gethard

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