I froze for a second because the premise felt almost absurd.
Start by clarifying the hypothetical scenario and the reasons for sunsetting, then outline a structured plan that covers impact assessment, stakeholder alignment, phased execution, and communication. Emphasize a user-centric and data-driven approach while balancing business and ethical considerations.
Pro tip: Acknowledge that sunsetting a product like YouTube is extremely rare and would likely be due to strategic shifts or regulatory pressures; show maturity by discussing how to preserve user trust and manage public perception throughout the process.
Ask clarifying questions to understand why YouTube is being sunset (e.g., strategic pivot, regulatory issues) and what success looks like. Define the scope and constraints.
Map out all stakeholders (users, creators, advertisers, partners) and internal dependencies (other Google products, infrastructure). Quantify the impact on revenue, user engagement, and ecosystem.
Create a timeline with clear milestones: announce, freeze new features, provide data export tools, gradually reduce service, and finally shut down. Include contingency plans.
Craft transparent communication for each stakeholder group, offering alternatives (e.g., migration to other platforms) and support (e.g., creator funds, data portability).
Roll out the plan, monitor metrics and sentiment, adjust as needed, and conduct a post-mortem to capture lessons for future product decisions.
AI-generated suggestions, not part of the candidate's original notes. May be inaccurate — verify before relying on them.