I went straight for engagement metrics like watch time and DAU, which felt right, but I didn't spend enough time segmenting by user type or thinking about creator-side health.
Start by clarifying YouTube's mission and business model, then segment metrics into a balanced framework (e.g., user, creator, and business). Prioritize 2-3 north star metrics with clear rationale, and explain how they ladder up to company goals.
Pro tip: Show you understand trade-offs by acknowledging that optimizing for watch time alone can hurt creator diversity or user well-being; propose guardrail metrics to balance growth with ecosystem health.
Restate YouTube's mission (give everyone a voice and show them the world) and key business drivers (ads, subscriptions, creator ecosystem). This sets the stage for metric selection.
Group metrics into user (engagement, satisfaction), creator (supply, monetization), and business (revenue, profitability). This ensures a holistic view.
Select metrics that best capture value creation, such as watch time (user value) and creator revenue (ecosystem health). Explain why they matter most.
List input metrics (e.g., DAU, uploads) that drive north stars, and guardrails (e.g., user-reported satisfaction, content diversity) to prevent negative side effects.
Explain how these metrics inform product decisions, and mention the need to revisit as the platform evolves (e.g., shorts vs. long-form).
AI-generated suggestions, not part of the candidate's original notes. May be inaccurate — verify before relying on them.