Soon there’ll be a premium premium with no ads at a premium cost, $30 a month.
You're not locked into subscribing to YouTube until you die. This is a misunderstanding I see frequently among hackers. They also seem to think that changing the default web browser is equal in severity to building a battleship...
It's good to have a healthy tension between consumer wants and corporate financials. If everyone stops using ad block today then Google reports one quarter of increased profits. Afterward, investors are normalized to that expectation, the fact everyone is watching ads is meaningless, and Google pursues whatever their next step is for squeezing blood from stone.
I want to live in a world where products are as good for me as possible without corporations going under. I do not want to live in a world where products are as poor as I'll tolerate just for profit maximization.
There's absolutely nothing stopping the arms race from continuing past the point which you are currently satisified.
Just look at Hulu, for example.
Also, it's ridiculous that YouTube was able to convince people it's acceptable to have audio pause when in the background. If YouTube on Desktop paused audio when the tab was not the active tab it would be fundamentally unusable.