YouTube is ramping up its efforts to squeeze more money from content, this time trying to get creators to pay for views.

Famous YouTuber and right-to-repair activist Louis Rossmann cites a message his mentor, Eli the Computer Guy, received from YouTube. The message is entitled: “Grow your channel’s popularity and engagement by promoting your videos on YouTube.”

As Rossmann points out, the program promises to enhance a channel’s views and engagement…as long as a user is willing to pay.

The irony of Eli the Computer Guy receiving this email is that his videos once received millions of views before an apparent algorithm change led to his videos being de-prioritized. According to Rossmann, despite continuing to make the same educational IT videos he had always made and never experiencing any controversy, Eli the Computer Guy’s videos dropped to as low as 900 views per video, essentially making YouTube’s videos feel like a “we destroyed your channel with our algorithms, but you can pay us to get it back” routine.

To make matters worse, when Eli the Computer Guy did attempt to use the new program, he was met with bugs that prevented him from moving forward.

YouTube recently had a change of CEO, and the company has been aggressively moving to increase profit and squeeze money from every corner. One such move has been to target ad-blocking software and the individuals who use it.

As Rossmann highlights, when YouTube is squeezing both its creators and customers, the company’s actions raise serious questions about its long-term viability.