The amount that creators make for their videos is very opaque. This makes all kinds of manipulation easier.
It's well know that platforms with "partner programs" will lure in creators as their grow ...
@nprofile1q... I read somewhere that you can count the number of wealthy YouTubers on your hands. For the rest it's little more than a side hustle, but as you say, they make just enough to keep them imagining they might explode one day and be able to quit the day job. That steady trickle of likes, subscribes and comments gives them dopamine hits.