I'm on your side of the argument, but I don't know whether you're correct in saying that Google's crackdown on YouTube ad-blockers has backfired.

Those of us who know how to, and are willing to spend the time to, get around the current blocks are a comparatively small, potentially trivial, percentage of the YouTube viewing public.

And it'll take time for us to implement these changes for friends and family, during which time YouTube's ad revenue and subscription revenue will undoubtedly increase.