Followers Are Worthless. Watch Time Is The New Currency. (w/ Sooraj Saxena) from Ourselves Podcast

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Followers Are Worthless. Watch Time Is The New Currency. (w/ Sooraj Saxena)

1 hour 45 minutes Posted May 5, 2026 at 1:45 pm.

Content Is Science01:51 Sooraj's biggest audience03:21 His Original Chai videos05:22 Brown Creator Representation06:13 Childhood Performer Roots10:47 Startup Videos Breakthrough16:41 Sneaking Into Concerts19:23 His Company Shakti And the TikTok Market Gap32:58 Back to Brand Deals33:22 Betting on a Portfolio35:14 Being Ghosted From a Big Partnership37:09 Gods Wake Up Call40:24 His First Big 6 Figure Merch Year48:20 How the Algorithm Can Penalize You51:41 Why Brands Dont Reach Out01:10:05 Creator Chaos Tradeoffs01:14:01 Create for Joy Not Fame01:16:12 Deinfluence Your Dreams01:16:43 Having Four Million Followers But Broke01:19:50 Stop Chasing Blueprints Like Mr Beast01:23:48 No One Is Saving You01:27:03 What To Do When Content Flops01:30:49 AI and Human Resilience01:35:49 Final Advice

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Most of what you've been told about being a content creator is a lie. Sooraj Saxena spent years learning that the hard way.

In this conversation he reveals the testing pool TikTok uses before any video goes viral, why Mr. Beast openly admits his mental health is awful, why chasing another creator's blueprint guarantees you'll resent your own life, and the moment that made him walk away from a 5,000 person paying waitlist. If you're building anything online in 2026, this is required listening.

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