When I first stumbled across YouTube in 2005, I knew it was something special. But it wasn’t until 2011 that I truly doubled down, mobilizing WatchMojo to bet big on what had by then become a Google-owned platform. At the time, plenty of naysayers told me I was wasting my energy — that YouTube was too messy, too unpredictable, and too unreliable to build a sustainable business.

Fast-forward to today, and YouTube generates over $30 billion a year and remains one of Alphabet’s crown jewels. Looking back, I can’t help but wonder: what company today reminds me most of YouTube in those early years?

My answer: Roblox.

Why Roblox Feels Familiar

Both YouTube and Roblox started off as “weird.” Most people didn’t understand them at first. Both were built on user-generated content — videos in YouTube’s case, interactive games in Roblox’s. And both were born just a 15-minute drive apart in Silicon Valley: YouTube in San Bruno, Roblox in San Mateo.

More importantly, they’ve both faced the same growing pains: piracy, brand-safety issues, skepticism from advertisers, and the lingering perception that they were just for kids. And yet, both platforms gave creators the tools to professionalize their work, which over time unlocked massive ecosystems.

Déjà Vu in the Numbers

Roblox today is worth around $80 billion, up 4X in the past 18 months, while losing over a billion dollars annually on just under $4 billion in revenue in the past 12 months. To many, that looks like a red flag. To me, it looks like déjà vu.

In its early days, YouTube bled cash too. The only difference is that YouTube had the fortune of being acquired by Google, which gave it the oxygen and infrastructure to scale. Behind the curtain, YouTube grew into one of the most powerful businesses in media, now worth an estimated $200+ billion on its own.

Different Challenges, Same Promise

YouTube’s breakthrough was siphoning ad dollars from television. That made its path to revenue somewhat “easier.” Roblox doesn’t have that same legacy market to tap into. It will need to be more creative. But that’s also what makes it exciting.

Roblox isn’t just a game platform — it’s a social platform, a creative toolkit, and potentially a gateway to the metaverse. And while the hype around the metaverse cooled after 2022, I’ve seen this movie before: skeptics laughed at YouTube too. Over time, it drowned out the doubters and proved them wrong.

Independent or Acquired?

Roblox can stay independent, or it could be acquired by a larger player like Apple, Meta, Microsoft, or even Alphabet. Whoever owns it, the fundamentals are clear: Roblox has captured the next generation of audiences, and as they grow up, so too will the platform.

Why I’m Betting on Roblox

Having had a front-row seat to YouTube’s evolution, I’ve learned that platforms built on UGC, with passionate creators and engaged communities, have an uncanny ability to scale beyond what anyone imagines.

It’s impossible to predict Roblox’s ceiling today. But if there’s one company that gives me flashbacks to YouTube’s early years — the same weirdness, the same skepticism, the same potential — it’s Roblox.

And just like I did with YouTube, I’m betting that the naysayers will be proven wrong again.

Disclaimer: I hold shares in both Roblox and Alphabet (YouTube’s parent company).