As they say, you aren't the customer, the advertiser is the customer.

If the site works for the 95% of ad dollars who use Chrome on their phones, it works as intended.

> the advertiser is the customer.

Excellent point. If any change on the site caused ad views or clicks to drop by >1%, automated tests probably shoot flares up to the exec level. Whereas the vast majority of users on FF are blocking ads anyway, so their lagging performance probably barely registers on those tests.

While YT probably still has non-ad automated performance tests, in the case of a non-Chrome, non-Apple desktop browser, those tests probably run every odd Thursday and regressions send a toast message to an intern. :-)

Even advertisers don't matter anymore, only metrics. Because they can be manipulated.

The software engineering show isn't being run by engineers, middle-managers or even MBAs anymore.

It's run by product people who treat it like a mini dictatorship.

So releases like this have to go out, no matter the consequence.

Working on software rarely, especially at large companies, means you have any sort of agency over the features of the software. That's Not Your Job (TM).

What actions do you find slow and laggy? There are definitely UX improvements, but I don't find either laggy on the multiple platforms I use them on, as long as I have a good network connection.

They use it but in Chrome on a maxed out MacBook Pro