I get the impression that YouTube do not really put any effort into breaking youtube-dl, YouTube Vanced, etc. It seems that mostly when these break it's acciden

I get the impression that YouTube do not really put any effort into breaking youtube-dl, YouTube Vanced, etc. It seems that mostly when these break it's accidental. The last thing YouTube wants to do alienate the technically literate minority who use adblocking, because these are the people who could establish an actual competitor. These folks still put money into the creator ecosystem anyway, through patreon and direct sponsorships, which funds creators to make more content. YT wins either way, honestly.