I only watched Tom Scott's because he is/was actualy decent and basicaly its the same thing you probably already know, over the years when you're successful it becomes a full time job with no benefits no vacation and an absurd requirement for a regular uninterrupted schedule. You end up sacrificing everything, your body, your mind and even your family.

Eventualy as we know either you sell out and put your face behind someone's editing and script turning your channel into a "business" or you scale down/retire. He chooses to take a break but I am confident it is likely retirement from at least that sort of regularly scheduled content.

I don't think it is necessarily about profitability, if anything some niches are paying better than ever but obviously it is very top side heavy and a small channel can barely afford minimum wage while these celebrities are richer than ever.