FreeTube and other front-end replacements exist. Could they turn them off? Sure, with a bit of work.

Though so long as it is a public service (responds to the public) that does not require an account to watch videos … they will only ever be able to annoy people. It’s the same problem as piracy. It’s a question of convenience, and if they make the main road a less good experience than the stripped down one… They’re only hurting themselves.

If Google had half a brain, they would’ve embedded the ads in the video streams years ago. Instead, they “innovate” by making the entire internet worse.

(yes I know ublock blocks A LOT more than YouTube ads, and Google’s revenue is all their ads, but YouTube is a perfect microcosm of why Google is the wrong company to solve this problem)