More from YouTuber Any Austin

COWEN: Next question. Speaking honestly, what makes you a great YouTuber?

AUSTIN: Speaking honestly, all right.

COWEN: We know you work hard. We know you’re smart, yes, yes, but what’s the secret sauce?

AUSTIN: Well, I don’t think I should know that. I think, honestly, the less I know about . . . I think all I should have in my head is, “This video that I’m making right now is going to be the best video I could possibly make.” And that’s all I should think. The less I understand about my own inner machinations, the better because, number one, I’m going to get it wrong. You see this all the time with artists who learn what their thing is, and they just fly off a cliff.

COWEN: They become much worse, right?

AUSTIN: They become so much worse.

COWEN: Parodies of themselves.

AUSTIN: Exactly. The less you know about how you do what you do, the better. I might, for my own self-protection, refuse to answer this question.

Again, here is the video, audio, and transcript.