I had mine off for years. I would look at my subscribed channel feed and that’s pretty much it. But I recently turned it back on, and I actually like it. I pretty much only watch videos about science, math, philosophy, technology, SNL, and… Symphony of the Night randomizer races.

My entire recommended feed is just more of the same, and I’ve discovered tons of new channels to subscribe to. A lot of the channels I subscribe to only post like once every 2-4 weeks. I don’t want to have to do a search just to have something to watch at mealtime. Having random things recommended is nice.

If I watch a weird video out of the blue, I might see two or three recommended videos of that kind next time I open YouTube. Not at all like what OP’s screenshot is showing. I even went on a deep dive watching Snooker videos and it would still only recommend a few a day. And after I stopped watching him, I no longer see a single one of those videos in my feed.

I’d say it’s working pretty great for me. I don’t see what all the fuss is about.