Youtube uses a deprecated API that only Chrome implements, and serves a slow polyfill to other browsers. I don't see how they'd gain more than they lose by slowing their service down for a large part of their user base, so maybe this is just incompetence/idiocy. It sure won't make me consider switching to Chrome. (I use hooktube.com anyway. :P)

Hooktube no longer mitigates tracking. The interface is still a magnitude faster but if you were in for privacy it's time to consider alternatives invidio.us

It would be nice if people used alternative services indeed. I don't intend to produce any content myself, and can't really make that choice for others.