The queue for having your video uploaded and public does not at all have to be the same queue for getting your video included in others' recommendations.
I can just see the outrage now: "YouTube running a pay-to-play scheme for exposure. Anyone can upload their video, but only the rich can get an audience!"
Come to think of it, this is basically the complaint against AdWords and the gradual takeover of the search result page by paid results.
This is exactly what happens. Prager U and Ben Shapiro advertise heavily on content adjacent to them (gaming) and their views go up, up they go in the algorithm.
