Currently, public sub counts are abbreviated in most but not all places across YouTube. In August, we’ll make this more consistent by always showing abbreviated sub counts publicly. Creators: You’ll still see your full sub count in Studio! Learn more → http://yt.be/help/abbrev-count …pic.twitter.com/pmaKk4EU4k
At this point they're not even hiding the fact that they're hurting their creators. Just shamelessly touting that they can make arbitrary aesthetic changes that address none of the current issues on the platform.