UAE: Indian influencer Dhruv Rathee says 'every line fact-checked' in his YouTube videos

In a day and age where misinformation is rampant on social media, content creator Dhruv Rathee said that every line in his YouTube videos is fact-checked and verified. The Indian influencer, who has over 30 million subscribers on YouTube, said that he tries to be as authentic and transparent with his followers.

“I have a whole team of researchers and fact-checkers and every line that I say in my video, has been fact-checked by someone in the team,” he told Khaleej Times. “Not only has it been fact-checked behind the scenes, but it has been documented. There's a resource paper that we prepare for every video and we publish it publicly. If you go to the link in the description, you can always check the sources used for a video.”

He was speaking on the sidelines of the 1 Billion Summit in Dubai, which brings together content creators from all over the world for one of the largest gathering of influencers. Dhruv is best known for his explainer-style videos on politics, governance, climate change and social issues. He began creating content at the age of 19 and has since become one of India’s most influential digital educators, often drawing both praise and criticism for his outspoken views. 

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Process of choosing coverage

According to Dhruv, the decision on what to cover is a structured process. His team uses multiple criteria ranging from audience demand and personal passion to relevance in the current political and social climate before assigning scores and deciding whether a topic makes the cut or not.

Beyond content creation, Dhruv stepped into entrepreneurship last year when he co-founded AI Fiesta, an all-in-one platform. He said it has been one of the most challenging transitions of his career. “Creating videos for 10 years did not prepare me for running a business,” he said. “There’s HR, customer support, product development — so many things beyond content.” His team now consists of 10 to 15 people, and his days are split between filming, reviewing videos and managing operations.

Over the years, he has also faced legal threats and online trolling, something he has learned to navigate. “I have been doing this for most of my adult life so now I’m used to it,” he said, adding that he has a legal team to handle disputes.

Concerns about future

 Asked what worries him most about the future of democratic discussion, Dhruv pointed to growing apathy. “What concerns me is that not enough people care,” he said. “More people need to engage.”

Now a father, he said his priorities have shifted toward managing time more efficiently to balance work and family life.

A regular attendee at the 1 Billion Summit, Rathee described this year’s edition as the biggest yet. “It feels like they’ve built an entire city here,” he said.