Popular science communicator and lead director Petr Lebedev announced his departure from the massive educational YouTube channel Veritasium to launch his own independent platform, SciencePetr.
Having served as the first full-time writer and director hired by channel founder Derek Muller, Lebedev played a pivotal role in the brand’s growth from seven million to over 20 million subscribers between 2020 and 2025.
The move marks a significant transition for one of the creator economy’s most successful behind-the-scenes leaders as he steps into a primary protagonist role.
Lebedev clarified that his exit involves no internal conflict or “bad blood,” describing the decision as a natural progression to pursue his own storytelling style.
A specialist in physics education research, Lebedev spent a decade training for this career, including earning a PhD under the same supervisor as Muller.
During his tenure at the Australian-American media giant, he was responsible for high-stakes productions, such as flying in helicopters with MythBusters star Adam Savage and investigating the historical impact of leaded gasoline.
The transition highlights a growing trend in the creator economy where top-tier “ghostwriters” and directors eventually leverage their experience to build personal brands.
Lebedev emphasized that his time at Veritasium taught him the critical difference between a “topic” and a “story,” a distinction that helps creators maintain high audience retention.
He noted that his goal is to move beyond simple facts to find deeper “misconceptions”—common wrong beliefs—that need correcting to move society toward the truth.
The new channel, SciencePetr, will prioritize the ethics of scientific progress, with a heavy initial focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI) safety.
Lebedev described the current state of AI as the “nukes of 2026,” arguing that science communicators have a moral duty to discuss the existential risks of new technology.
His debut independent project includes an interview with Nobel Prize winner Geoffrey Hinton, often called the “Godfather of AI,” signaling a commitment to high-level journalistic rigor.
Aspiring Indian creators can learn from Lebedev’s “gut-check” strategy, where he prioritizes videos he feels a deep personal need to create over those dictated solely by the YouTube algorithm.
By combining this passion with the technical skills he mastered at a world-class channel, Lebedev aims to foster “radical optimism.” He hopes to inspire a future that avoids technological catastrophe in favor of human flourishing among the stars.
