After the recent demonetization policies of YouTube, here comes a major move. YouTube will no longer send play button trophies to all YouTubers who have met the necessary subscriber count requirements.
There seems to be a variety of factors that can prevent you from receiving a trophy. These include having multiple copyright violations on your account and having fake subs (perhaps bots). More vaguely though, you can also be denied a play button due to the nature of your content not meeting YouTube's 'standards'.
YouTube states, in its official guidelines, that: "Creator Awards are given at YouTube’s sole discretion and we only recognise creators that have played by the rules. Each channel is reviewed before an award is issued to keep the playing field fair."
After all these bitter policies, it is speculated that there'd be a shift towards Steemit. All that the content creators want is support, appreciation and funds for their contribution to the community. Steemit seems the best option!