How Did YouTube Started...? Who Created YouTube And Who Owns It

How YouTube Started & Who Created It.

   YouTube is an American online video-sharing and social media platform that was launched on 14th February, 2005. This social media platform was created by three (3) guys named: Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. 

All these three (3) guys were former PayPal employees. They got to know each other when they were working at PayPal company. These guys were inspired wanted to find a way to easily share videos online, so they came together and created a social media app and named it "YouTube".

Jawed karim said that, "the inspiration for YouTube when it was first created, came from the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy. When Janet Jackson's breast was briefly exposed by Justin Timberlake during the halftime show. Karim could not easily find video clips of the incident online, which led to the idea of a video-sharing site". So this is the main reason why YouTube was created, to make people know what's going on in the world.

Hurley and Chen said that the original idea for YouTube was a video version of an online dating service, and they had been influenced by the website Hot or Not. They created posts on Craigslist asking attractive women to upload videos of themselves to YouTube in exchange for a $100 reward.

However, the dating service idea was eventually abandoned, and YouTube became a platform for sharing all kinds of videos, including personal videos, music videos, educational videos, and many more.

Who Really Owns YouTube 

 Well, YouTube was originally created by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim around February in the year of 2005 as mentioned above. But now, the video-sharing platform or YouTube is owned by Alphabet Inc., And Alphabet Inc. is also a company that is owned by Google.

Alphabet Inc. was formed in 2015 when Google re-organized its businesses. They re-organized Google's business to make it easy for Google to focus on its core businesses such as search and advertising, and to experiment with new industries, such as self-driving cars and artificial intelligence.

The company (Alphabet Inc.) is a public traded company, this means that, its shares are owned by shareholders around the world in the market. Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the co-founders of Google, have the largest shareholders of Alphabet Inc. 

So the short answer is Alphabet Inc., Alphabet Inc. is the owner of YouTube. Alphabet Inc. or Google LLC bought YouTube from the three (3) guys.

How Much Did Google Inc. Or Alphabet Inc. Bought YouTube 

 YouTube the most popular video-sharing platform was purchased by Google company on November in the year of 2006 for $1.65 billion. But Google already announced on October 9, 2006 that, it had some agreed to get YouTube for $1.65 billion in a stock-for-stock transaction. And the deal was totally completed on 13th November, 2006. YouTube operates as one of Google's subsidiaries. 

Reason Why Google Needed YouTube 

There were several reasons why Google Inc. was interested in getting YouTube. 

First, Google saw that YouTube was one of the fastest-growing websites in the world at that time. It was also the leading video-sharing platform at that time and it was gaining over 100 million unique visitors per month.

Second, At that time Google has already launched it own video-sharing service or platform which is "Google Video", but it was not successful. YouTube had a large and engaged user interface and the platform has helped Google expand its target into the video market.

Third, Google saw YouTube as a good way to generate new advertising revenue on publishers or content creators videos on the platform. Google could sell ads on YouTube videos as the same way it sold ads on search results pages on the internet.

The acquisition of YouTube was a major success for Google Company. YouTube has continued to grow rapidly since the time it was purchased by Google, and it is now one of the most popular websites in the world. YouTube is also a major source of revenue for Google. In 2022, YouTube generated over $28 billion in revenue only.

Steps That Google Took To Buy YouTube

1. Google negotiated a price with the founders of YouTube.

2. Google secured financing for the acquisition.

3. Google obtained regulatory approval for the acquisition.

4. Google closed the deal and acquired YouTube, and that was the last stage.

Getting YouTube was a major undertaking, but it was a wise investment for Google. YouTube has become one of the most valuable assets for Google company.

Factors That Contributed To YouTube's Success

Ease of use: YouTube was one of the first video-sharing sites to make it easy for users to upload, comments, rate and share videos on the platform. User's can even watch videos without having or creating account, but you won't be able to Like, comment and subscribe to your favorite content creator if you haven't created and account yet but you will be able to view and share videos.

Wide range of content: YouTube offers a wide range of different content, from personal videos to professional productions. This makes it a platform for everyone to find something that he or she like watching.

Global reach: YouTube is available in over 100 countries and in over 80 languages in the world. This makes it a truly global platform for sharing videos and it also makes it easy for people to know what's going on in other countries or places.

Advertising revenue: YouTube generates it main revenue from advertising, which helps to keep the platform free for users. It also makes advertisers and viewers reach their target easily.

YouTube has had a major impact on the way we consume and share information. It has democratized the video-sharing landscape and has given everyone chance to share thought easily. YouTube has also become a powerful tool when it comes to education and entertainment.

Why User's Visit And Like YouTube

Education: YouTube is a great place when it comes learning new things. There are a lot of videos on YouTube on virtually every topic imaginable. The platform is best for everyone who want to learn anything which is legal, students can learn different topics like; Maths, Science, English, French, Physics, and many more. You can learn how to make money or how to start business on the platform. If you also want to learn how to cook, then YouTube is the best place.

Entertainment: YouTube is a great way to find entertainment contents. There are videos on YouTube on all sorts of topics, from comedy sketches to music videos to gaming videos and even trending video.

News and current events: YouTube is a great way to stay informed about news and current events. Many news organizations use YouTube to share their content with a global audience.

Personal expression: YouTube is a great way to express yourself creatively. Users can upload videos of themselves singing, dancing, playing music, or doing other creative things. You can also hide your face in your videos and still Upload them on the platform if you are a shy type.

YouTube is a powerful tool that can be used for a variety of purposes. It is a great resource for learning, entertainment, news, and personal expression.

Who Was The First Person To Upload Video On YouTube 

Karim was the first content creator who Uploaded videos on YouTube when it was first launched. The video was tilted: "Me at the zoo" on 23rd April, 2005. The video is less than 20 seconds long and features Karim in front of some elephants at the San Diego Zoo, commenting on how cool their long trunks are. If you want to watch the video then click on the link below or search "Me at the zoo" on YouTube to watch it.

About YouTube Platform 

YouTube headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States. It is the second most visited website in the world, after Google Search. YouTube has more than 2.5 billion monthly active users, who collectively watch more than one billion hours of videos every day. As of May 2019, videos were being uploaded to the platform at a rate of more than 500 hours of content per a minute. YouTube allows users to create and upload, view, rate, share, comment on videos. Videos can be viewed on desktop and mobile devices.

YouTube is a free service for users, but it generates revenue from advertising. Advertisers can place ads on videos, and they can also target their ads to specific demographics.

YouTube was quickly getting popular, and at that time around the end of 2005, it was serving more than two million video views each day. In November 2006, Google try to purchase YouTube for $1.65 billion.

Today, YouTube is the second most visited website in the world, and it hosts over 2 billion active users. It is a platform for creators to share their content with a global audience, and it has become an essential part of the online experience for billions of people around the world.

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