There has been a debate recently on who is the real owner of YouTube. Is it the trio that founded this company, or Google, or is there someone behind the scenes that we don’t know about?
2 billion people open YouTube at least once every day to look at their favorite YouTubers or to catch up with today’s breaking news. Many also find it to be really useful for educational purposes, like learning how to solve a hard mathematical problem or cooking an apple pie.
Many have never thought about who is the real owner of YouTube and how they even got the idea to create this platform, so let’s break the mystery down and explore its origins.
Founding of YouTube
The origins of YouTube can be traced back to February 2005. The story goes that Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim, all working at PayPal at the time, were looking for a way to easily share videos online.
This inspiration came after a rather viral incident – the infamous Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake wardrobe malfunction during the Super Bowl halftime show. The trio realized they couldn’t find the video readily available anywhere. This sparked the idea for a platform dedicated to video sharing, a concept that didn’t widely exist at the time.
Their initial vision for the platform wasn’t quite YouTube as we know it today. They actually started with the idea of a video dating service called “Tune In, Hook Up“.
While that concept didn’t take off, the video-sharing technology they developed for it proved to be far more valuable. In February 2005, the company activated www.youtube.com with the inaugural upload “Me at the Zoo”, featuring Jawed Karim. Initially, however, utilizing these services was cumbersome and costly for users, who had to pay to share their videos.
A bit later, with some adjustments, they officially launched YouTube on December 15th, 2005, forever changing the way people share and consume videos online.
Unlike its predecessors, YouTube streamlined the process, allowing users to view, publish, comment, like, and share videos with far fewer barriers. Over time, it evolved into the preeminent video-sharing platform globally.
Who is The Real Owner of YouTube Now?
The real owner of YouTube today is Google. While YouTube was founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim, Google acquired the platform in October 2006 for a whopping $1.65 billion. Since then, YouTube has been operating as a subsidiary of Google.
This acquisition proved to be a strategic move for both parties. Google leveraged its vast resources to propel YouTube into the global phenomenon it is today. YouTube, on the other hand, benefitted from Google’s advertising network, AdSense, which became a key source of revenue for both YouTube and its content creators.
As of today, YouTube remains under Google’s umbrella, solidifying its position as the world’s leading video-sharing platform.
Where is The Headquarters of YouTube?
YouTube is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States. The YouTube headquarters encompasses a sprawling campus comprising multiple buildings.
Its primary structure, known as the YouTube Space, serves as the central workplace for the majority of the company’s staff. There are many amenities available in the YouTube Space, such as a state-of-the-art video studio, a screening room, and a recreational game room.
In addition to its main headquarters, YouTube maintains several other offices globally, including locations in London, Tokyo, and New York City.
The Last Couple Years on YouTube – What Changed?
Let’s take a trip down memory lane and explore some of the most significant events that shaped YouTube between 2021 and 2024.
2021
- November
YouTube removes the public display of dislike counts on videos, citing cyberbullying concerns and brigading. Some users support the move, while others criticize it for hindering the ability to identify clickbait or unhelpful content.
Jawed Karim, co-founder of YouTube, criticizes the decision, calling it “a stupid idea” and suggesting it interferes with users’ ability to identify harmful content.
2022
- January
YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki acknowledges the controversy but defends the decision to remove public dislike counts, stating it reduced “dislike attacks”.
YouTube experiments show users watching longer videos on TVs are a long chain of short un-skippable adverts. The move sparks public outrage, and the experiment is terminated on September 19.
- October
YouTube announces the rollout of customizable user handles and channel names, which also become channel URLs.
2023
- February
Susan Wojcicki announces her decision to step down as CEO, with Neal Mohan appointed as her successor. Wojcicki will transition to an advisory role for Google and its parent company Alphabet.
- October
YouTube initiates a crackdown on ad blockers on the platform. Users may receive warnings or prompts to allow ads or subscribe to YouTube Premium to avoid interruptions. YouTube cites violation of its terms of service as the reason for the crackdown.
2024
- January
The YouTube interface is now available in localized versions in 104 countries, one territory (Hong Kong), and a worldwide version, with ongoing efforts to expand availability to more countries and regions.
Google Play Movies & TV officially closes its doors on January 17, 2024. The web version of the platform is migrated to YouTube, expanding the Movies & TV store to desktop users. Other functionalities of Google Play Movies & TV are integrated into the Google TV service.
