Who made the first youtube video

Little did anyone know that a platform launched to upload random amateur videos would eventually disrupt the whole video industry. YouTube, founded on February 14, 2005, has become such a behemoth that even big media companies such as CBS, NBC are also forced to use this platform to get people's attention. 

YouTube, now a subsidiary of Alphabet  (GOOGL) , easily outperforms streaming giants like Netflix  (NFLX) when it comes to advertising revenue. In 2021's Q4 quarterly earnings, YouTube delivered $8.6 billion in advertising revenue whereas Netflix had $7.7 billion. 

YouTube's core strength is the user-generated content where everyday people can upload their content, and if luck favors, they become a YouTube star raking in millions of dollars.

If you ever wondered who was the first person to upload a video on YouTube, let me help you.

Jawed Karim posted the first-ever video on YouTube titled 'Me at the zoo.' Posted on April 23, 2005, the video has over 221 million views.

Karim is one of the three co-founders of YouTube. Karim, Steve Chen and Chad Hurley, who were early PayPal  (PYPL) employees, started working on YouTube in early 2005. Interestingly, YouTube's true origin is a subject of debate.

Karim said he pitched the idea of a video-sharing site after he couldn't find the video of the infamous Janet Jackson Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction. Chen and Hurley, however, said the original idea behind YouTube was a video version of an online dating service, which was influenced by the website Hot or Not.

Interestingly, when YouTube was launched, Karim became an informal adviser to YouTube to focus on his studies. While he was doing his master's in computer science at Stanford University, Google acquired YouTube for $1.65 billion, netting over $63 million to Karim's portfolio.

After the acquisition, the world knew Karim as one of YouTube’s three co-founders, and he began making public appearances. In 2007, he launched YVentures (formerly called Youniversity Ventures), which has invested in companies like Airbnb  (ABNB) , Reddit, Palantir  (PLTR) , Eventbrite  (EB) , and others.

By the mid-2010s, however, Karim disappeared from the public eye, and interestingly, he doesn't have any social media presence. 

Watch the video above to find out how Karim communicates with the world when he rarely chooses to do so.

Updated Jun 13, 2022 | 07:57 AM IST

What was the first-ever video on YouTube?

• YouTube was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim.
• It was bought by Google for $1.65 billion in October 2006, 18 months after posting its first video and 10 months after its official launch.
• Jawed Karim uploaded the first-ever video on YouTube - a 19-second-long clip of himself from San Diego Zoo while standing close to an elephant enclosure.

YouTube has changed the way we watch videos and consume content. In many ways, it has revolutionised the way we use the internet.

By and large, it has been the most widely used and influential platform of the internet age for people of all age groups.

Over the years, the popularity of YouTube has skyrocketed to such a level that it now covers almost all subjects.

From news, documentaries, and film trailers to analysis, vlogs, and events, YouTube is always the most preferred platform.

We come across several YouTube videos every day. Some videos you watch and save, and some you share. YouTube has become an enduring internet routine for millions around the world.

Which brings us to some questions that you might have asked yourself many times - What was the first-ever video on YouTube and when was it posted?

YouTube was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It was bought by Google for $1.65 billion in October 2006, 18 months after posting its first video and 10 months after its official launch.

Jawed Karim uploaded the first-ever video on YouTube - a 19-second-long clip of himself from San Diego Zoo while standing close to an elephant enclosure.

The clip, which now has over 235 million views and over 12 million likes, was posted on the Instagram account of YoUTube India on 11 June.

Karim, who is of Bangladeshi and German descent, posted the video on April 23, 2005. It was captioned: "If you think about it, it all started with a Short."

Watch it here:

The clip received a reply from San Diego Zoo about two years ago. They wrote: "We're so honored that the first ever YouTube video was filmed here."

Here's how netizens reacted to the Insta post:

A user wrote, "Would you believe me on youtube if I say everyone has watched this video 100 times.

"And yet i saw this for the first time today," wrote another.

"I knew it but I'm astonished by watching how much we've grown on YouTube and youtube itself," commented a third user.

What was your first-ever YouTube upload?

awed Karim, in front of the elephants. (Jawed Karim/Youtube)

By Leah Asmelash | CNN

Time to hit rewind.

The first ever YouTube video was uploaded on April 23, 2005 — exactly 15 years ago, today.

CLICK HERE if you are having a problem viewing the video on a mobile device

YouTube co-founder Jawed Karim posted the 18-second video, titled “Me at the zoo.” It has since garnered over 90 million views. To this day, it is the only video on Karim’s channel.

Upon clicking play, the screen fills with a young Karim’s face, his disheveled hair taking up the screen front and center.

“Alright,” Karim begins. “So here we are, in front of the elephants.”

There he is. In front of the elephants.

“The cool thing about these guys is that they have really, really, really long, um, trunks,” he continues. “And that’s, that’s cool.”

So. True.

Unlike many YouTube creators’ videos these days, Karim’s video does not include what’s considered the more traditional sign off: “Subscribe to my channel!” or “Like, rate, comment!”

He ends the video simply by stating: “And that’s pretty much all there is to say.”

A year after “Me at the zoo,” Karim and fellow co-founders sold the platform to Google for a whopping $1.65 billion.

Now, the platform boasts more than 2 billion logged-in users visit each month, according to YouTube.

In the past decade and a half, YouTube has seen many highs and lows.

Among the lows: A surge in hate speech videos (including videos by prominent white supremacists); drama around certain creators (including PewDiePie, one YouTube’s biggest stars who faced allegations of racism and anti-Semitism); and frustration from some creators.

Among the highs: Helping elevate creators (from Smosh to Miranda Sings); launching YouTube Red, a streaming service with original TV shows and movies; and becoming a hub for all kinds of content.

YouTube says one billion hours of content is watched daily.

And it all began with Karim, at the zoo.

The-CNN-Wire