@Mark Ollig
YouTube, started by three former PayPal employees, Chad Hurley, Jawed Karim, and Steve Chen, officially began Feb. 15, 2005, at 5:13 a.m. UTC (Coordinated Universal Time).
YouTube, started by three former PayPal employees, Chad Hurley, Jawed Karim, and Steve Chen, officially began Feb. 15, 2005, at 5:13 a.m. UTC (Coordinated Universal Time).
In San Mateo, CA, where YouTube was founded, this time difference translates to 9:13 p.m. PST (Pacific Standard Time) Feb. 14, 2005.
UTC is the global time standard unaffected by seasonal changes or time zones. PST, used in California, is UTC minus eight hours.
I obtained domain registration details for YouTube.com using the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) registration data lookup tool.
This tool now primarily uses the RDAP (Registration Data Access Protocol) database, which has replaced the older WHOIS protocol as of Jan. 28, 2025.
ICANN manages the global domain name system, which ensures that all internet-connected devices have unique addresses and that users can access websites using human-readable names like google.com, instead of complex numerical addresses.
Domain registration details can be accessed using ICANN’s registration data lookup tool at https://lookup.icann.org/en.
Be aware that some information may be restricted due to privacy regulations.
YouTube began its beta testing phase in May 2005 with a select number of users.
After months of beta testing and fine-tuning the platform, YouTube opened its online doors to the world Dec. 15, 2005.
Jawed Karim posted the first video ever uploaded to YouTube, “Me at the Zoo,” April 23, 2005.
In this 18-second video clip, Karim stands in front of an elephant exhibit at the San Diego Zoo, commenting on the animals, “really, really, really long trunks, and that’s cool.”
This historic YouTube video now has 347 million views, and you can watch it here: bit.ly/3Q0ef7w.
Sequoia Capital (an American venture capital firm) initially invested $3.5 million in YouTube Nov. 7, 2005.
In April 2006, YouTube raised an additional $8 million from Sequoia Capital and Artis Capital Management (an investment firm).
The $11.5 million accelerated YouTube’s growth by improving video features and attracting content creators.
By April 2006, YouTube had 35 million daily views, establishing it as the leading online video platform.
Just a year and a half after Karim’s video upload, YouTube was for sale, attracting interest from major companies, including Yahoo! Inc., Microsoft, and Google.
Google eventually secured YouTube’s acquisition, finalizing the deal Nov. 13, 2006, for $1.65 billion.
The deal reportedly took place at a Denny’s near YouTube’s headquarters, which made me wonder if they all ordered the Grand Slam breakfast.
Google CEO Eric Schmidt called the YouTube acquisition the “next step in the evolution of the internet.”
At the time, Google was operating its public video service, video.google.com, which it eventually phased out in 2011.
In 2024, 82% of businesses were using YouTube for video marketing.
YouTube accounted for 37% of all global mobile internet traffic as of December 2024.
As of January of this year, YouTube has 2.7 billion monthly active users worldwide.
Here is a list of the top ten countries with the most YouTube users:
India: 476 million.
United States: 238 million.
Brazil: 147 million.
Indonesia: 139 million.
Mexico: 84.2 million.
Japan: 79.4 million.
Russia: 78.8 million.
Germany: 65.7 million.
Vietnam: 63 million.
Philippines: 58.1 million.
Although YouTube is not officially blocked in Russia, its accessibility is significantly limited.
Today, YouTube hosts 8.5 billion videos, with more than 70% of their views coming from mobile devices.
Every minute, approximately 500 hours of new videos are uploaded, totaling 2.4 million each day.
Additionally, YouTube users watch more than a billion hours of content daily.
More than 100 million paying subscribers exist, including those using services like YouTube Premium (which eliminates commercials), YouTube Music, and YouTube Shorts (videos under 60 seconds).
Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming YouTube video creation.
It enables tools that translate videos into multiple languages, allowing creators to connect with global audiences.
AI is transforming content creation on YouTube by generating videos from scripts.
The platform uses AI for features like auto-subtitling to improve accessibility and “Dream Screen.”
Dream Screen enables creators to generate custom backgrounds for their shorts using text prompts.
It acts like a virtual green screen, allowing users to create unique visual scenes without filming.
Additionally, AI algorithms recommend videos based on user interests, promoting personalized content recommendations.
In May 2007, YouTube introduced the YouTube Partner Program, enabling content creators to earn money from their videos through advertisements. Many content creators are earning significant income.
YouTube also added revenue-sharing models for shorts, super chats, and memberships.
Today, YouTube continues to be the leading platform for creators, but it faces several challenges, such as copyright enforcement, the rise of AI-generated deepfakes, misinformation, and ad-blocker policies.
New regulations, like the European Digital Services Act, are influencing how YouTube moderates its content.
YouTube’s estimated value was $31.7 billion in 2024.
Its value for this year is projected at $35 billion to $40 billion, which represents an increase of approximately 2,021.21% to 2,324.24% from Google’s initial 2005 $1.65 billion investment.
YouTube has been the voice of a generation for 20 years, and its influence will continue to shape how we interact with our world.
