Who is the Owner of YouTube?
From three founders to Google's $1.65 billion acquisition, know who owns YouTube today and who is behind the world's popular video platform.
YouTube is the biggest video streaming platform in the world with 2.7 billion people worldwide using the platform every month.
It is the hub of information and entertainment for everyone. However, the main question that arises is who actually owns YouTube? The answer to it is quite simple. YouTube is owned by Google LLC where Google is running YouTube as part of its larger business.
Google acquired YouTube in the year 2006 in a deal which was $1.65 billion. This deal was known as one of the biggest tech acquisitions of that time.
Who is the Owner of YouTube?
YouTube's parent company is Google LLC which ties it directly to Alphabet Inc. Here is the simple difference. Google is a company that runs products like Google Search, Gmail, and YouTube.
On the other hand, Alphabet is the bigger company that owns Google and many other businesses as well. Even after YouTube was acquired, the brand has kept its identity intact.
Who Founded YouTube?
YouTube was founded by three people:
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Chad Hurley
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Steve Chen
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Jawed Karim
These three used to work together at PayPal and founded YouTube in February 2005. The idea of starting YouTube came from a simple problem where the founders wanted an easy way to share video clips online.
Chad Hurley worked on the design and business of the platform while Steve Chen focused on technology and infrastructure. Jawed Karim worked on shaping the early product idea and uploaded the first-ever YouTube video in April 2005.
Why Did Google Buy YouTube?
By 2006, YouTube was becoming the top place for people to watch online videos. People were continuously uploading and watching content in huge numbers.
However, YouTube was in need of stronger technology and a bigger business model to support that growth.
That is when Google came into play and the platform got acquired. Google chose to keep YouTube as a separate brand. This helped YouTube keep its identity as a creator-first video platform.
How Much Did Google Pay for YouTube?
Here is a quick summary table:
| Detail | Information |
| Buyer | |
| Seller | YouTube |
| Announced | October 9, 2006 |
| Deal value | $1.65 billion |
| Payment | Google stock |
| Deal completed | November 13, 2006 |
Who is the CEO of YouTube?
Neal Mohan is the current CEO of YouTube and he took over the role in 2023. Before becoming CEO, Mohan was working as YouTube's Chief Product Officer.
In that role he was working on products like YouTube Shorts, YouTube Music, and YouTube TV. Before joining YouTube, he was working at Google as Senior Vice President of Display and Video Ads.
How Does YouTube Make Money?
YouTube earns money through several sources. Here is a brief overview:
Advertising: This is one of the largest sources of income for YouTube.
YouTube Premium: The platform offers a paid subscription which removes ads and adds extra features like background play and downloads.
YouTube Music: This is a music streaming branch of YouTube. It is similar to other music apps that are available in the market.
Channel Memberships: Creators can offer paid memberships to their fans and YouTube charges a 30% amount from creators.
Nikhil is a dedicated digital journalist and communications professional with more than five years of experience, currently working within the General Knowledge section at Jagran Josh. He has established himself as a subject matter expert in Finance, Economy, History, Technology, and Trending News, consistently delivering accurate, engaging, and easy-to-read content for a wide global audience.
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