By Hash Techs 
YouTube, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim, celebrated its 20th anniversary on Friday, February 14, 2025, changing the way videos are shared and viewed online.
In 2006, Google purchased the platform for $1.65 billion, establishing it as the primary player in the online video industry.
Over the course of more than 20 years, YouTube has gone through various changes. Initially focused on sharing personal videos, it evolved into a platform for influencers, professional content, and live streaming.
With the advancement of monetization and digital advertising, YouTube has turned into a revenue stream for many content creators. The platform introduced services like YouTube Premium, YouTube Music, and YouTube Shorts to keep up with changing digital consumption patterns. Currently, YouTube ranks as the second biggest social network globally, second only to Facebook in terms of active users.
YouTube Trivia
- Neal Mohan became the CEO of YouTube in 2023.
- Over 500 hours of video content are uploaded to the platform every minute, according to estimates.
- YouTube has more than 2 billion active logged users every month, with hundreds of millions using the platform daily.
- The video “Baby Shark Dance” is among the most watched videos ever, having accumulated more than 13 billion views.
- The initial video shared on the platform was “Me at the zoo,” created by Jawed Karim in 2005.
Services and networks that emerged following the creation of Youtube
Several new platforms have emerged in the digital landscape since YouTube was created. Here is a list of services that were launched post-2005:
- Instagram, established in 2010, has emerged as a top global social platform, featuring features such as stories and reels.
- Snapchat, introduced in 2011, made ephemeral content and augmented reality filters popular.
- Twitch, launched in 2011, is primarily dedicated to live streaming, with a strong emphasis on gamers.
- TikTok, introduced in 2016, transformed the concept of brief and widely shared videos.
- Threads (2023) – Developed by Meta, a platform offering an alternative to Twitter for text and conversations.
- WhatsApp, established in 2009, is now the most widely used messaging application globally.
- Telegram, which was released in 2013, became well-liked due to its strong security measures and advanced functionalities.
- Discord, released in 2015, is designed for communication through voice and text among communities and gamers.
- Signal (2014) gained attention for its emphasis on privacy and use of end-to-end encryption.
- Netflix started offering streaming services in 2007 and grew its collection of original content to become a major player in the entertainment industry.
- Disney+ is a streaming service launched by Disney in 2019, offering exclusive content from Marvel, Star Wars, and Pixar.
- Apple TV+ is a streaming service launched by Apple in 2019, featuring exclusive original content.
- HBO Max, launched in 2020, is now included in Max and is a streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery.
Watch and enjoy our most recent video uploaded on Youtube.