Company: YouTube, Inc.

Founders: Chad Hurley, Steve Chen and Jawed Karim

Industry: Online Video Marketing

History:

Founded in 2005, YouTube, Inc. was formed by three former PayPal employees: Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim. The company specializes in consumer media and has provided the world a platform for watching and sharing video clips. Through their website, www.youtube.com, people can browse original videos, join groups, and connect with other users. Based in San Bruno, California, YouTube, Inc. has become a subsidiary of Google, Inc. since 2006.

According to a story that has been told over and over again, Chad Hurley and Steve Chen thought of creating YouTube after experiencing difficulty in sharing videos shot at a dinner party in Chen’s San Francisco apartment. Jawed Karim, who was not present at the party, denied that it ever occurred. Inspired by that event, the domain name “YouTube.com” was activated in February 15, 2005, and the site was refined over the following months. The creators presented the public a preview of the website in May 2005.

Like other starting companies in the technology industry, YouTube, Inc. started in a makeshift office. Its early headquarters was, in fact, located above a pizza place and Japanese restaurant in San Mateo, California.

In November 2005, YouTube received funding from Sequoia Capital and the website was officially established a month later in December. After a year of its launch, YouTube was purchased by Google, Inc. in one of the most talked-about transactions to date.

To expand its services and popularity even more, YouTube, Inc. has struck numerous partnerships over the years with major corporations such as CBS, BBC, Universal Music Group, Sony Music Group, Warner Music Group, and the NBA to name a few. Then, in June 2007, the company released local versions for countries outside the US, including Brazil, France, Italy, Ireland, Netherlands, Japan, and the UK.

Today, YouTube, Inc. continues to be the leader in watching and sharing videos through a Web experience.

Leadership:

Chad Hurley – CEO
Steve Chen – Chief Technology Officer
Benjamin Ling – Director of Partnerships