YouTube's First Video ¡®Me At The Zoo¡¯ Was Uploaded On April 23, 2005 & Has Over 317 Million Views!

Can you imagine life without Youtube? On an average, most of us watch a minimum of one video per day on it.

It might come as a surprise but it was nineteen years ago, on this very day, when a man named Jawed Karim uploaded the first ever video on YouTube. He was the one who founded the website along with his two mates.

The First Video To Be Posted On YouTube Was Called ¡®Me At The Zoo¡¯

In the 19-second clip called ¡®Me at the zoo¡¯, Karim can be seen standing in front of the elephants at the San Diego Zoo. In the video, Karim says, ¡°Alright. So here we are, in front of the elephants. The cool thing about these guys is that they have really, really, really long, trunks and that¡¯s cool.¡±

This video which was captured by his friends was shot just a few months before YouTube¡¯s official launch in May 2005.

Despite such a low quality, this video played a big part in the revolution of the digital scene.

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Co-Founder Karim Made A Fortune In The Form Of Company Stock One Year After Launching Youtube!

In 2006, tech giant Google acquired the platform for a staggering $1.65 billion. Jawed Karim, who pursued computer science studies at Stanford University, received 137,443 shares of Google stock, valued at $64 million (Rs 533 Crore) at the time, according to reports by the New York Times. Today, April 23, marks the 19th anniversary of the video, which has amassed over 317 million views to date.

Remembering the video, an X user shared the clip and wrote, ¡°On this day 19 years ago, the first-ever YouTube video was uploaded in 2005. It has garnered 317 million views since then.¡±

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Jawed Karim¡¯s Journey

Aside from Jawed Karim, another co-founder and CEO of YouTube, Chad Hurley, acquired 694,087 shares of Google stock, along with an additional 41,232 shares in a trust, valued at $345 million. Similarly, co-founder Steven Chen received 625,366 shares and an additional 68,721 shares in a trust, totaling close to $326 million.

Before embarking on his entrepreneurial journey, Karim worked at PayPal, where he crossed paths with Steve and Chad. The concept for the video platform emerged when Karim struggled to find clips of the Super Bowl and Indian Ocean Earthquake. Initially envisioning a dating site, the trio encountered challenges with the idea. They later recognized the potential of a video streaming platform and shifted their focus to creating YouTube.

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Following Google's acquisition of YouTube, Jawed Karim established Y Ventures, previously known as Youniversity Ventures. Through this organization, Karim has invested in prominent companies such as Airbnb, Reddit, and Eventbrite.

Check out the video right here:

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