These kids sold a video-sharing website for $1.65 billion in 2006....
Baptiste@BaptisteVicini
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Oct 12, 2024
~3 min read
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These kids sold a video-sharing website for $1.65 billion in 2006.
Then vanished overnight.
Today, that site is worth over $455 BILLION dollars.
Here's why they walked away from the most valuable website in history:
Then vanished overnight.
Today, that site is worth over $455 BILLION dollars.
Here's why they walked away from the most valuable website in history:
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These unknown kids have shaped your life forever.
And you've never heard their names.
Meet Chad, Steve, and Jawed: the founders of YouTube.
3 friends who stumbled into creating the world's 2nd largest search engine.
And their journey? It's wilder than any viral video:
And you've never heard their names.
Meet Chad, Steve, and Jawed: the founders of YouTube.
3 friends who stumbled into creating the world's 2nd largest search engine.
And their journey? It's wilder than any viral video:
0:49
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It all started with a dinner party in 2004.
Frustrated they couldn't share videos easily, they had an idea...
A video dating site. "Tune in, Hook up" was its tagline.
Thankfully, it bombed.
But their next idea changed entertainment forever:
Frustrated they couldn't share videos easily, they had an idea...
A video dating site. "Tune in, Hook up" was its tagline.
Thankfully, it bombed.
But their next idea changed entertainment forever:
0:39
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YouTube launched from a garage in February 2005.
No fancy offices. No big investors. Just 3 guys with a simple mission:
The first upload? 18 seconds of Jawed at the zoo.
"The elephants have really, really long trunks."
Not exactly viral content. But it lit a fuse...
No fancy offices. No big investors. Just 3 guys with a simple mission:
The first upload? 18 seconds of Jawed at the zoo.
"The elephants have really, really long trunks."
Not exactly viral content. But it lit a fuse...
0:19
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YouTube's growth was incredible:
• 100 million daily views
• 65,000 daily uploads
It went from a garage project to a cultural phenomenon in just a year.
Their next move would reshape media forever:
• 100 million daily views
• 65,000 daily uploads
It went from a garage project to a cultural phenomenon in just a year.
Their next move would reshape media forever:
0:46
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YouTube made billion-dollar deals with big media companies.
This changed how content was shared. Everyone wanted to be part of it.
Old media rushed to keep up as YouTube changed everything.
But this was just the start. Something even bigger was coming:
This changed how content was shared. Everyone wanted to be part of it.
Old media rushed to keep up as YouTube changed everything.
But this was just the start. Something even bigger was coming:
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October 2006: Google acquires YouTube for $1.65 billion.
The founders became instant tech royalty.
Most would've basked in the spotlight, building personal empires.
Not these guys. They saw something we didn't:
The founders became instant tech royalty.
Most would've basked in the spotlight, building personal empires.
Not these guys. They saw something we didn't:
1:36
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YouTube wasn't just a website. It was a cultural shift.
• It launched Justin Bieber
• Spawned a $15 billion creator economy
• Revolutionized how we consume news and information
It had seemed their creation had outgrown them.
So they did the unthinkable...
• It launched Justin Bieber
• Spawned a $15 billion creator economy
• Revolutionized how we consume news and information
It had seemed their creation had outgrown them.
So they did the unthinkable...
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By 2011, all 3 founders had walked away from YouTube.
They abandoned the internet's most powerful platform at its peak.
Why? Because true innovators don't rest on their laurels.
They build, disrupt, and then move on to the next big challenge...
They abandoned the internet's most powerful platform at its peak.
Why? Because true innovators don't rest on their laurels.
They build, disrupt, and then move on to the next big challenge...
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Post-YouTube, they didn't disappear. They evolved:
• Hurley invested in the Golden State Warriors, turning them into NBA champs
• Chen backed unicorns like Slack and Airbnb
• Karim's investments included Reddit and Palantir
But their greatest legacy lives on...
• Hurley invested in the Golden State Warriors, turning them into NBA champs
• Chen backed unicorns like Slack and Airbnb
• Karim's investments included Reddit and Palantir
But their greatest legacy lives on...
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YouTube today is a behemoth:
• 2.6 billion active users (1/3 of the internet)
• $28.8 billion in revenue in 2021
But these numbers only scratch the surface. The real power of YouTube?
• 2.6 billion active users (1/3 of the internet)
• $28.8 billion in revenue in 2021
But these numbers only scratch the surface. The real power of YouTube?
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It's not just video sharing. It's a force that reshapes our world:
• Influences elections (62% of US adults get news from it)
• Drives social movements (#MeToo videos: 32M views in 2017)
From entertainment to revolution, YouTube's impact is undeniable.
The lesson?
• Influences elections (62% of US adults get news from it)
• Drives social movements (#MeToo videos: 32M views in 2017)
From entertainment to revolution, YouTube's impact is undeniable.
The lesson?
0:39
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World-changing ideas often start with solving a simple problem.
Chad, Steve, and Jawed just wanted to share party videos.
Now, their creation shapes global politics, culture, and commerce.
What's the YouTube of tomorrow? Are you building it?
The stage is set. Your move.
Chad, Steve, and Jawed just wanted to share party videos.
Now, their creation shapes global politics, culture, and commerce.
What's the YouTube of tomorrow? Are you building it?
The stage is set. Your move.
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I am Baptiste Parravicini:
• Tech entrepreneur & API visionary
• Co-founder of apidays, world's leading API conference
• Passionate about AI integration & tech for the greater good
Follow for insights on how APIs are connecting our future
Repost for your network 🔄:
• Tech entrepreneur & API visionary
• Co-founder of apidays, world's leading API conference
• Passionate about AI integration & tech for the greater good
Follow for insights on how APIs are connecting our future
Repost for your network 🔄:
Baptiste@BaptisteVicini
These kids sold a video-sharing website for $1.65 billion in 2006.
Then vanished overnight.
Today, that site is worth over $455 BILLION dollars.
Here's why they walked away from the most valuable website in history:
Then vanished overnight.
Today, that site is worth over $455 BILLION dollars.
Here's why they walked away from the most valuable website in history:
15
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• Join our 300K+ community apidays.typeform.com/to/i1MPEW
• Follow @BaptisteParravicini for more on APIs, tech, and the future of AI.
• Repost for your network if you found it helpful! ♻️
The future is connected.
Become part of it...
• Join our 300K+ community apidays.typeform.com/to/i1MPEW
• Follow @BaptisteParravicini for more on APIs, tech, and the future of AI.
• Repost for your network if you found it helpful! ♻️
The future is connected.
Become part of it...