The story
Three PayPal alumni first tried a video dating site. When nobody signed up, they opened it to any video at all. Google paid $1.65B about 18 months after launch.
No. 022 · 2005 · San Mateo
YouTube
Started as dating. Pivoted to elephants.
$1.65B in 20 months
Make my startup a legend- 1 Three PayPal alums above a pizzeria.
- 2 Idea one: video dating. Nobody signs up.
- 3 They offer women $20 to upload. Still nobody.
- 4 So: any video at all.
- 5 First upload: a guy at the zoo.
- 6 Traffic melts everything.
- 7 Google pays $1.65B after 20 months.
- 8 Now it's where everyone goes for how-tos.
- Founders
- Chad Hurley, Steve Chen and Jawed Karim
- Founded
- 2005, San Mateo
- What they do
- The world's biggest video platform.