Jawed Karim: How YouTube’s Co-Founder Changed the Internet with ‘Me At The Zoo’
Content creation has become a booming industry, transforming everyday internet users into millionaires. A few decades ago, the idea of earning a living by simply posting videos online would have seemed bizarre. But just as social media reshaped how we communicate, video-sharing platforms revolutionized entertainment and business alike.
Among the many platforms dominating this space, YouTube stands tall. Launched on February 14, 2005, it became the breeding ground for internet celebrities like KSI, PewDiePie, and MrBeast. But long before these names became synonymous with online fame, YouTube had a much humbler beginning.
The First Video on YouTube: A Casual Start
The first-ever video uploaded to the platform was a far cry from today’s high-production content. Titled ‘Me at the zoo,’ it was posted on April 23, 2005, and featured a man standing in front of an elephant enclosure, casually discussing their long trunks.
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That man was Jawed Karim, one of YouTube’s three co-founders. “All right, 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,” he said in the video. “And that’s pretty much all there is to say.”
Since then Karim would never upload another video again but he has accumulated over 348 million views on the clip as well as over 5.2 million subscribers.
Jawed Karim: The Silent Co-Founder
Unlike Karim’s business partners, Chad Hurley and Steve Chen, Karim took on more of an advisory role within the company, holding a smaller stake. But that didn’t stop him from reaping the rewards when Google came knocking in October 2006.
YouTube was acquired for $1.65 billion in stock, securing Karim an estimated $64 million. It seems now that it was not a bad payday for someone who never had “salary, benefits or even a formal title” at the company.
Despite making history with his one and only video, Karim never sought the spotlight. Instead, he shifted gears toward investing, becoming one of the earliest backers of Airbnb and launching his own venture capital firm, YVentures, in 2009, with partners Keith Rabois and Kevin Hartz.
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A Quiet Voice That Still Speaks Loudly
Though his content creation days ended after that single 18-second clip, Karim never completely detached himself from YouTube. Over the years, he subtly edited Me at the Zoo’s description to voice his opinions on the platform’s decisions.
When Google forced YouTube users to create Google+ accounts for commenting, he lashed out in the description. “Why the f*** do i need a Google+ account to comment on a video?” he said.
The backlash was so strong that Google eventually abandoned Google+ altogether. When YouTube removed public dislike counts, he protested once again, echoing the frustration of millions of users.
“When every YouTuber agrees that removing dislikes is a stupid idea, it probably is. Try again, YouTube,” Karim said.
Even after all these years, Karim remains an enigmatic figure, one of YouTube’s founding fathers and yet an outsider to the influencer culture it helped create.
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