YouTube launched the first major video-sharing website in 2005. The service was created by former PayPal employees Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim, who founded YouTube in February of that year.
The domain was registered on February 14, 2005, and the first video, “Me at the zoo,” was uploaded by Karim on April 23. YouTube began as a venture-backed startup in San Mateo, California, and quickly made browser-based video uploading and sharing easy for ordinary users.
YouTube was not literally the first video-sharing site: Vimeo, for example, was founded in 2004. YouTube’s distinction is its rapid growth and its role in making online video mainstream. Google acquired it in November 2006 for $1.65 billion in stock.