Which startup was co-founded by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim? YouTube was co-founded by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim.
The three founders had worked together at PayPal before launching YouTube in February 2005. Hurley contributed design expertise, Chen focused heavily on engineering and product development, and Karim helped shape the concept and technical foundations while pursuing graduate studies at Stanford.
YouTube’s original idea was reportedly connected to online dating, but the founders soon broadened it into a general video-sharing platform. The first video, “Me at the zoo,” was uploaded by Karim on April 23, 2005. It showed him at the San Diego Zoo and became a landmark in internet history.
Google bought YouTube in November 2006 for $1.65 billion in stock. A frequent mix-up is crediting only Hurley and Chen, because Karim had a less visible operating role; he is nevertheless recognized as one of YouTube’s three co-founders.