Google acquired YouTube in 2006 for $1.65 billion in Google stock.
YouTube was founded by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and launched in 2005. The service made it easy for people to upload, watch, and share online video at a time when broadband access and browser-based video were expanding quickly. Google already operated Google Video, but YouTube had developed stronger user growth and cultural momentum.
The transaction was announced in October 2006 and completed in November. YouTube continued to operate as a distinct service, while Google supplied infrastructure, advertising expertise, and international scale. The purchase is sometimes misdated because YouTube had been founded only about a year before Google announced the deal. It is also distinct from Google’s later ownership of other video products: YouTube remained the central user-generated video platform and eventually expanded into music, live streaming, premium subscriptions, and television services.