YouTube is an American online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was created by three former PayPal employees—Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim—in February 2005. YouTube allows users to upload, view, rate, share, add to playlists, report, comment on videos, and subscribe to other users. It offers a wide variety of user-generated and corporate media videos, including video clips, TV show clips, music videos, short and documentary films, audio recordings, movie trailers, live streams, and other content such as video blogging, educational videos, and vlogs.
The platform was officially launched on February 14, 2005, with the first video titled "Me at the zoo" uploaded by Jawed Karim on April 23, 2005. Within a year, YouTube was gaining millions of views a day, and its growth led to its acquisition by Google in November 2006 for US$1.65 billion in stock. This acquisition allowed YouTube to expand its infrastructure, improve its video recommendation algorithm, and integrate with other Google services like Google AdSense for monetization.
YouTube's business model primarily revolves around advertising. Videos can be monetized through YouTube Partner Program, where creators earn revenue from ads shown on their videos. Other revenue streams include YouTube Premium (a subscription service offering ad-free viewing and access to exclusive content), YouTube Music, and YouTube TV, which are part of YouTube's expansion into paid content services.
The platform has faced numerous challenges including copyright issues, content moderation, and concerns about its impact on traditional media and its role in spreading misinformation. To address these, YouTube has implemented various policies and technologies like Content ID for copyright protection, and it has actively worked on improving its systems for detecting and managing harmful content.
Over the years, YouTube has become a significant cultural and social phenomenon, influencing entertainment, journalism, education, and marketing. It has given rise to YouTubers, individuals who have built careers around creating content for the platform, and has been pivotal in the rise of viral videos. YouTube has also ventured into original content production with YouTube Originals, commissioning and producing series and films.
In terms of technology, YouTube uses a combination of user-generated metadata, automated systems, and human review to manage the vast amount of content uploaded daily. It employs technologies like machine learning for recommendations and content moderation, and it has been at the forefront of streaming technology, offering live streaming capabilities which have become particularly significant in events like gaming, sports, and music.