YouTube Turns 20: Watch the First Video Ever Uploaded to the Site

Happy birthday, YouTube! Twenty years since its 2005 debut, the streaming platform has grown into the indisputable champion of online streaming.

The first YouTube video ever is a grainy, 19-second clip of elephants at the San Diego Zoo. It was uploaded on April 23, 2005, by YouTube founder Jawed Karim, a German-born software engineer who created the company at age 25 with two PayPal coworkers. The site officially launched a few months later, on Dec. 15, and there are now over a billion videos on YouTube with 20 million uploaded each day, the company says.

YouTube is now the second biggest website globally Google, which acquired the site in 2006 for $1.65 billion. It’s the number one most-visited website by Gen Z, followed by Instagram and TikTok, according to a report by from market research agency Opeepl. Its revenue is on track to surpass Disney by the end of this year, CNBC reports.

PCMag has been covering YouTube as long as it’s been in existence. We’ve helped readers download YouTube videos, skip the ads, and decide whether it’s better to pay for live TV on YouTube TV or Hulu. We’ve also hand-picked our favorite channels.

In honor of its 20th birthday, YouTube is “breaking its silence” on the platform’s “hidden gems.” A few keyboard shortcuts could be fun to play with, such as the left/right arrows to fast forward or rewind, or tapping the spacebar to play or pause a video. You can long-press anywhere on the video player to watch in 2x speed. Parents can review what their kids are watching by activating “approve content yourself” mode.

YouTube also seems to be promoting its music products, potentially to compete with TikTok’s growing presence in the music space. “Song Search,” which helps identify a song by humming or singing it into the microphone. Those with a Premium subscription ($13.99/month for individuals, or $22.99 for families) can also create a “personalized radio station” using Ask Music.

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About Emily Forlini

Senior Reporter

I’m the expert at PCMag for all things electric vehicles and AI. I’ve written hundreds of articles on these topics, including product reviews, daily news, CEO interviews, and deeply reported features. I also cover other topics within the tech industry, keeping a pulse on what technologies are coming down the pipe that could shape how we live and work.

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