History of YouTube: The Complete Evolution

YouTube, was founded in February 2005 by Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim, 3 former paypal employees.

Originally envisioned as a dating service, it quickly pivoted towards video streaming, catalyzed by the first video upload, “Me at the zoo,” in April 2005.

YouTube’s growth skyrocketed, introducing features like playlists, subscriptions, and personalized profiles in 2005 and 2006. Its remarkable journey took a significant turn in October 2006 when Google acquired YouTube for a staggering $1.65 billion in stock, propelling it towards even greater heights.

Subsequent years saw innovations like HD video, live streaming, and YouTube Premium (Red), transforming it from a startup to a global media giant.

However, as time passed, some users have noticed that YouTube has become more favorable for advertisers while potentially posing challenges for content creators and user experience. The most notable example of that being YouTube’s recent crackdown on Adblockers.

A Timeline of Events in YouTube’s History

This timeline was made with the help of data from this Wikipedia Article. Additionally we used screenshots taken through the Web Archive to illustrate each year in the timeline.

2005:

• Users now able to embed videos into HTML
• A page for the top videos is created
• YouTube implemented a 5-star rating system
• Users now able to create Playlists on YouTube
• Videos can now be seen in Full-screen
• Users can now Subscribe to creators

2006:

• YouTube introduced Groups
• Users can now personalize profiles
• Videos now limited to 10 minutes at the longest
• Directors function added
• Users can now submit Video responses to videos
• It is now possible to upload videos from your phone
• Google acquires YouTube for $1.65 Billion
• Further personalized profiles
• Users can now access their viewing history

2007:

• Local language versions of YouTube for various regions
• Mobile web front end with RTSP streaming added

2008:

• Videos can now be uploaded in 480p
• YouTube added a video analytics tool for creators
• Video annotations added for additional context
• Audioswap feature added

2009:

• Launch of “YouTube XL” for television sets
• Videos can now be uploaded in 720p
• Introduction of 3D videos
• Videos can now be uploaded in 1080p
• Automatic speech recognition

2010:

• “Thumbs” rating system (Likes/Dislikes)
• Videos can now be uploaded in 4K
• YouTube removes Groups

2011:

• Users can now host and watch live-streams
• YouTube launches “YouTube Analytics”
• Users can now rent movies on YouTube

2012:

• YouTube added search bar preview tooltips
• YouTube merges with Google Video

2013:

• Transition to the “One” channel layout
• YouTube removes video responses feature
• Google+ integration (Users must have a Google+ Account to comment on videos)

2014:

• Videos can now be uploaded in 60 fps
• YouTube launches Music Key, a Subscription servie for ad-free music

2015:

• Users can now uplaod 360° videos
• Videos can now be uploaded in 8k
• Music Key rebrands to YouTube Red for more premium features

2016:

• Live streaming with 360° and 1440p now supported

2017:

• YouTube TV launches for smart TVs
• YouTube removes the ability to modify video annotations
• Logo changed and new “polymer” website version defaulted
• YouTube discontinues their built-in video editor

2018:

• YouTube introduces video “Premieres”

2019:

• YouTube removes annotations and AutoShare features
• Visible subscriber counts abbreviated to three leading digits

2020:

• YouTube removes legacy “Creator Studio”
• YouTube removes optional email notifications for uploads

2021:

• Purge of pre-2017 unlisted videos through mass-privatization.

• Removal of public dislikes count

2022:

• YouTube introduces a new UI Design
• YouTube adds creator handles

2023:

• Crackdown on ad blockers