Do Youtube Founders Regret Selling Youtube For Google?
It’s no secret that YouTube founders Chad Hurley and Steve Chen regret selling YouTube for $1.65 billion in 2006 to Google. Hurley and Chen created YouTube in a San Mateo garage a few months before and it became an instant success. However, a then-unknown CEO of Google, Eric Schmidt, was determined to “not let a good competitor destroy a great business.” Google eventually bought YouTube and it has become one of the company’s most valuable assets.
At the time of the sale, YouTube had no revenue and had only started running advertising on its site. Today, the site is one of the most profitable businesses within Google, generating billions of dollars in annual revenue.YouTube’s rapid growth is due in part to Google’s investments in technology and marketing, which have enabled it to reach millions of viewers. Furthermore, Google’s dominance in the search engine market gives it an edge over rival video sites like Vimeo and Hulu, resulting in millions of daily views.
What must have seemed like an excellent business decision at the time now looks like a missed opportunity for Hurley and Chen. They sold YouTube for less than a quarter of the company’s current worth, which is estimated to be around $68 billion. In the 11 years since the sale, YouTube’s founders have become two of the wealthiest people in the world, yet the true magnitude of the mistake has yet to be fully comprehended.
Although making a billion-dollar sale may sound like a dream come true, the reality is that Hurley and Chen may have given up a great opportunity to create something quite remarkable. They could have potentially become as successful, and as wealthy, as Eric Schmidt and become a part of tech’s elite. Instead, their story is one of “what might have been.”
Still, Hurley and Chen have been able to maintain respect and admiration within the tech community, even after the sale. They are considered tech visionaries who took a risk and created something that is now integral to the success of Google. Moreover, they sold YouTube at a time when many tech companies were struggling to remain profitable. It is clear that the YouTube founders deserve to be remembered as innovators.
Whether the YouTube founders regret selling their business to Google depend on a lot of factors. For some, the regret may be rooted in the fact that they sold the company at a much lower price point. Others might simply wish they had held onto the company and grown it further. No matter their motivations, though, the fact that YouTube has become an integral part of Google shows that Chad Hurley and Steve Chen made the right choice.
Was Google’s acquisition of Youtube beneficial for Youtube founders?
Yes, Google’s acquisition of YouTube in 2006 was very beneficial for YouTube founders, Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim. The three founders reportedly received around $1.65 billion in combined Google stock and an additional $346 million in a cash payout. This acquisition allowed YouTube to grow into the world’s largest online video platform, with billions of views and videos streamed daily. Additionally, Google was able to use its advertising capabilities to further monetise YouTube, creating a lucrative business and generating further success for its founders.
Does Google have exclusive rights to Youtube post-acquisition?
No, Google does not have exclusive rights to YouTube post-acquisition. YouTube is a website owned and operated by Google, but other entities, such as individual creators, media companies, and partners, may post content on YouTube that Google does not control.