Jawed Karim

Jawed Karim was born on October 28, 1979, in Merseburg, East Germany, to a Bangladeshi father and a German mother.{{cite news |title=Big data company Palantir is now officially a public company — and it's one of nearly a dozen major tech firms that can trace its roots to PayPal |url=https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/big-data-company-palantir-is-now-officially-a-public-company-x2014-and-itaposs-one-of-nearly-a-dozen-major-tech-firms-that-can-trace-its-roots-to-paypal/slidelist/78465316.cms |work=Business Insider |access-date=June 29, 2024 |archive-date=May 15, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240515083320/https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/big-data-company-palantir-is-now-officially-a-public-company-x2014-and-itaposs-one-of-nearly-a-dozen-major-tech-firms-that-can-trace-its-roots-to-paypal/slidelist/78465316.cms |url-status=live }} His father Naimul Karim ({{langx|bn|নাইমুল করিম}}) is a Bangladeshi who is a researcher at 3M, and his mother, Christine, is a German biochemistry scientist at the University of Minnesota.{{Cite web|date=April 14, 2018|title=Jawed Karim, Co-founder of Youtube|url=https://real-leaders.com/jawed-karim-co-founder-youtube/|access-date=January 26, 2021|website=Real Leaders|language=en-US|archive-date=July 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210718134153/https://real-leaders.com/jawed-karim-co-founder-youtube/|url-status=dead}} He was the elder of two boys.{{cite news |url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/news/2006-10-11-youtube-karim_x.htm |title=Surprise! There's a third YouTube co-founder |access-date=July 22, 2017 |work=USA Today |archive-date=August 5, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170805161152/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/news/2006-10-11-youtube-karim_x.htm |url-status=live }} He crossed the inner German border with his family in the early 1980s due to experiencing racism,{{cite news |last=Keese |first=Christoph |date=October 22, 2006 |title=Sergey Brin und Jawed Karim – zwei Karierren |url=https://www.welt.de/print-welt/article89110/Sergey-Brin-und-Jawed-Karim-zwei-Karierren.html |newspaper=Die Welt |language=de |access-date=August 20, 2017 |quote=Der andere heißt Jawed Karim und wurde 1979 in Merseburg/DDR geboren. Sein Vater kam aus Bangladesch, seine Mutter aus dem Harz. Die Karims waren als Ausländer verpönt und wanderten deswegen 1982 in den Westen aus. In Neuss schlug ihnen wieder Fremdenhass entgegen; deshalb zogen sie in die USA |archive-date=February 16, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190216083903/https://www.welt.de/print-welt/article89110/Sergey-Brin-und-Jawed-Karim-zwei-Karierren.html |url-status=live }} growing up in Neuss, West Germany.{{refn|group=note|Sources vary regarding the year that the family moved from East Germany to West Germany. The New York Times says 1980. Star Weekend Magazine says at the end of summer 1981.{{cite news |last=Rahman |first=Muhit |date=December 8, 2006 |title=The Greatest Possibilities: The Jawed Karim Story |url=http://archive.thedailystar.net/magazine/2006/12/02/sfeature.htm |work=Star Weekend Magazine |access-date=August 20, 2017 |archive-date=April 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230429163238/https://archive.thedailystar.net/magazine/2006/12/02/sfeature.htm |url-status=dead }} Die Welt says 1982.}} Facing racism there as well, Karim moved with his family to Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States, in 1992.

He graduated from Saint Paul Central High School in 1997,{{cite news |last=Christensen |first=Tesha M. |date=September 5, 2016 |title=Year-long events mark Central High School 150th anniversary |url=http://www.monitorsaintpaul.com/year-long-events-mark-central-high-school-150th-anniversary/ |newspaper=Monitor St. Paul |access-date=August 20, 2017 |archive-date=August 20, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170820202529/http://www.monitorsaintpaul.com/year-long-events-mark-central-high-school-150th-anniversary/ |url-status=live }} and attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He left campus prior to graduating to become an early employee at PayPal. He continued his coursework, earning his bachelor's degree in computer science.{{cite press release |author= |title=YouTube co-founder to be commencement speaker at Illinois |url=https://news.illinois.edu/blog/view/6367/206692 |publisher=University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign |date=March 27, 2007 |access-date=August 20, 2017 |archive-date=August 21, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170821043249/https://news.illinois.edu/blog/view/6367/206692 |url-status=live }} He subsequently earned a master's degree in computer science from Stanford University.{{cite news |date=January 2007 |title=Planet Cardinal |url=https://alumni-gsb.stanford.edu/get/page/magazine/article/?article_id=32549 |newspaper=Stanford Magazine |access-date=November 9, 2017 |archive-date=May 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200514112515/https://stanfordmag.org/contents/planet-cardinal-4886 |url-status=dead }} In addition to his native language German, he speaks English and Bengali.{{Cite web|title=::: Star Weekend Magazine :::|url=https://archive.thedailystar.net/magazine/2006/12/02/sfeature.htm|access-date=April 3, 2021|website=archive.thedailystar.net|archive-date=June 29, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240629030010/https://archive.thedailystar.net/magazine/2006/12/02/sfeature.htm|url-status=live}}

File:Me at the zoo.webm", the first video on YouTube, was uploaded by Karim on April 23, 2005.]]

File:Jawed Karim 2004.jpg

In university, Karim served an Internship at Silicon Graphics, Inc., where he worked on 3D voxel data management for very large data sets for volume rendering, including the data for the Visible Human Project.{{cite web|title=Speakers, Graphics Conference|url=https://www-s.acm.illinois.edu/conference/1998/jawed_k.html|access-date=June 24, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919130455/https://www-s.acm.illinois.edu/conference/1998/jawed_k.html|archive-date=September 19, 2016|url-status=dead}} While working at PayPal in 2002, he met Chad Hurley and Steve Chen. Three years later, in 2005, they founded the video-sharing website YouTube.[https://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techinnovations/2005-11-21-video-websites_x.htm Video websites pop up, invite postings] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120706134045/http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techinnovations/2005-11-21-video-websites_x.htm |date=July 6, 2012 }}, USA Today, November 21, 2005 Karim created the first account on YouTube, "jawed", on April 23, 2005 PDT (April 24, 2005 UTC),{{Cite web|url=https://citizenevidence.amnestyusa.org/|title=Extract Meta Data|website=citizenevidence.amnestyusa.org|access-date=June 2, 2018|archive-date=November 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201118073608/https://citizenevidence.amnestyusa.org/|url-status=live}} and uploaded the website's first video, "Me at the zoo", the same day.{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/23/tech/youtube-first-video-jawed-karim-trnd/index.html|author=Asmelash, Leah|publisher=CNN|title=The first ever YouTube video was uploaded 15 years ago today. Here it is.|date=April 23, 2020|accessdate=March 16, 2023|archivedate=April 23, 2020|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200423180431/https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/23/tech/youtube-first-video-jawed-karim-trnd/index.html}}{{cite web|title=Me at the zoo|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNQXAC9IVRw |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211219/jNQXAC9IVRw |archive-date=December 19, 2021 |url-status=live|language=en|date=April 23, 2005|access-date=September 1, 2021|publisher=YouTube|author=Karim, Jawed}}{{cbignore}}

After co-founding the company and developing the YouTube concept and website with Chad Hurley and Steve Chen, Karim enrolled as a graduate student in computer science at Stanford University while acting as an adviser to YouTube. When the site was founded in February 2005, Karim agreed not to be an employee and simply be an informal adviser, and that he was focusing on his studies.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/12/technology/12tube.html?hp&ex=1160712000&en=c6ddbc2fdb0a4dea&ei=5094 |title=With YouTube, Student Hits Jackpot Again |last=Helft |first=Miguel |date=October 12, 2006 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=February 22, 2017 |archive-date=August 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230815175737/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/12/technology/12tube.html?hp&ex=1160712000&en=c6ddbc2fdb0a4dea&ei=5094 |url-status=live }} As a result, he took a much lower share in the company compared to Hurley and Chen.{{cite web |url=http://www.siliconvalleywatcher.com/mt/archives/2006/10/jawed_who_meet.php |title=Jawed Who? Meet YouTube's silent partner |website=Silicon Valley Watcher |access-date=June 19, 2016 |archive-date=April 2, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160402222439/http://www.siliconvalleywatcher.com/mt/archives/2006/10/jawed_who_meet.php |url-status=live }}

Because of his smaller role in the company, Karim was mostly unknown to the public as the third founder until YouTube was acquired by Google in 2006. Despite his lower share in the company, the purchase was still large enough that he received 137,443 shares of stock, worth about $64 million based on Google's closing stock price at the time.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/07/technology/07cnd-google.html?ex=1328504400&en=96fcc0326d0a7ef6&ei=5088 |title=YouTube's Payoff: Hundreds of Millions for the Founders |last=Helft |first=Miguel |date=February 7, 2007 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=February 22, 2017 |archive-date=March 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327195344/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/07/technology/07cnd-google.html?ex=1328504400&en=96fcc0326d0a7ef6&ei=5088 |url-status=live }}

In October 2006, Karim gave a lecture about the history of YouTube at the University of Illinois annual ACM Conference entitled YouTube From Concept to Hyper growth. Karim returned again to the University of Illinois in May 2008 as the 136th and youngest commencement speaker in the school's history.[http://www.engr.uiuc.edu/about/dwelcome.php Welcome to Engineering at Illinois] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513191504/http://www.engr.uiuc.edu/about/dwelcome.php |date=May 13, 2008 }}, University of Illinois[http://www.cs.uiuc.edu/mm/videos/articles/Karim2007commencement.html 136th Commencement Address] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090411223550/http://www.cs.uiuc.edu/mm/videos/articles/Karim2007commencement.html |date=April 11, 2009 }}, University of Illinois, May 13, 2007.

In March 2008, Karim launched a venture fund called Youniversity Ventures (now known as YVentures) with partners Keith Rabois and Kevin Hartz.{{cite web |title=YouTube Co-Founder Starts Venture Capital Firm |url=http://mashable.com/2008/03/20/youniversity-ventures/ |publisher=Mashable |date=March 20, 2008 |access-date=May 2, 2013 |archive-date=August 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190826200645/https://mashable.com/2008/03/20/youniversity-ventures/ |url-status=live }} Karim is one of Airbnb's first investors, investing in the company's initial seed round in April 2009.{{cite book|last=Gallagher|first=Leigh|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4iGtDQAAQBAJ&q=airbnb+story|title=The Airbnb Story: How Three Ordinary Guys Disrupted an Industry, Made Billions. and Created Plenty of Controversy|date=February 14, 2017|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|isbn=978-0-544-95387-1|page=31|chapter=The Hustle|access-date=November 8, 2017|archive-date=June 29, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240629030009/https://books.google.com/books?id=4iGtDQAAQBAJ&q=airbnb+story|url-status=live}} YVentures has also invested in Palantir, Reddit and Eventbrite.{{Cite web|title=Y Ventures {{!}} Companies|url=http://www.yventures.com/companies/|access-date=July 19, 2020|website=www.yventures.com|archive-date=May 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511115722/http://www.yventures.com/companies/|url-status=dead}}

Occasionally, Karim has updated the video description of "Me at the zoo" to criticize decisions made by YouTube.

On November 6, 2013, YouTube began requiring that commenting on its videos be done via a Google+ account, a move that was widely opposed by the YouTube community. An online petition to revert the change garnered over 240,000 signatures.{{cite news |title=YouTube faces backlash for Google+ integration |publisher=CNN |url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/08/tech/social-media/youtube-comment-backlash/ |access-date=September 10, 2014 |archive-date=July 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190723082728/https://www.cnn.com/2013/11/08/tech/social-media/youtube-comment-backlash/ |url-status=live }}

In response to Google requiring YouTube members to use Google+ for its comment system, Karim wrote on his YouTube account, "why the fuck do i need a Google+ account to comment on a video?", and updated the video description on his first video titled "Me at the zoo" to "I can't comment here anymore, since i don't want a Google+ account".{{cite news|last=Cheredar|first=Tom|url=https://venturebeat.com/2013/11/08/youtube-cofounders-first-public-comment-in-8-years-why-the-f-do-i-need-a-google-account-to-comment-on-a-video/|title=YouTube cofounder's first public comment in 8 years: why the f*** [sic] do i need a Google+ account to comment on a video? |date=November 8, 2013|work=VentureBeat|access-date=November 11, 2013|archive-date=September 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170909100329/https://venturebeat.com/2013/11/08/youtube-cofounders-first-public-comment-in-8-years-why-the-f-do-i-need-a-google-account-to-comment-on-a-video/|url-status=live}}

In response to pressure from the YouTube community, Google publicly apologized for forcing Google+ users to use their real names, which was one of the reasons the Google+ integration was unpopular with YouTube users.{{cite magazine |title=Google Plus Finally Gives Up on Its Ineffective, Dangerous Real-Name Policy |magazine=Slate |url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2014/07/17/google_plus_finally_ditches_its_ineffective_dangerous_real_name_policy.html |access-date=September 13, 2014 |archive-date=September 20, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140920041614/http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2014/07/17/google_plus_finally_ditches_its_ineffective_dangerous_real_name_policy.html |url-status=live }} Google subsequently dropped its Google+ requirement across all products, beginning with YouTube.{{cite web |url=https://venturebeat.com/2015/07/27/google-is-dropping-its-google-requirement-across-all-products-starting-with-youtube/ |title=Google is dropping its Google+ requirement across all products, starting with YouTube |work=VentureBeat |date=July 27, 2015 |access-date=August 8, 2015 |archive-date=August 11, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150811081423/http://venturebeat.com/2015/07/27/google-is-dropping-its-google-requirement-across-all-products-starting-with-youtube/ |url-status=live }} Google announced in October 2018 its intention to permanently shut down Google+, as it had failed to achieve broad consumer or developer adoption,{{cite news |url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/08/tech/google-plus-security/index.html |title=Google+ to shut down |publisher=CNN |access-date=October 8, 2018 |archive-date=October 18, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181018074635/https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/08/tech/google-plus-security/index.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.blog.google/technology/safety-security/project-strobe/ |title=Project Strobe: Protecting your data, improving our third-party APIs, and sunsetting consumer Google+ |date=October 8, 2018 |access-date=October 8, 2018 |archive-date=October 8, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181008172414/https://www.blog.google/technology/safety-security/project-strobe/ |url-status=live }} and because of a vulnerability that exposed 500,000 users data.{{Cite web|url=https://thehackernews.com/2018/10/google-plus-shutdown.html#:~:text=Google%2B%20is%20Shutting%20Down%20After%20a%20Vulnerability%20Exposed%20500%2C000%20Users'%20Data,-%EE%A0%82October%2008&text=Google%20is%20going%20to%20shut,users%20to%20third%2Dparty%20developers|title=Google+ is Shutting Down After a Vulnerability Exposed 500,000 Users' Data|website=thehackernews.com|access-date=June 15, 2020|archive-date=June 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200621165023/https://thehackernews.com/2018/10/google-plus-shutdown.html#:~:text=Google%2B%20is%20Shutting%20Down%20After%20a%20Vulnerability%20Exposed%20500%2C000%20Users'%20Data,-%EE%A0%82October%2008&text=Google%20is%20going%20to%20shut,users%20to%20third%2Dparty%20developers|url-status=live}}{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/story/google-plus-bug-52-million-users-data-exposed/|title=A New Google+ Blunder Exposed Data From 52.5 Million Users|magazine=Wired|access-date=June 15, 2020|archive-date=August 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803163232/https://www.wired.com/story/google-plus-bug-52-million-users-data-exposed/|url-status=live}} Google+ was closed for personal accounts on April 2, 2019.{{Cite web|last=Welch|first=Chris|date=April 2, 2019|title=Google begins shutting down its failed Google+ social network|url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/4/2/18290637/google-plus-shutdown-consumer-personal-account-delete|access-date=February 12, 2021|website=The Verge|language=en|archive-date=February 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210213040312/https://www.theverge.com/2019/4/2/18290637/google-plus-shutdown-consumer-personal-account-delete|url-status=live}}

In November 2021, Jawed updated the "Me at the zoo" video description to include "When every YouTuber agrees that removing dislikes is a stupid idea, it probably is. Try again, YouTube🤦‍♂️."{{Cite web|last=Li|first=Abner|date=November 14, 2021|title='Me at the zoo,' YouTube's first video, gets new description protesting dislike count removal|url=https://9to5google.com/2021/11/13/youtube-me-at-the-zoo-dislike-protest/|access-date=November 16, 2021|website=9to5Google|language=en-US|archive-date=November 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211122060639/https://9to5google.com/2021/11/13/youtube-me-at-the-zoo-dislike-protest/|url-status=live}} A few days later, Karim updated the description again to a more detailed condemnation of YouTube's decision.{{Cite web|last=Vincent|first=James|date=November 17, 2021|title=YouTube co-founder predicts 'decline' of the platform following removal of dislikes|url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/17/22787080/youtube-dislikes-criticism-cofounder-jawed-karim-first-video-description-zoo|access-date=November 18, 2021|website=The Verge|language=en|archive-date=November 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211117142742/https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/17/22787080/youtube-dislikes-criticism-cofounder-jawed-karim-first-video-description-zoo|url-status=live}} In February 2025, Jawed updated the "Me at the zoo" video's description to refer to the danger of microplastics to the brain.{{Cite web |last=Cabrera |first=Constantza |date=February 13, 2025 |title=YouTube turns 20: What happened to Jawed Karim, founder and author of the first video? |url=https://english.elpais.com/technology/2025-02-13/youtube-turns-20-what-happened-to-jawed-karim-founder-and-author-of-the-first-video.html |url-status=live |access-date=February 22, 2025 |website=El País}}

• PayPal Mafia
• History of YouTube

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{{commons category}}

{{wikisource author}}

• [https://www.jawed.com/ Jawed Karim's Personal Website]
• [https://www.youtube.com/user/jawed Jawed Karim's YouTube Profile]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20080508185217/https://www.youtube.com/user/jawed Cache of Jawed Karim's YouTube Profile in 2008]
• [http://www.yventures.com/ Youniversity Ventures]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20090828032440/http://www.news-gazette.com/news/opinions/editorials/2006/10/16/he_went_off_to_college_to_make_his "He went off to college to make his fortune"] – The News-Gazette (October 16, 2006)

{{You Tube}}

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