Two decades of YouTube's existence, highlighted by incidents such as elephants rampages, brief 19-second clips, and the San Diego Zoo being showcased.
In April 2005, Jawed Karim, a 25-year-old German-American, uploaded the first content on YouTube. The 19-second video, titled "Me at the zoo," featured a kid filming two elephants at the San Diego Zoo in California. The video, which has since reached over 368 million views and garnered over 10 million comments, remains a significant point of interest for Karim.
Karim, co-founder of YouTube, has used the video as a platform to express his opinions on the platform's developments. In 2013, he changed the video's description to protest against a new rule that required users to create a Google+ account to comment. This policy was later reversed, and Google+ was shut down for personal accounts in 2019.
More recently, in 2021, Karim spoke out against the removal of the "dislike" button on YouTube. In his statement, he said, "When all YouTubers agree that it's a bad idea, it probably is. Try again, YouTube." His actions suggest a continued interest in engaging with the platform and its community.
Recently, Karim has also added links to videos in the description of the first YouTube video. Beyond commentary, Karim is known for his early investments in startups like Airbnb through his fund YVentures, reflecting his broader entrepreneurial activities.
On YouTube's 20th anniversary in August 2025, the platform celebrated massive growth with over 20 trillion videos uploaded since Karim's initial video. The anniversary also marked updates to YouTube's TV app, but there were no new public comments by Karim about these latest platform developments reported.
In 2020, the San Diego Zoo expressed its pride for participating in the first video published on YouTube. As of the time of this article, the first YouTube video continues to be a topic of discussion for Karim, even as he speaks out on various platform changes.
[1] Source: Various news articles and YouTube video descriptions.
[2] Source: YouTube's official blog post and news articles.
Technology has been a focal point for Karim, as he utilizes the platform he co-founded, YouTube, to voice his opinions on its developments. This includes protesting against the removal of the "dislike" button in 2021 and voicing his dissatisfaction with a new commenting rule in 2013, which he addressed by modifying the description of the first YouTube video.
Beyond commentary, Karim's interest in technology extends to his investments in startups like Airbnb, and even to the content of the first YouTube video, as evidenced by the links to other videos added in the description. His engagement with the platform and its community remains significant, even as he continues to reflect on its growth and changes in the realm of entertainment.
