May 2, 2025, 12:31 pm | Read time: 4 minutes
What started as a simple animal video has grown into one of the largest platforms in the entertainment world. In 2025, YouTube will celebrate its 20th anniversary.
YouTube is now an indispensable part of today’s internet landscape. The video platform started quite modestly but has developed over the past two decades into one of the largest and most influential offerings in its segment. In 2025, both officials and fans will celebrate 20 years of YouTube — a reason to look back.
20 Years Ago on YouTube — The First Video
Twenty years ago on YouTube, a few elephants at the San Diego Zoo marked the beginning. “The cool thing about these guys is that they have these really, really long trunks,” said YouTube co-founder Jawed Karim with two pachyderms in the background.
The first video on YouTube 20 years ago was banal and unspectacular, quite unlike the rise of YouTube that was to follow. The website quickly became synonymous with short-form internet TV and is now a powerhouse in the entertainment world. However, with success also came criticism of the platform.
Google, Commercialization, and Advertising Billions
While cute animal clips like the elephant video still exist, the days of innocence are long gone. The acquisition by Google, commercialization, and advertising billions have turned the former “Broadcast Yourself” playground for private videos into a major business for Google’s parent company, Alphabet. However, with the rapid growth of bandwidth, influence and responsibility have also increased significantly. In the era of fake news, hate speech, and filter bubbles on the internet, YouTube remains a constant point of contention.
Former YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki (who died of cancer in 2023) was aware of this: “Everyone is mad at you all the time,” she told the New York Times last year in an interview about YouTube’s controversial handling of extreme content. The platform now has around 2.7 billion active monthly users. In 2015, it was less than half that number. What YouTube contributes to Alphabet’s revenues was long one of the best-kept secrets in the financial markets until the company provided insight. In 2024, the platform generated revenues of $54.2 billion — only Disney is a larger media company.
YouTube Under Pressure
The fact that current YouTube CEO Neal Mohan and Wojcicki’s successor have their hands full is not due to finances. The main issues are offensive content and how to handle it. Social media platforms are increasingly under pressure to combat the spread of propaganda and extremism, and YouTube is no exception. The sheer volume of videos — about 20 million new video uploads daily — makes cleaning up a Herculean task.
It is clear: Rule-breaking clips can spread so quickly on the platform through constant re-uploading that YouTube can barely keep up with deleting them, despite sophisticated algorithms. Critics doubt that the company is doing everything in its power. In recent years, there have been numerous scandals — from suicide footage in “Trending” recommendations to pedophile clips and sex videos in the children’s section to videos denying the Holocaust and other propaganda. Former employees accused YouTube of prioritizing business benefits over controlling controversial content.
Handling Problematic Uploads
The company would, of course, never admit to such things. However, Wojcicki did acknowledge weaknesses in handling problematic uploads to the New York Times. “I know we can do better, but we’re getting there,” said the 51-year-old. “We’re reaching a point where we’ve solved many of these problems, and I feel we’ve already made significant progress.” That was in April 2019. Since then, the platform has indeed become much quieter, although there are still many controversies — such as around political advertising and manipulative content.
However, it would also be unfair to reduce YouTube’s 20-year history to discussions about contentious videos. A large part of its history is marked by harmless viral phenomena. The platform is an almost inexhaustible treasure trove of clips of all kinds, where you can find everything from music videos to recipes to historical sports broadcasts or beauty and lifestyle guides. The portal is a kind of vast archive that keeps users engaged with its clever recommendation system.
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From Hobby Entertainers to Influencers
In 20 years, YouTube has fundamentally changed the entertainment industry and even left its mark on the professional world—from hobby entertainers to “YouTubers” who share in advertising revenue and sometimes earn substantial money with their videos. Some of them are genuine global stars, followed by millions of fans, like Mr. Beast.
The platform has significantly contributed to paving the way for the “influencer” culture and has also influenced music videos, media reporting in general, and today’s podcasts. It also paved the way for the modern streaming market with Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+, while also participating in this segment with YouTube TV and YouTube Premium.