Google · Apple · YouTube · New York · Fortune Technology
YouTube’s founders split over $650 million when they sold to Google in 2006—had they held out, they could have taken a slice
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YouTube may have started as a site to share home videos, but now it’s one of the most powerful platforms in the world: From entertainment to advertising, it’s spawned billion-dollar careers and birthed a global creator economy, turning individuals like MrBeast into household names.
Key facts
- During the first two weeks of Apple’s existence, the company’s lesser-known third cofounder Ronald Wayne checked out and sold his 10% stake—netting him $800 at the time, plus $1,500 to forfeit any
- In 2024, YouTube brought in $54.2 billion in revenue, and in 2025, it topped $60 billion, Variety reported —making the platform bigger than the entirety of Netflix
- And in 2025, the brand, including its over 500-person strong factory, was sold to private equity for $600 million —a 10,000% increase in value
- YouTube’s sale price to Google is a fraction of its estimated $550 billion value today, according to a MoffettNathanson research note reported by Variety in 2025
Summary
YouTube sold to Google in 2006 for $1.65 billion, with cofounders Chad Hurley and Steven Chen splitting over $650 million worth of stock shares. At the time of sale, each cofounder—Chad Hurley, Steven Chen, and Jawed Karim—received millions of dollars worth of stock: Hurley, YouTube’s CEO at the time, received shares worth some $345 million by the time the Securities and Exchange Commission documents were released a few months later, according to The New York Times. “This is great,” Hurley said in a video posted when the sale was announced. YouTube’s sale price to Google is a fraction of its estimated $550 billion value today, according to a MoffettNathanson research note reported by Variety in 2025. In 2024, YouTube brought in $54.2 billion in revenue, and in 2025, it topped $60 billion, Variety reported —making the platform bigger than the entirety of Netflix.