Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
Tl; Dream
- It’s been 20 years since the first YouTube video was ever uploaded.
- The video, “Me at The Zoo,” was uploaded by YouTube Grounder Jawed Karim April 23, 2005.
On April 23, 2005, exactly 20 years ago today, a low-resolution, 18-second video entitled “Me At The Zoo” set up and launched what was to become the biggest video block on the planet-youtube. Uploaded on April 23, 2005, it has tiny cut Karim, one of YouTube’s fellow founders, and randomly talks about elephants in the San Diego Zoo.
According to today’s standards for YouTube videos, “Me at The Zoo” is a pretty overwhelming clock. There is no production quality, no sound mastery, nothing but a 25 -year -old software engineer pointing to elephants behind him and says, “The cool thing about these guys is that they really have, really, really, really long suitcase.”
Unaware, but Karim made internet history. The video, which now has over 355 million views, is a symbol of YouTube’s beginning and the start of the era of video content.
From bathing pants to trends: The zoo only became Wilder
Two decades after Jawed uploaded the first YouTube video, the platform is still an ever-evolving beast. What started with a man and a couple of elephants now amounts to over 500 hours of content uploaded every minute! Actually, we are pretty sure the number is higher, and YouTube just hasn’t updated the statistics for a while. In 2025, content on YouTube includes everything from personal vlogs to music videos for billions of views, livelihoods, podcasts, documentaries, shorts and now, even AI-generated videos! A 25 -year -old jaw would certainly not have imagined this!
To mark the anniversary of “Me At The Zoo”, YouTube has even added a small cake sliding trailer to the video, along with an elephant icon that takes you to the Jaweds YouTube channel. He just has this video up, by the way, and 5.34 million subscribers! In February this year, he changed the video’s description to draw attention to the dangers of microplastics.
In many ways, today’s YouTube is a massive zoo in itself. It is a chaotic, colorful and often overwhelming room filled with content, both good and absolutely awful. But that’s the beauty of YouTube. It is algorithmic madness and a necessity at the same time.
A platform that changed everything
Joe Maring / Android Authority
Over the years, YouTube has branched out far beyond the original concept of a video streaming platform. It has become one of the cornerstones of the Internet culture, with the launch of part platforms and services such as YouTube music, YouTube children, YouTube TV and YouTube Premium.
Can you imagine – back in 2005, watching YouTube videos in 240p or 360p was the norm! Fast until 2025, and the platform now supports 4K, 8K, HDR and even VR videos.
And although YouTube is facing increasing criticism of the ad service giant it has become, it is still one of the most influential and cultural -defining platforms in the history of the internet. Twenty years in, and YouTube does not seem to subside. It may not be in development to everyone’s taste, but it is certainly a moment thanks to the emergence of the short video format. Come to think about it, “Me in the zoo” is a YouTube card in spirit, and a reminder that everyone, anywhere on the planet, can upload something that can change the world.