Google owns YouTube. Google announced on 9 October 2006 that it had agreed to buy YouTube for $1.65 billion in a stock-for-stock deal, and YouTube has been part of Google ever since. Google itself sits inside Alphabet, the holding company created in 2015.
That's the short answer. The longer one is more interesting, because the deal was structured to keep YouTube feeling separate, and the people who founded it and the people who run it now are different. Here's the full picture, taken from Google's and YouTube's own announcements.
The 2006 deal, in Google's own words
Google's press release from October 2006 set out the terms:
- Price: $1.65 billion, paid in Google shares rather than cash.
- Independence: YouTube would operate independently to preserve its brand and community.
- Location: YouTube would stay in San Bruno, California, and all its employees would remain with the company.
- Timing: both companies had approved it, and it was expected to close in the last quarter of 2006.
Eric Schmidt, then Google's chief executive, was quoted in the release, alongside Chad Hurley, who's named as CEO and co-founder of YouTube. Its first video had gone up only 18 months earlier.
Who founded YouTube?
YouTube was founded in 2005 by three former PayPal employees: Chad Hurley, Steve Chen and Jawed Karim. Karim is the one you've probably seen without realising it. The very first video uploaded to YouTube, Me at the zoo, shows him in front of the elephants at San Diego Zoo, and it's uploaded by the channel called jawed.
That 19-second clip went up on 23 April 2005 and its YouTube page now shows 446.79 million views. It's still the first entry in YouTube's history, and Karim's channel still hosts it.
Where Alphabet fits in
On 10 August 2015, Google's co-founder Larry Page announced a new holding company called Alphabet on Google's official blog. Google became the largest company inside Alphabet, and the businesses far from Google's main internet products were set up separately.
YouTube stayed inside Google. Page's post even names it as one of the Google services run with its own identity. So the chain of ownership looks like this:
| Level | Company | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Parent | Alphabet | Holding company created in 2015 |
| Owner | Bought YouTube in 2006 and still owns it | |
| Product | YouTube | Runs as its own brand with its own chief executive |
If someone tells you Alphabet owns YouTube, they're right too. It owns Google, and Google owns YouTube.
Who runs YouTube today?
Neal Mohan is YouTube's chief executive. YouTube's official blog publishes his yearly letter under the title Letter from the YouTube CEO, signed Neal Mohan, Chief Executive Officer, YouTube.
He took over from Susan Wojcicki. In a note YouTube published on 16 February 2023, she said she was stepping back from her role as head of YouTube after nine years as CEO, and that Neal Mohan would be the new head of YouTube. Her link to Google goes back much further: Google's own history page says its first office was a garage in Menlo Park owned by Susan Wojcicki, who was employee number 16.
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YouTube's leaders at a glance
| Person | Role | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Chad Hurley | Co-founder and CEO at the time of the 2006 deal | Google press release, 2006 |
| Steve Chen | Co-founder | Wikipedia |
| Jawed Karim | Co-founder, star of the first video | YouTube video page and Wikipedia |
| Susan Wojcicki | CEO for nine years, stepped back in 2023 | YouTube Blog, 2023 |
| Neal Mohan | CEO now | YouTube Blog, 2024 CEO letter |
Is YouTube a separate company from Google?
Not in ownership terms, but it's run as if it were in many ways. Google promised in 2006 that YouTube would keep its own brand and stay in San Bruno, and Larry Page's 2015 Alphabet post describes YouTube as one of the services Google runs with its own identity. That's why YouTube has its own chief executive, its own blog and its own app, while still sitting inside Google.
Why it matters to creators and businesses
Because Google owns YouTube, your YouTube channel lives on a Google Account and YouTube ads are bought through Google's ad tools. Even YouTube Premium started life under another name, which I've covered in what YouTube Red was.
It also explains why YouTube's rules for paying creators sit inside Google systems. If you want to earn from your channel, the YouTube Partner Program guide walks through how that works.
My verdict
Google owns YouTube, and has since its $1.65 billion share deal in 2006. Alphabet sits above Google, and Neal Mohan runs YouTube day to day. If you only remember one thing, make it this: YouTube is a Google product with its own chief executive, which is why it often feels separate from the rest of Google even though it isn't.
Related guides live in the YouTube Help: 30 Guides to Channels, Subscribers, Monetisation, Thumbnails and Fixes.
Frequently asked questions
Who owns YouTube now?
Google owns YouTube. Google agreed to buy it in October 2006, and Google is part of Alphabet, the holding company created in 2015.
How much did Google pay for YouTube?
Google's press release of 9 October 2006 put the price at $1.65 billion, paid in Google stock rather than cash.
Who is the CEO of YouTube?
Neal Mohan. YouTube's official blog publishes his annual Letter from the YouTube CEO. He took over from Susan Wojcicki in 2023.
Who created YouTube?
YouTube was founded in 2005 by Chad Hurley, Steve Chen and Jawed Karim. Karim appears in Me at the zoo, the first video uploaded to YouTube.
