Who is Jawed Karim? A brief introduction of him
Jawed Karim is a German-American computer scientist and entrepreneur, best known as one of the co-founders of the popular video-sharing platform, YouTube. Alongside Chad Hurley and Steve Chen, Karim played a crucial role in the development of the site, which was later acquired by Google in 2006.
Jawed Karim was born on October 28, 1979, in Merseburg, East Germany. His family moved to the United States in 1992, and he was raised in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Jawed Karim attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he studied computer science. He later left the university before completing his degree to work at PayPal, where he met his future YouTube co-founders, Chad Hurley and Steve Chen. After the success of YouTube, Karim returned to academia and completed his bachelor’s degree in computer science at the University of Illinois in 2008.
How did he make his fortune?
Jawed Karim made his fortune as a co-founder of YouTube. Some key details: • Karim co-founded YouTube in 2005 along with Chad Hurley and Steve Chen. They were all former PayPal employees.
• Karim came up with the original idea for a video sharing website like YouTube. He registered the YouTube.com domain name in February 2005 and launched a basic beta version of the site in April 2005.
• YouTube was funded by Karim, Hurley, and Chen initially. They raised $3.5 million from Sequoia Capital in November 2005.
• Google acquired YouTube in November 2006 for $1.65 billion in Google stock. At the time, Karim owned about 6% of YouTube, which gave him Google stock worth over $64 million.
• Karim remained as an advisor with YouTube after the Google acquisition but has since left YouTube. His Google stock and other investments have made him an extremely wealthy entrepreneur.
• Forbes estimated Karim’s net worth to be over $900 million, the vast majority coming from his time as a YouTube co-founder. Most of this is from the Google stock he received and has held onto after YouTube was acquired.
• Karim has gone on to become an occasional angel investor in other technology startups, but has kept a relatively low profile compared to his fellow YouTube co-founders.
So in summary, Karim made his fortune by co-founding YouTube, sharing in its success and acquisition by Google, and holding onto and investing the wealth he accumulated as a result. He was in the right place at the right time with the right idea, along with his co-founders.
What can we learn from Jawed Karim’s success?
- Follow your passion: Karim’s interest in computers and programming dates back to his childhood, and he pursued his passion by studying computer science in college. By following his passion, he was able to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to co-found YouTube.
- Identify a problem and solve it: Karim, along with his co-founders, identified a problem with sharing videos online and created YouTube as a solution. By identifying a problem and addressing it, they were able to create a successful platform.
- Collaborate with others: Karim worked with his co-founders and other early employees to develop and grow YouTube. By collaborating with others, he was able to leverage their skills and expertise to create a successful product.
- Take calculated risks: Karim left his job at PayPal to co-found YouTube, which was a risky move at the time. However, he and his co-founders believed in their idea and were willing to take the risk. By taking calculated risks, they were able to create a successful business.
- Focus on user experience: Karim and his co-founders focused on making YouTube easy to use and accessible to anyone with an internet connection, which contributed to its rapid growth.
- Stay committed: Karim and his co-founders worked tirelessly on YouTube, even during its early days when it was not making any money. They believed in their vision and stayed committed to it.
- Be open to change: YouTube has evolved significantly since its launch in 2005, and Karim and his co-founders have been willing to adapt to the changing landscape of the internet and technology.
In summary, Karim’s success with YouTube was fueled by a compelling vision, fast execution, focusing on users, and a bit of luck. The combination of these factors allowed YouTube to become the video sharing juggernaut that it is today.
