The Merger That Shaped the Internet | YouTube x Google

See NordPass Business in action now with a 3-month free trial here!!

YouTube was in a very unique position by the time 2006 came around. As a byproduct of its popularity, YouTube set a precedent for what kind of challenges and customs video-sharing sites would have to confront moving forward, something that wasn’t really taken into account beforehand. It highlighted just how expensive video-hosting was, and as YouTube’s traffic increased, so did their expenses and demand for infrastructure. The site’s growing recognition as the seemingly boundless powerhouse of video content eventually caught the attention of the higher-ups, the corporations, and they too wanted a piece of the pie.

Legal issues, rising costs, and limited capital were now in the picture, and it was because of these key problems that YouTube’s days were now looking numbered. Was a website like this just too good to be true? The whole venture was just becoming unrealistic, and YouTube could no longer operate as some grass-root, independent company. It needed to become something more official. If you can’t beat the system, then become it. Give the industry something they now could not live without. Give them the future. And naturally, one company would step forward to wipe the slate clean and give YouTube the everlasting online presence that it deserved: a company called Google.
And then on October 9, 2006, history was made. What followed would arguably become one of the most controversial and influential business transactions in history: Google buying YouTube. This was a decision that is still felt today in a lot of areas, not even just on YouTube, but even in the digital realm outside of it.

Zackary Smigel is helping me on this series. Check out his channel here!

Google +: just kidding.

Beauty Flow by Kevin MacLeod

Wholesome by Kevin MacLeod

Link for images licensed under Creative Commons (CC):

All other images, sounds, and clips are either created by me, properly licensed, in the public domain, under a Creative Commons license with attribution provided, or protected under Fair Use.

ENJOY THE PROGRAM.

[nationsquid]

See *NordPass Business* in action now with a 3-month free trial here!!

[danieln]

YT to me is one of the most important websites and things in internet culture or whatever. The web wasn't as popular or mainstream when youtube came out and helped get ppl who wouldn't normally use the net to get on the net. The 2000s era of the net was pretty cool and interesting looking back with new stuff coming out.

[realstormdancer]

I swear to god, NationSquid has èlite quality of video yet he is not even at 500k. that's crazy, I watched all of this videos once again about 2-3 days ago, he deserves more.

[FSAPOJake]

I'm not saying NileRed and NationSquid are the same person because they sound the same. All I'm saying is I've never seen them doing voiceover in a room together.

[borond]

this guy should have at least a million for the quality of the content he makes, criminally underrated

[PossiblyCharlie]

to think that theres an alternate universe where we only use vimeo bc yt wasn't saved by google scares me

[pm]

The early days of YouTube were the best. Only someone who was a teen then can relate. It was a time where you could access just about anything you want and upload just about anything.

[inflateable]

at my school, youtube was blocked but for a very brief window of time, there was absolutely nothing they could do about google video
so there, see, there was one main group of people using google video - people at school who couldn't access youtube

I rly didn't think it was bad

[nickjulyA]

You forgot to mention about the fact that uploaded videos on Google Video had to actually be manually reviewed by real people at Google and would take weeks to be public. This was their way of combating copyright infringement before content ID existed.

[Kitkatcaitlin]

Your videos are so entertaining, also your voice is very easy to listen to. I would genuinely listen to a podcast if you made one and I get distracted easily when i have nothing to look at, so that's saying something. You're very underrated and deserve way more than 300k subs 💕

[bacation]

nationsquid's channel is one of the most underated channels on the youtube platform. his content is very well edited.

[CoquiReploid]

I remember using YouTube back in beta. It was only good if you had a T1, or T2 Internet connection, which was only available for businesses and college. Common Internet was too slow, but when "High Speed Internet", started to become ubiquitous shortly after it started. That is when it exploded into the mainstream. It just came out at the perfect time.

[GaioCalvao]

Yet again, another fantastic work y'all!
Just wish you guys would have mentioned the "009 Sound System" song that was YouTube's first measurement to deal with copyrighted songs in their users videos.

[ZackarySmigel]

I think we can ALL agree I have nice hair, but NationSquid's hair is even nicer.

[rjpd]

Imagine copyright owners uploading their contents got flagged by themselves lol

[VillainOfLegend]

As much as I loved YouTube in its early days, and as much as I dislike being inundated by ads, the shadiness of Google and everything YouTube has become today, we can't say that Google DIDN'T save it. If Google didn't acquire YouTube, it might've imploded, collapsed, etc. We can't change the past, forward is the only way. If a Google-owned YouTube is unbearable, where should we go instead, to watch and create content?

[Alteralph]

it's funny thinking that i ran way from watching tv to the internet because of the ads, that was back in the mid-late 2000s. now, the internet feels more corporate than i could ever imagine it, sure, you can run away from it, and use alternatives, use extensions for sites like youtube and so on, but the feeling is not the same.

[laser]

You are the most underrated guy on YouTube. You should have at least 3-5mil, but some people are greedy when it comes to computer/computer virus-related channels. I really hope you reach that Milestone some day!

[flipflops]

Please make a video about the *Internet Archive* (wayback machine)

[LoyalLuna]

My favourite YouTuber at the moment! Your videos have a really high production value, crisp and clean editing, and interesting subject matter! You deserve so many more subscribers! Also regular uploads!! I’d be super interested if you ever made a podcast as I’d love to listen!