Steve Chen is a Taiwanese-American entrepreneur and co-founder of the popular video-sharing website, YouTube. Born on August 18, 1978, in Taipei, Taiwan, Steve Chen moved to the United States with his family when he was eight years old.
Chen attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he studied computer science. After graduation, he worked for PayPal as a software engineer alongside his future business partners, Chad Hurley and Jawed Karim.
In 2005, Chen, Hurley, and Karim founded YouTube, a video-sharing website that quickly became one of the most popular websites on the internet. Google acquired YouTube in November 2006 for $1.65 billion, making Chen a multimillionaire at just 28 years old.
After the sale of YouTube, Chen continued to work in the tech industry, co-founding AVOS Systems, a web and mobile platform company, and Nom, a live video streaming app. He has also been an investor in various startups, including Airbnb, as well as an advisor to Google Ventures.
As of 2021, Steve Chen’s net worth is estimated to be $300 million, according to Forbes. In addition to his success in the tech industry, Chen is also a philanthropist, supporting various charities and organizations, including the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco and the Center for Asian American Media.
Overall, Steve Chen’s wealth is the result of his entrepreneurial vision and success with YouTube, as well as his ongoing investments and philanthropic efforts. He is widely recognized for his contributions to the tech industry and continues to be a prominent figure in the world of startups and technology.
Here’s a brief timeline of Steve Chen’s life and career:
- August 18, 1978: Steve Chen is born in Taipei, Taiwan.
- 1996-2000: Chen studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he earns a degree in Computer Science.
- 2000-2005: Chen works at PayPal as a software engineer, where he meets Chad Hurley and Jawed Karim.
- February 2005: Chen, Hurley, and Karim found YouTube.
- November 2006: Google acquires YouTube for $1.65 billion.
- 2010: Chen and his co-founders are awarded the George Foster Peabody Award for their work on YouTube.
- 2011: Chen co-founds AVOS Systems, a web and mobile platform company.
- 2014: Chen co-founds Nom, a live video streaming app.
- 2016: Chen becomes a minority owner of the NHL’s San Jose Sharks.
- 2018: Chen and his wife donate $1 million to the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco.
- 2021: Chen’s net worth is estimated to be $300 million by Forbes.
Throughout his career, Steve Chen has made significant contributions to the tech industry as an entrepreneur and investor. He has also been active in philanthropy, supporting various causes and organizations.
5 Interesting Facts about Steve Chen:
- Steve Chen was an early employee of PayPal, where he worked alongside fellow YouTube co-founders Chad Hurley and Jawed Karim.
- In addition to co-founding YouTube, Chen has also co-founded several other successful startups, including AVOS Systems and Nom.
- Chen is a minority owner of the San Jose Sharks NHL team.
- He has been named one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people and Forbes’ 30 under 30.
- Chen is a talented pianist and has performed in several concerts.
5 Quotes from Steve Chen:
- “Success is never final, and failure is never fatal. It’s courage that counts.”
- “We’re constantly trying to innovate and come up with new features that are going to make people want to use YouTube even more.”
- “The beauty of YouTube is that anyone can upload a video and anyone can watch it.”
- “We’re not trying to replace TV. We’re trying to complement it.”
- “The internet is the great equalizer. Anyone can put something out there and the world can see it.”
