# Chad Hurley

> Chad Meredith Hurley (born January 24, 1977, Reading, PA) is an American entrepreneur and tech visionary best known as the co-founder and first CEO of YouTube, which he built alongside Steve Chen and Jawed Karim in 2005 and sold to Google in October 2006 for $1.65 billion - just 18 months after launch. Armed with a Fine Arts degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania rather than a computer science background, Hurley's design instincts shaped YouTube's iconic UI and pioneered the embeddable video player that fueled viral growth; he had previously designed the original PayPal logo during his job interview. After stepping down from YouTube in 2010, he co-founded AVOS Systems and MixBit, launched the sports gaming platform GreenPark Sports (which raised $53M+), and in 2023 founded EyeTell, an AI-powered video script generation startup. He holds minority ownership stakes in the Golden State Warriors (NBA), LA Football Club (MLS), and Leeds United (EPL), and received a Lifetime Achievement Emmy in 2019. Estimated at $700-800 million in net worth, Hurley remains a prolific investor and quiet force in Silicon Valley, famously reclusive despite his outsized impact on how the world creates and consumes video.

- **Role:** Founder & CEO of EyeTell; Co-Founder & Chairman of GreenPark Sports
- **Organizations:** YouTube (Co-Founder & CEO, 2005-2010), AVOS Systems (Co-Founder, 2011-2014), MixBit (Co-Founder, 2013-2018), GreenPark Sports (Co-Founder & Chairman, 2019-present), EyeTell (Founder & CEO, 2023-present), Golden State Warriors (Minority Owner), Los Angeles Football Club - MLS (Minority Owner), Leeds United (Investor, 2021-present), Reddit (Advisor), Dropbox (Advisor)
- **From:** Reading, Pennsylvania, USA
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** High School Diploma, Twin Valley High School, Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art (Graphic Design / User Interface focus), Indiana University of Pennsylvania
- **Known for:** Co-founded YouTube (2005) - now the world's largest video-sharing platform with 2B+ monthly users, Negotiated the $1.65 billion sale of YouTube to Google (2006) - one of tech's biggest acquisitions at the time, Designed the original PayPal logo during his job interview - used by the company for over a decade

## Career timeline

- **1977** — Born on January 24 in Reading, Pennsylvania; raised in Birdsboro, PA
- **1992-1994** — Won two PIAA State cross-country championships at Twin Valley High School
- **1999** — Graduated with BA in Fine Art from Indiana University of Pennsylvania
- **1999-2005** — Joined PayPal as its first UI designer; designed the original PayPal logo during his job interview; met Steve Chen and Jawed Karim
- **2000** — Married Kathy Clark, daughter of Silicon Valley entrepreneur James H. Clark (founder of Netscape and Silicon Graphics)
- **January 2005** — YouTube idea emerged when Hurley and Chen couldn't easily share videos from a dinner party - files too large to email
- **February 14, 2005** — YouTube domain registered on Valentine's Day
- **April 23, 2005** — YouTube officially launched; first video 'Me at the zoo' uploaded by Jawed Karim
- **October 2006** — Sold YouTube to Google for $1.65 billion in stock - Hurley personally received approximately $345.6 million
- **2007** — Named Webby Person of the Year; one of Time's Most Influential People; GQ Men of the Year
- **2008** — Received PGA Vanguard Award from the Producers Guild of America
- **2010** — Stepped down as YouTube CEO; transitioned to advisor role at YouTube/Google
- **2011** — Co-founded AVOS Systems with Steve Chen; acquired Delicious from Yahoo
- **2012** — Divorced Kathy Clark
- **August 2013** — Launched MixBit - a short-video editing and collaboration app
- **2018** — MixBit ceased operations (acquired by BlueJeans)
- **2019** — Co-founded GreenPark Sports with Nick Swinmurn (Zappos co-founder); raised $8.5M seed round
- **April 2019** — Received Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award from NATAS (with Steve Chen) at 70th Annual Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards
- **2020** — Married Elise Walden
- **January 2021** — Announced investment in Leeds United Football Club via tweet
- **November 2023** — Launched EyeTell - AI-powered startup generating video scripts from text prompts; raised seed round led by A-Star Capital
- **July 2025** — Made investment in Fantasy Life (B2C information services)
- **June 2025** — Reflected on YouTube's 20th anniversary, saying the platform's global impact 'means more to me than any acquisition'

## Achievements

- Co-founded YouTube (2005) - now the world's largest video-sharing platform with 2B+ monthly users
- Negotiated the $1.65 billion sale of YouTube to Google (2006) - one of tech's biggest acquisitions at the time
- Designed the original PayPal logo during his job interview - used by the company for over a decade
- Designed YouTube's original logo and user interface
- Pioneered the embeddable video player concept - key driver of YouTube's viral growth
- Received Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award from NATAS (2019, with Steve Chen)
- Webby Person of the Year (2007)
- PGA Vanguard Award (2008) - recognition for new media innovation
- Named one of Time Magazine's Most Influential People (2007)
- GQ Men of the Year (2007, with Steve Chen)
- Minority owner of NBA champion Golden State Warriors
- Minority owner of MLS's Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC)
- Investor in Leeds United Football Club (Premier League)
- Pioneer of the UGC (User-Generated Content) internet era

## Latest updates

- **2025-07** — Made investment in Fantasy Life (B2C information services company)
- **2025-06** — Reflected publicly on YouTube's 20th anniversary; said platform's global impact means more than the $1.65B acquisition
- **2023-11** — Launched EyeTell, an AI video script generation startup backed by A-Star Capital and SV Angel
- **2021-01** — Announced investment in Leeds United Football Club (Premier League) via Twitter

## Links

- Website: https://chadhurley.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chadhurley/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/chad_hurley
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/chad
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chad_hurley/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/chad-hurley
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-04