Steve Chen

Date of Birth: August 18, 1978

Zodiac Sign: Leo

Date of Death: [None]

Biography

Steve Chen is a prominent Taiwanese-American businessman and internet entrepreneur, best known as one of the co-founders of YouTube, the world’s leading video-sharing platform. Born in Taipei, Taiwan, Chen moved to the United States at the age of 15. He attended the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy and later graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a degree in computer science in 2002. Chen’s professional career began at PayPal, where he met fellow YouTube co-founders Chad Hurley and Jawed Karim. In February 2005, the trio conceptualized and launched YouTube, which rapidly gained popularity due to its ease of use and ability to share videos online. Just over a year later, in November 2006, Google acquired YouTube for $1.65 billion in stock, making Chen a multimillionaire. After his success with YouTube, Chen went on to co-found AVOS Systems, a technology company, and later launched MixBit, a video-sharing service aimed at simplifying video creation and editing. He has continued to be an influential figure in the tech industry, leveraging his expertise to mentor and invest in various startups.

5 Interesting Facts about Steve Chen

1. Steve Chen was named one of the “50 People Who Matter Now” by Business 2.0 magazine in 2006.

2. He was awarded the prestigious Vanguard Award from the Producers Guild of America in 2008.

3. Chen and his co-founders originally intended YouTube to be a dating site where users could upload videos of themselves talking about the person they wanted to meet.

4. He is an early investor in the food delivery service DoorDash.

5. In 2019, Steve Chen was inducted into the Asian Hall of Fame.