First ever video uploaded on YouTube has raked in a staggering amount of money since 2005

What started as a video-sharing website in 2005 has now now become a popular platform for content creators to earn money. With over 2 billion monthly active users, YouTube has made thousands of creators rich. While the view count keeps ticking, it is natural for people to wonder how much the first video on YouTube would have made. The video titled "Me at the Zoo" was shared by one of the founders of the platform, nearly two decades ago. 

A part of YouTube's history

Software engineer Jawed Karim shared a grainy, 19-second clip that became the first YouTube video on April 23, 2005, a month before YouTube's official launch. 

Karim was one of the co-founders of the platform. The video was shot by the 25-year-old entrepreneur at the time at the San Diego Zoo. In the clip, he stands in front of an elephant exhibit, describing the animals. 

"All right, so here we are in front of the elephants," Karim says in the video which has now been broken down into sections “Intro,” “The cool thing,” and “End." He goes on to talk about their long trunks and how cool they look before ending the short clip. 

At the time of posting, YouTube had about 30,000 visitors per day, according to Encyclopaedia Britannica. By its official launch, the number went up to two million video views daily. Today, over its 19 years of running, the video has gained a staggering 334 million views.

Despite never uploading again, Karim's channel has also gained 4.7 million subscribers. Furthermore, YouTube today is the most visited website in the world after its parent company Google. This means the video must have made tons of cash. 

How much did the first-ever video on YouTube make?

The main source of income for creators is ad revenue which they get from YouTube's revenue sharing program. However, when Karim's video was posted, there was no such thing.

However, through some speculation and calculation, an estimate can be found. According to IFTTT, a video's earnings depend on several factors like the type of ads featured, viewers' location, advertiser's budget, and more. However, the report estimates that creators on average earn $0.01 to $0.03 per view. 

Taking the average of that estimate, which is $0.02, Karim's video could have potentially earned about a whopping, $66,80,000. However, the true amount can never be known. 

While Karim may or may not have made money from his video, he definitely pocketed millions in a more traditional way. 

About a year after its launch, co-founders Karim, Steve Chen, and Chad Hurley sold YouTube to Google for $1.65 billion. The sale shattered records and set a precedent for online startups. 

While Karim did not have a title or salary at YouTube at the time, he was still part of the company's founding team. Thus, he walked away with a sizeable slice of $64 million in shares, which would today be worth at least over $180 million.