Throwback Thursday

Twelve years ago this month, Jawed Karim uploaded the first video to the new YouTube video-sharing website he and his partners Chad Hurley and Steve Chen had just created.

The video (link below) was a prolific work that would stand the test of time. Just kidding. Actually, it was “Me at the zoo,” a lame 19-second clip shot at an unidentified zoo. It’s clear that Karim had no idea what he and his pals were on to.

We’re thinking the powers-that-be at Sequoia Capital, which funded the startup to the tune of $11.5 million, might have been just a tad horrified by YouTube’s maiden post.

In May 2005, YouTube offered the public a beta test of the site. The first video to attract a million views was a Nike advertisement featuring Brazilian soccer Ronaldinho posted in November 2005. By mid-December the site was getting 8 million views a day and was officially launched on December 15, following a $3.5 million investment from Sequoia Capital.

YouTube was acquired by Google in October 2006 for $1.6 billion.

Today, YouTube claims more than a billion users who watch every imaginable kind of video—most of which are a bit more inspired than Karim’s initial attempt at video sharing and many of which are downright… (well let you fill in the blank).

Word to the wise: When you’re doing something in public for the first time—something for posterity—step back for a moment to ponder how what you’re about to do will hold up years from now.