Chad Meredith Hurley (born January 24, 1977) is an American entrepreneur and businessman renowned for co-founding YouTube, the pioneering video-sharing platform that transformed digital media consumption worldwide.[1]Born in Birdsboro, Pennsylvania, Hurley earned a bachelor's degree in fine arts from Indiana University of Pennsylvania before entering the tech industry.[1] He began his career at PayPal in 2000, which was acquired by eBay in 2002, where he contributed to user interface design as one of the early employees.[1] In February 2005, Hurley co-founded YouTube alongside Steve Chen and Jawed Karim, initially launching it from a garage in Menlo Park, California, after pivoting from a failed dating site concept to a general video-sharing service.[2] As YouTube's first CEO, he oversaw its rapid growth, becoming the tenth most-visited website within its first year and reaching 100 million daily video views by July 2006.[1][3] In October 2006, Hurley led the sale of YouTube to Google for $1.65 billion in stock, a deal that marked one of the era's landmark acquisitions and earned him recognition as No. 28 on Business 2.0's "50 People Who Matter Now" list.[1] He remained CEO until 2010 and continued advising the company thereafter.[4]Following YouTube, Hurley co-founded AVOS Systems in 2011 with Chen, an incubator that developed multiple projects using shared technology infrastructure.[5] AVOS launched Mixbit in 2013, a mobile app enabling collaborative video editing and sharing through short clips, which Hurley spun out into its own company in 2014 amid a split with Chen.[5] In 2018, he co-founded GreenPark Sports, a fan-engagement platform for live interactive games tied to real-time sports events, where he serves as chairman; the company has raised significant funding and remains active in the esports and fantasy sports space.[6] Hurley has also invested in ventures like Fantasy Life, a fantasy sports mediacompany, as recently as October 2025.[7] His work has consistently focused on innovating user-generated content and interactive media, influencing the evolution of online video and entertainment.[4]
Early life and education
Upbringing and family background
Chad Meredith Hurley was born on January 24, 1977, in Birdsboro, Pennsylvania, and raised in the nearby area of Reading.[1] He grew up as the middle child of Don and Joann Hurley, with an older sister named Heather and a younger brother named Brent.[8]From a young age, Hurley displayed a strong interest in the fine arts, particularly drawing and visual design, which became a central part of his childhood pursuits.[4] He was also a standout runner on Twin Valley High School's cross-country team in Elverson, Pennsylvania, which won Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association state championships in 1992 and 1994; he graduated in 1995.[9][10] During high school, these passions evolved to include technology; he became intrigued by computers and electronic media, teaching himself basic programming skills that sparked his affinity for digital creation.[11] This blend of artistic talent and self-directed technical exploration laid the groundwork for his future in media and design.[12]Following high school, Hurley transitioned to higher education at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where he further developed his creative and technical abilities.[1]
Academic pursuits
Chad Hurley attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania from 1995 to 1999, initially majoring in computer science before switching to fine arts, as he found the former too technical for his creative inclinations.[4] He focused his studies on graphic design and printmaking, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree upon graduation.[1][13]During his university years, Hurley cultivated an interest in digital tools, teaching himself basic programming, HTML, and web design to complement his graphic design coursework.[11] This self-directed exposure to computer science concepts and projects in digital imaging and web development laid the groundwork for his subsequent professional pursuits in web design and media innovation.[11]
Professional career
Early roles at PayPal
Chad Hurley joined PayPal in 1999 as a designer, becoming one of the company's early employees tasked with creating user interfaces for its online platform.[14] His background in fine arts, earned through a bachelor's degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, directly enabled his hiring into this role.[1]In his position at PayPal, Hurley handled key aspects of visual design and branding, most notably designing the original company logo during his interview process, which the firm ultimately adopted.[15] As the company expanded rapidly in the early 2000s, he contributed to early website development, refining the user experience to support PayPal's growth from a startup to a major e-commerce player acquired by eBay in 2002.[16]During his tenure, Hurley built enduring professional networks with colleagues who would later become prominent tech figures, including Steve Chen and Elon Musk, fostering connections that defined the "PayPal Mafia"—a tight-knit group of alumni whose collaborations influenced Silicon Valley's entrepreneurial landscape.[17] These relationships, formed amid PayPal's intense innovative environment, laid the groundwork for Hurley's subsequent ventures in the tech industry.[18]
Co-founding and leading YouTube
In February 2005, Chad Hurley co-founded YouTube alongside Steve Chen and Jawed Karim, all former PayPal colleagues whose prior experience in online payments and design facilitated the assembly of the initial team. The idea was first proposed in an email from Jawed Karim to Hurley and Chen on February 13, 2005, suggesting a video-sharing site tentatively called "Video H or N" (a play on "Hot or Not").[19] Initially conceived as a video-dating site, the project quickly pivoted to a general video-sharing service, with the domain registered on February 14, 2005. Hurley, leveraging his background in user interface design from PayPal, took on the role of CEO, guiding the company's early vision and operations from his garage in Menlo Park, California.[2]Under Hurley's leadership as CEO from 2005 to 2010, YouTube launched publicly in December 2005, rapidly scaling through intuitive product features that prioritized user accessibility. He oversaw the development of a straightforward upload interface that allowed anyone to post videos with minimal technical barriers, democratizing content creation and contributing to explosive growth. By mid-2006, the platform had reached 100 million daily video views, up from about 40 million in June, with over 65,000 new uploads each day—metrics that underscored its viral momentum and cultural resonance. Hurley also championed sharing mechanisms, such as embed codes inspired by PayPal's button integrations, which enabled videos to spread effortlessly across websites like MySpace, amplifying YouTube's reach and fostering community-driven virality.[2][3][20]The platform's meteoric rise culminated in its acquisition by Google on October 9, 2006, for $1.65 billion in stock, a deal that valued YouTube at just 18 months old and positioned it as a cornerstone of online video. Hurley, as a major shareholder and CEO, received Google shares worth approximately $345 million from the transaction, reflecting his pivotal role in the startup's success. During his tenure, these innovations not only drove user engagement but also transformed YouTube into a global phenomenon, influencing how media was consumed and shared online.[21][22]
Launching AVOS Systems and MixBit
After departing from YouTube, Chad Hurley co-founded AVOS Systems in 2011 alongside Steve Chen, creating an incubator company to develop and launch new digital media projects. The venture was backed by investors including Google Ventures and served as a platform for experimentation in video and social technologies, free from the constraints of their prior success.[5][23]AVOS's flagship product, MixBit, launched on August 8, 2013, as a mobile application for iOS and Android that enabled users to record, edit, and share short video clips limited to 16 seconds each. These clips could be seamlessly combined into longer sequences up to one hour, with built-in tools for remixing and collaborating on content from other users, fostering a creative ecosystem for storytelling through bite-sized videos. Positioned to challenge short-form video platforms like Vine and Instagram's emerging video features, MixBit emphasized ease of use and social interaction to democratize video production on smartphones.[24][25][26]Despite initial buzz and user engagement in creative remixing, MixBit encountered operational hurdles, including significant layoffs at AVOS in early 2014 that reduced the workforce by about 80 percent amid reports of slow growth and pivots away from other projects like the Zeen curation tool. In June 2014, Hurley and Chen parted ways professionally; Hurley spun out MixBit as an independent entity under his leadership, while Chen transitioned to an entrepreneur-in-residence role at Google Ventures, marking the end of their joint oversight of AVOS. The split refocused AVOS's remaining efforts, but MixBit continued as Hurley's primary endeavor.[27][5][28]MixBit's challenges intensified as consumer preferences shifted toward longer-form videos, exemplified by Twitter's 2016 discontinuation of Vine for similar reasons, leaving short-clip platforms at a disadvantage against versatile giants like YouTube and Snapchat. The service persisted until September 2018, when BlueJeans Network acquired its mobile development team and key assets to bolster its own video conferencing capabilities, effectively concluding MixBit's operations. This outcome underscored the volatility of mobile video markets and the pitfalls of timing in social media innovation. Hurley later described such setbacks as essential for building resilience, noting that "running helped me learn how to deal with failure, and failure is a big part of the Internet business." The experience prompted a pivot in Hurley's AVOS-related pursuits toward selective investments and advisory roles rather than new consumer launches.[29]
Involvement in motorsports
Hurley's longstanding passion for motorsports, particularly Formula One racing, led him to make a significant investment in the sport during the late 2000s. As a self-described "huge fan of Formula 1 racing," he channeled resources from his successful tech career into supporting an American entry on the grid.[30]In 2009, Hurley became the primary investor in Team US F1, a Charlotte, North Carolina-based outfit approved by the FIA to join the Formula One championship for the 2010 season as one of four new teams. The venture aimed to revive U.S. presence in the sport, which had been absent since the early 1980s, with Hurley providing crucial funding to develop chassis, engines, and operations. His involvement was announced publicly in August 2009, positioning him as the "big investor" behind the team's ambitions to compete with established constructors.[31][32]Despite initial promise, Team US F1 encountered severe setbacks, including chronic funding shortages, loss of key sponsorships, and delays in car construction. By early 2010, the team relocated briefly to Italy in a bid to secure a customer chassis from Toyota, but regulatory hurdles with the FIA and ongoing financial woes prevented any on-track participation. The project collapsed entirely by March 2010, when the FIA barred the team from the season, citing failure to meet entry requirements; it was formally shut down in 2011 amid legal disputes and a $309,000 fine for bringing the governing body into disrepute. Hurley's investment, while enabling early progress, could not overcome these challenges, marking the venture as a high-profile failed attempt at an American F1 comeback.[33][34][35]
Investments and ventures
Sports-related investments
Chad Hurley has pursued several investments in professional sports franchises, building on his earlier experiences in motorsports to support the expansion and development of major U.S. leagues. His stakes emphasize passive ownership in high-profile teams, contributing to venue infrastructure and competitive success without direct operational involvement.In 2014, Hurley co-founded Los Angeles FC (LAFC) as a key investor in the Major League Soccer expansion franchise, joining a diverse ownership group that included entrepreneur Peter Guber, motivational speaker Tony Robbins, and former NBA star Magic Johnson.[36] The team debuted in the 2018 MLS season, playing home matches at the state-of-the-art Banc of California Stadium—a 22,000-seat venue in Exposition Park, Los Angeles, which Hurley and fellow owners helped develop to elevate soccer's presence in the city.[37] LAFC quickly rose to prominence, securing their first MLS Cup championship in 2022 after a dramatic penalty shootout victory over the Philadelphia Union at the same stadium.[38]In 2018, Hurley co-founded GreenPark Sports, a fan-engagement platform for live interactive games tied to real-time sports events, where he serves as chairman. The company raised $8.5 million in seed funding in 2019 and remains active in the esports and fantasy sports space.[6]Beyond soccer, Hurley acquired a minority ownership stake in the NBA's Golden State Warriors around 2010 as part of an influential group of Silicon Valley investors, including Zappos co-founder Nick Swinmurn and Benchmark Capital's Bob Kagle.[39] This investment aligned with the Warriors' transformation into a dynasty, marked by multiple championships and the opening of Chase Center in 2019, further demonstrating Hurley's focus on innovative sports infrastructure and league growth in key markets.[40]In October 2025, Hurley invested in Fantasy Life, a fantasy sports media company.[7]These holdings illustrate Hurley's broader strategy of fostering U.S. sports expansion through targeted financial commitments, particularly in Los Angeles and the Bay Area, where he has backed projects enhancing fan engagement and economic impact.[41]
Technology and other investments
Following the closure of MixBit in 2018, Chad Hurley shifted focus to investing in technology startups, leveraging his experience in video and digital media to support innovative ventures in AI, blockchain, and audio-visual technologies. Through personal funds and connections from his early roles at PayPal and YouTube, Hurley has backed over 20 companies since 2017, emphasizing emerging fields like generative AI and interactive content creation.[42][43]One notable investment was in Uptime, an edtech platform that raised $3 million in seed funding in 2021, where Hurley participated as an angel investor to aid its growth in collaborative learning tools.[42] In the audio-visual space, Hurley invested in Artie, a platform for creating interactive videos, which aligns with his longstanding interest in media production technologies.[44] He also supported Polycam, a 3D scanning app for capturing and editing spatial media, contributing to its $18 million Series A round announced in February 2024.[45]Hurley extended his portfolio into blockchain with a 2021investment in Parallel, an NFT and digital collectibles platform, reflecting early bets on decentralized media ecosystems.[46] In 2023, he founded and led EyeTell, an AI-driven startup that generates short-form video scripts and content using preexisting large language models; the company secured a seed round led by A-Star Capital with participation from SV Angel.[47] These diversified holdings in AI and video tech firms have contributed significantly to his financial growth.By 2025, Hurley's net worth is estimated at $700 million, bolstered by returns from these tech investments alongside his YouTube equity.[48] Additionally, he has taken on advisory roles with select Silicon Valley startups, providing strategic guidance on product development and scaling without full-time commitments.[49]
Personal life
Marriage and family
Chad Hurley married Kathy Clark, the daughter of Netscape co-founder James H. Clark, in 2000.[50] The couple welcomed two children during their marriage. Hurley and Clark maintained a private life together in California.Their marriage ended in divorce, with proceedings filed in San Mateo County Superior Court in 2012 and judgment entered in 2014.[51] Following the divorce, Hurley remarried in 2020 to Elise Walden. He has continued to prioritize a low-profile family life, focusing on his children's privacy amid his professional endeavors.[52]Hurley's relocation to California after his early career at PayPal allowed him to build his family there, influencing his emphasis on work-life balance as he balanced entrepreneurial pursuits with personal responsibilities.[53] His accumulated wealth from tech ventures has supported a comfortable family lifestyle while keeping public details minimal.[48]
Philanthropy and public engagement
Chad Hurley has maintained a relatively low-profile approach to philanthropy, focusing his charitable efforts on education, healthcare, technology access, and the arts to support underprivileged communities.[54]In 2014, Hurley auctioned a private lunch at Bouchon in Beverly Hills to benefit the CAA Foundation, supporting arts and education programs for underserved youth.[55] These efforts reflect his commitment to leveraging his success from YouTube to foster societal impact.Beyond financial contributions, Hurley has engaged publicly through speaking engagements that promote entrepreneurship and innovation for social good. He participated in events like the Clinton Global Initiative in 2007.[56]
