The first video uploaded to YouTube has been changed after 18 years

Yes, you read that correctly. After a full 18 years, the first ever highlight video has been uploaded Youtubeentitled “I’m at the zoo“, has undergone a major change. Specifically, the video thumbnail, one of the most iconic images associated with the early days of YouTube, has changed.

This change marks an important moment for YouTube, as “Me at the Zoo” is not only the first video uploaded to the platform, but also a symbol of the simplicity and experimental nature of early YouTube content, the “broadcast yourself” era. The original thumbnail was a single frame of the video that accompanied it for nearly two decades. It was certainly a familiar sight to many who have watched the platform grow since its “younger” days.

As expected, this change sparked controversy in the YouTube community. Unfortunately, we don’t officially know why YouTube co-founder Jawad Karim made this decision. However, many users suggested that Karim used this subtle method to criticize the current state of YouTube, because in addition to the thumbnail, he also changed the video description which now reads:

«Noob vs Pro vs Hacker at the Zoo AKA I spent/survived one day trapped in the zoo AKA $1 AI Elephant vs $1,000,000 AI Elephant AKA The last one to leave the zoo wins! AKA NEVER DO THIS AT THE ZOO (WHAT HAPPENS NEXT WILL SHOCK YOU)»

For your information, Karim is an American software engineer and entrepreneur who was working at PayPal when he and his colleagues Steve Chen and Chad Hurley decided to found YouTube in February 2005. Shortly after, in October 2006, Google announced how it would acquire the YouTube platform. $1.65 billion.

“Me at the Zoo” has now had nearly 300 million views. Even with the new thumbnail, the video in question, featuring YouTube co-founder Jawad Karim at the San Diego Zoo, remains a part of internet history.