YouTube turns 20 years old. How it changed TV as we know it

YouTube has evolved into not a mere tech operation, but a formidable force in television. — Pixabay

The grainy 19-second YouTube video that started it all hardly had the makings of a viral sensation.

Shot at the San Diego Zoo, the primitive video clip showed Jawed Karim, the platform's co-founder, complimenting the elephants in the frame behind him. "The cool thing about these guys is they have really, really, really long trunks," Karim said.