Steve Chen

Steve Chen builds things with computers.

He was born in Taiwan. Then his family moved to the United States.

He worked at a place called PayPal. He also worked at Facebook. Later, he helped start YouTube.

He worked with two other men. They made YouTube a big site. He was a leader there.

Google bought the site from him. He also started other web tools. He even started a site for food videos.

Steve is a very smart builder. He helps us use the internet.

Steve Chen is a computer expert. He helps build things for the internet.

He was born in Taipei, Taiwan. When he was seven, his family moved to the United States. He lived in Illinois. He studied computer science at a college. Then, he moved to Silicon Valley.

Steve worked at PayPal and Facebook. In 2005, he started YouTube. He worked with Chad Hurley and Jawed Karim. Steve was the chief technology officer. This means he led the technical parts of the site.

In 2006, Google bought YouTube. They paid $1.65 billion for it. Steve got many shares of Google stock. These shares were worth a lot of money.

Steve has started other companies too. He helped start AVOS Systems. He also made a food video site called Nom.com. In 2018, he won a big honor in Illinois. It is called the Order of Lincoln. He lives in Taipei, Taiwan now. He has a wife and two children.

Steve Chen is a famous software engineer. He helps build tools for the internet.

He is a co-founder of YouTube. This site lets people share videos online. He also helped start a company called AVOS Systems. He even built a food video site called Nom.com. His work changed how we use computers.

Steve's journey started with learning about computers. He studied computer science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In 1999, he left his college studies. He moved to Silicon Valley to work. First, he worked at a company called PayPal. There, he met friends named Chad Hurley and Jawed Karim. He also worked at Facebook for a few months. These jobs helped him learn how to build big systems.

In 2005, Steve and his friends started YouTube. Steve was the chief technology officer. This role means he led the technical parts of the site. He worked hard to make the video system work well. In June 2006, a magazine named him a person who matters. He was one of the 50 people on that list.

YouTube became very successful very quickly. On October 9, 2006, Google bought YouTube. The sale cost $1.65 billion. Steve received 625,366 shares of Google stock. He also got 68,721 shares in a trust. By September 2021, those shares were worth almost $1.77 billion.

Steve has received many honors for his work. In 2018, he won the Order of Lincoln. This is the highest honor in Illinois. He was also named one of the 15 Asian Scientists To Watch. Steve lives in Taipei, Taiwan now. He moved there in August 2019. He is married to Jamie Chen. They have two children together.

Steve Chen is a prominent software engineer and internet entrepreneur. He is most famous for co-founding YouTube, a massive video-sharing platform. Beyond YouTube, he has helped lead several other technology companies. His work has shaped how people interact with digital media globally. Chen is a key figure in the history of the modern internet.

Chen's journey began in Taipei, Taiwan. He was born there on August 25, 1978. When he was seven years old, his family moved to the United States. They settled in Arlington Heights, Illinois, in 1986. He attended Thomas Middle School and John Hersey High School. Later, he studied at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy. He then enrolled at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. There, he focused his studies on computer science. However, he left the university in 1999 to move to Silicon Valley.

Before creating YouTube, Chen gained experience at several major tech companies. He worked as an employee at PayPal. This role was very important for his future. It was at PayPal that he met Chad Hurley and Jawed Karim. He also spent several months as an early employee at Facebook. These experiences provided the foundation for his entrepreneurial career. In 2005, Chen joined Hurley and Karim to found YouTube. He took on the role of chief technology officer, or CTO. As CTO, he was responsible for the technical direction of the company.

YouTube grew into a massive success very quickly. In June 2006, Business 2.0 named him a significant figure. He was included in their list of "The 50 people who matter now." This recognition highlighted his influence on the business world. On October 9, 2006, Google, Inc. purchased YouTube. The total sale price was $1.65 billion. This was a landmark moment for the internet industry.

The sale of YouTube resulted in significant personal wealth for Chen. He received 625,366 shares of Google stock. He also received 68,721 shares placed in a trust. These shares grew immensely in value over the years. By September 2021, the value of these Google shares was nearly $1.77 billion. This financial outcome reflects the massive scale of the platform he helped build.

After YouTube, Chen continued to work on various digital projects. He and Chad Hurley started a company called AVOS Systems, Inc. This company acquired the service Delicious from Yahoo! Inc. In 2016, Chen launched another venture called Nom.com. He started this live-streaming food network with Vijay Karunamurthy. However, Nom.com was eventually shut down in 2017. In 2014, Chen also joined Google Ventures. His career shows a constant drive to build new digital tools.

Chen has received several prestigious honors for his contributions. In 2011, Asian Scientist named him one of the "15 Asian Scientists To Watch." In 2018, he was inducted as a Laureate of The Lincoln Academy of Illinois. The Governor of Illinois also awarded him the Order of Lincoln. This is considered the highest honor in the state of Illinois.

In his personal life, Chen has strong ties to both the U.S. and Taiwan. He married Park Ji-hyun, known as Jamie Chen, in 2009. She previously worked as a product marketing manager for Google Korea. They have two children, including a son born in July 2010. The couple supports the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. Jamie was appointed as a trustee there in July 2012. In August 2019, the family moved to Taipei, Taiwan.