Two decades ago, a startup that was supposed to be a dating website with a unique video twist accidentally created a media juggernaut. Today, we all know it as YouTube, and love it or hate it, there are admirable lessons that can be learnt from its ascent.
I can still remember when I first saw someone using the website (if you’ll forgive my millennial trip down memory lane that somewhat illustrates how old I am). I was in my undergrad university years at Northeast, Ohio. Even though we all had laptops at this point for the most part, the computer lab was still the place to be, and frankly, the place to be seen. To mix metaphors, the lab was an analogue social networking site.
I heard someone laughing and glanced over at their cathode-ray-tube display, and I saw a fellow student watching a video with some outtakes and bloopers from the TV shows Full House, Perfect Strangers and Family Matters. Making note of the YouTube logo (which hasn’t really changed all that much since 2005), I quickly opened the site as well. It was quaint and somewhat quirky, although the videos did load quickly.
For reasons I didn’t fully understand back then, it felt very important, even if the content was far from polished. I didn’t realise it at the time, nor did the millions of other millennials, but we were witnessing a huge shift – a changing of the guard and the birth of a durable, albeit continuously evolving, brand.
Video content on the web wasn’t new by any means. Microsoft offered Media Player, Apple touted QuickTime, and RealNetworks boasted RealPlayer, to name a few. Yet those formats and players largely worked within the existing infrastructure of big media companies. They gave those entities a way to put their broadcast-quality content, or at least a portion of it, online. YouTube, however, focused on the rest of us.
The name, YouTube, was no accident. The founders – former PayPal employees Chad Hurley, Steve Chen and Jawed Karim – wanted to take all that content that was being recorded on digital cameras and give it a home on the web.
Top 10 most viewed YouTube videos — in pictures
That YouTube is quickly trying to adapt shows that it hasn’t strayed too far from the lessons it learnt back in 2005
As I wrote earlier, the company’s initial foray into the world of online dating was short-lived – few, if any, used the site. But the founders realised that there was the germ of a good idea with what they created.
“I just talked to both of you on the phone. I’m 100 per cent convinced that this can be huge if executed right,” read an email Mr Karim sent to his co-founders in February 2005.
“Timing is perfect because video digital cameras are exploding right now. Our site should be video-only to emphasise the unique aspect of our site … bandwidth costs will be high, but bandwidth is getting very cheap, so we might be okay,” he added, which in hindsight seems incredibly prophetic.
Perhaps most importantly, YouTube revolved around something called a buffered streaming model, which at the time was a sharp departure from videos that had to be downloaded. The quality of the videos was affected slightly, but for most people it was good enough and made for a far superior and quicker video consumption experience.
The platform took off as the trio predicted. Within one year, it was purchased by Google, which had seen YouTube eclipse its own video sharing offerings.
Some accused the founders of selling out, while others worried that Google might ruin what made the platform unique and successful. Yet the YouTube branding remained, and Google took advantage of its size to give the community-driven video content site unprecedented server space, reach and technical support. This made the site a go-to source for anybody looking to be entertained, to upload a video, or to host a live video stream.
YouTube, of course, is not without controversy. Of the billions of videos on the platform, there’s inevitably copyright infringement, with the legacy media companies finding themselves both victims and content creators. Although the entity continuously implements new technological innovation to try to penalise and blunt the problem, there are still many poached pieces of content on the site, with nefarious actors always finding new ways to game the system.
Some have also accused YouTube of essentially being a brain-drain for younger consumers, especially as the debate over the potential side-effects of social media begins to crescendo. Others have criticised it for being addictive as well. Yet there haven’t been many accusations thrown at YouTube that haven’t already been aimed at other platforms in the digital space.
That leads me to YouTube’s perhaps most impressive, and at once challenging, pivots.
The site is now trying to knock TikTok off its social media pedestal, while the China-based video app currently fights a multi-front war against regulators in the US. YouTube isn’t alone in this pursuit of trying to dethrone its rival. Meta’s Instagram also stands to gain from TikTok’s regulatory woes, and it’s even gone as far as advertising on TikTok to try to poach users who are frightened that their favourite social media video platform might cease to exist in the US.
Yet YouTube has a distinct, schematic advantage. Why? Because it has been accumulating videos since 2005, giving it more than enough content to incorporate a TikTok-like algorithm and quickly scale it. YouTube clearly understands this, and it has been telling content creators both young and old to use its Shorts vertical video feature, making it almost indistinguishable from TikTok to the untrained eye.
Of course, it remains to be seen if YouTube will become the next TikTok, yet the fact that the company is quickly trying to adapt shows that it hasn’t strayed too far from the lessons it learnt back in 2005 when it was a fledgling startup.
It’s important to look at the landscape around you. It’s equally important that you look at what’s currently working in your organisation and perhaps most paramount, it’s absolutely vital to use those observations to your advantage. Twenty years of existence is no accident, especially in the technology sector where the next big thing can quickly fizzle out despite ample hype.
This brings me to my final observation – YouTube has never really had a “hype cycle”. Perhaps there are lessons to be learnt there as well.
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
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Five hymns the crowds can join in
Papal Mass will begin at 10.30am at the Zayed Sports City Stadium on Tuesday
Some 17 hymns will be sung by a 120-strong UAE choir
Five hymns will be rehearsed with crowds on Tuesday morning before the Pope arrives at stadium
‘Christ be our Light’ as the entrance song
‘All that I am’ for the offertory or during the symbolic offering of gifts at the altar
‘Make me a Channel of your Peace’ and ‘Soul of my Saviour’ for the communion
‘Tell out my Soul’ as the final hymn after the blessings from the Pope
The choir will also sing the hymn ‘Legions of Heaven’ in Arabic as ‘Assakiroo Sama’
There are 15 Arabic speakers from Syria, Lebanon and Jordan in the choir that comprises residents from the Philippines, India, France, Italy, America, Netherlands, Armenia and Indonesia
The choir will be accompanied by a brass ensemble and an organ
They will practice for the first time at the stadium on the eve of the public mass on Monday evening
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Read more about the coronavirus
Breaking News: The Remaking of Journalism and Why It Matters Now
Alan Rushbridger, Canongate
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
THE POPE'S ITINERARY
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
New Zealand 21 British & Irish Lions 24
New Zealand
Penalties: Barrett (7)
British & Irish Lions
Tries: Faletau, Murray
Penalties: Farrell (4)
Conversions: Farrell
The biog
Hobbies: Salsa dancing “It's in my blood” and listening to music in different languages
Favourite place to travel to: “Thailand, as it's gorgeous, food is delicious, their massages are to die for!”
Favourite food: “I'm a vegetarian, so I can't get enough of salad.”
Favourite film: “I love watching documentaries, and am fascinated by nature, animals, human anatomy. I love watching to learn!”
Best spot in the UAE: “I fell in love with Fujairah and anywhere outside the big cities, where I can get some peace and get a break from the busy lifestyle”
Brief scoreline:
Liverpool 2
Mane 51', Salah 53'
Chelsea 0
Man of the Match: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE Premiership
Results
Dubai Exiles 24-28 Jebel Ali Dragons
Abu Dhabi Harlequins 43-27 Dubai Hurricanes
Fixture
Friday, March 29, Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Jebel Ali Dragons, The Sevens, Dubai
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE)
Matches can be watched on BeIN Sports
Brief scores:
Day 2
England: 277 & 19-0
West Indies: 154
Dubai World Cup draw
1. Gunnevera
2. Capezzano
3. North America
4. Audible
5. Seeking The Soul
6. Pavel
7. Gronkowski
8. Axelrod
9. New Trails
10. Yoshida
11. K T Brave
12. Thunder Snow
13. Dolkong
Tour de France
When: July 7-29
UAE Team Emirates:
Dan Martin, Alexander Kristoff, Darwin Atapuma, Marco Marcato, Kristijan Durasek, Oliviero Troia, Roberto Ferrari and Rory Sutherland
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
Squads
India: Kohli (c), Rahul, Shaw, Agarwal, Pujara, Rahane, Vihari, Pant (wk), Ashwin, Jadeja, Kuldeep, Shami, Umesh, Siraj, Thakur
West Indies: Holder (c), Ambris, Bishoo, Brathwaite, Chase, Dowrich (wk), Gabriel, Hamilton, Hetmyer, Hope, Lewis, Paul, Powell, Roach, Warrican, Joseph
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
Women%E2%80%99s%20Asia%20Cup
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How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
The specs
Engine 60kwh FWD
Battery Rimac 120kwh Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (LiNiMnCoO2) chemistry
Power 204hp Torque 360Nm
Price, base / as tested Dh174,500
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Match info
Uefa Champions League Group C
Liverpool v Napoli, midnight
