9781422270394

chapter 1

STORY OF A STARTUP

The Internet has been very good to Steve Chen, and in turn, he has been a tremendous boon to the Internet. People most closely associate Chen with YouTube, and naturally so, as the online video sharing social network boasts the second-busiest website in existence. YouTube may be his ultimate brainchild, but it’s not the only company on his résumé. He is a former employee of both PayPal and Facebook, but he has also played an important role in many other companies. Chen’s follow-up project to YouTube began just a few years later. Like YouTube, it also focused on improving what the Internet has to offer. With that, it’s best to start at the beginning. Chen and Chad Hurley began AVOS Systems in 2011 along with Vijay Karunamurthy. That same year, Chen was listed as one of the “Fifteen Asian Scientists to Watch” by Asian Scientist Magazine, due to his seemingly endless ambition. According to the company’s website, AVOS aims to “help developers create fun and beautiful apps faster than ever.” Apps, short for applications, are programs that are used on mobile devices and computers. Chen has accomplished a lot—but it didn’t come easily. He needed to overcome many trials to get to where he is today. His first few years were not spent in the United States but in his birthplace of Taiwan. In order to succeed, he needed to really push himself outside

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