YouTube's CEO Quits...for Fashion

YouTube, one of the most popular websites ever, will no longer have Chad Hurley as CEO. He has decided to step down from that position so he can focus on his fashion line, Hlaska. YouTube made Hurley $1.65 BILLION once he sold it to Google in 2006, I wonder if Hlaska will make him that much money? He has had this clothing line since 1994 and it is currently carried in some California stores. In a recent interview with Forbes, he said:

"We make wallets, bags and shirts we'd want to see sold in stores. In that sense it's exactly like YouTube. We wanted something that wasn't available, so we built it ourselves."

And Hurley also told Forbes he will market his clothing line the same way he did YouTube:

"It's cut from the same mold. While a menswear company can't "go viral" in the Dancing Baby sense, you must ask yourself what makes something spread so fast. It's people's experiences. That may be something funny, like a Dancing Baby, or something shocking. Or merely just great customer service. Sure, word of mouth is slower than an Internet video, but they're born of the same principles."

Hmmm...I don't know how I feel about this. He leaves a billion dollar company, to work on his clothing line that has NOT made him a billion dollars in it's 16 years of being established? Makes no sense.



Originally posted 11/4/10

Posted in: Chad Hurley, Fashion, Interviews, Repost, YouTube