What were the co-founders' backgrounds before starting YouTube?

Before starting YouTube, the co-founders had diverse backgrounds that contributed to their ability to build and grow the platform:

1. **Chad Hurley**:
   - **Background**: Chad Hurley had a background in design and visual arts. He earned a degree in **Fine Arts** from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
   - **Experience**: At PayPal, Hurley worked as a designer, where he focused on user interface and experience design. His skills in design and user experience were crucial in shaping YouTube's intuitive interface.

2. **Steve Chen**:
   - **Background**: Steve Chen had a background in computer science. He earned a degree in **Computer Science** from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
   - **Experience**: Chen worked as an engineer at PayPal, focusing on the backend infrastructure and technology. His technical expertise was essential for developing and scaling the YouTube platform.

3. **Jawed Karim**:
   - **Background**: Jawed Karim had a background in computer science. He attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he studied computer science.
   - **Experience**: Karim worked as an engineer at PayPal, contributing to the company's technology and infrastructure. His technical knowledge played a key role in building the early version of YouTube.

The skills and experiences they gained at PayPal, coupled with their technical and design backgrounds, were instrumental in the creation and development of YouTube.