Steve Chen
Keynote Speaker: Co-Founder & Founding Chief Technology Officer of YouTube; Internet Pioneer; Emmy-Winning Entrepreneur and Digital Media Visionary
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Steve Chen Biography
Tech entrepreneur Steve Chen remains at the forefront of the global digital revolution. As co-founder and founding CTO of YouTube, he helped transform a simple idea for sharing videos online into a platform that reshaped media, culture and communication for billions of people – and laid the foundations for today’s AI-driven creator and recommendation ecosystems.
In 2005, Chen, Chad Hurley and Jawed Karim set out to make it easy for anyone, anywhere, to upload and share video. Within months of launch, YouTube became a global phenomenon. Less than two years after its founding, Google acquired the company for $1.65 billion, and Chen stayed on to lead YouTube’s next phase of hyper-growth.
At Google, Chen oversaw all core aspects of YouTube’s development, from engineering and product design to site operations. As an engineer, he helped design the massive data centers and infrastructure that enabled YouTube to scale globally and reliably. As a product leader, he drove features and early recommendation and discovery tools that turned YouTube from a simple video-sharing site into a social media platform and one of the world’s most influential, data- and AI-powered entertainment ecosystems.
Chen’s journey to Silicon Valley is as compelling as his list of achievements. Born in Taiwan, he moved to suburban Chicago at the age of eight and later earned a degree in computer science from the University of Illinois. He went on to become one of the early employees at PayPal, working alongside the group of founders and executives later known as the “PayPal Mafia” – including figures such as Elon Musk and Peter Thiel – who would go on to shape much of today’s tech landscape. After PayPal, he joined Facebook in its early days before deciding, just a few months later, to build a company of his own: YouTube. In 2019, his impact on the industry was recognised with a lifetime achievement Emmy Award.
Beyond YouTube, Chen has been deeply involved in mentoring and scaling new ventures. For years he worked with Google Ventures, helping start-ups refine their products, business models and go-to-market strategies. Now based in Taiwan, he plays an active role in the country’s fast-growing start-up ecosystem, advising entrepreneurs and supporting the next generation of global tech companies as they navigate AI, data and platform innovation. On stage, keynote speaker Steve Chen combines the credibility of a true internet pioneer with candid, practical insights on entrepreneurship, innovation, product design and the future of digital media, platforms and AI-enabled business models.
Contact a speaker booking agent to check availability on Steve Chen and other top speakers and celebrities.
Steve Chen Speaking Topics
In less than two years, three founders took YouTube from idea to a $1.65 billion acquisition by Google. In this keynote, Steve Chen, YouTube’s co-founder and original CTO, tells the inside story of how the company was born, scaled and ultimately sold. He explains how the team identified a real user problem, built a simple but powerful product, navigated rapid hypergrowth and made strategic decisions under intense uncertainty. Audiences walk away with concrete lessons on spotting opportunities, building the right team, iterating at speed and managing the pressures that come with exponential success.
Steve Chen is widely regarded as one of the most innovative business and technology leaders of his generation. In this talk, he shares what he learned while helping to build PayPal, Facebook and YouTube at pivotal moments in their history. He explores how to generate and test creative ideas, when to trust intuition over data, how to design products that feel effortless for users and how to build a culture where experimentation and calculated risk-taking are the norm. The session offers founders, product leaders and executives a practical framework for innovating and disrupting their own markets.
From the very beginning, YouTube’s founders were obsessed with one thing: making it radically easy to upload, watch and share video. In this keynote, Steve Chen explains what made YouTube’s user experience different from anything else at the time and how those early decisions defined the platform’s growth. He takes audiences behind the scenes of YouTube’s technology stack, from the development of massive data centers to the engineering choices that allowed the site to scale with exploding demand. Along the way, he shares lessons on user-centric design, reliability at scale and how infrastructure decisions shape product strategy and customer experience.
Steve Chen was part of the original “PayPal mafia,” the early group of entrepreneurs and engineers whose alumni went on to found and scale companies such as YouTube, Tesla, LinkedIn, Yelp and many others. In this engaging keynote, he reflects on what made that environment so uniquely productive: the culture, the hiring philosophy, the way problems were framed and the informal networks that formed around shared values and ambitions. He connects those experiences to his later roles at Facebook, YouTube and Google Ventures, offering practical insights on how any organisation can cultivate a similar “mafia effect” of talent: building teams that stay connected over time, spin out new ventures and continually create value across industries. For leaders, investors and founders, it is a rare inside look at how enduring entrepreneurial ecosystems are built.
Steve Chen Videos
How do I book Steve Chen to speak at my event?
Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Steve Chen for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Steve Chen, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Steve Chen or any other speaker of your choice.
How much does it cost to book Steve Chen for a speaking engagement?
Speaking fees for Steve Chen, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fee for a live event is $100,000 - $200,000. For the most current speaking fee to hire Steve Chen, click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.
What topics does Steve Chen speak about?
Steve Chen is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Asian & Pacific Heritage, Business, Business Leadership, Technology, Modern Media, Social Media, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Creativity and Futurism.
Where does Steve Chen travel from?
Steve Chen generally travels from Taiwan and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances.
Who is the agent for Steve Chen?
AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully secured keynote speakers like Steve Chen for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Steve Chen for your next private or corporate function.
What is a full-service speaker booking agency?
AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Steve Chen or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us.
Why is AAE Speakers Bureau different from other booking agencies?
If you’re looking for the best speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.
Steve Chen is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics including Asian & Pacific Heritage, Business and Business Leadership. The estimated speaking fee range to book Steve Chen for live events is $100,000 - $200,000. Please contact us for virtual event fees. Steve Chen generally travels from Taiwan and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Josh Linkner, Max Levchin and Chad Hurley. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Steve Chen for an upcoming event.
SPEAKING TOPICS
Steve Chen Speaking Topics
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Entrepreneurship: The YouTube Story
In less than two years, three founders took YouTube from idea to a $1.65 billion acquisition by Google. In this keynote, Steve Chen, YouTube’s co-founder and original CTO, tells the inside story of how the company was born, scaled and ultimately sold. He explains how the team identified a real user problem, built a simple but powerful product, navigated rapid hypergrowth and made strategic decisions under intense uncertainty. Audiences walk away with concrete lessons on spotting opportunities, building the right team, iterating at speed and managing the pressures that come with exponential success.
-
Innovation and Creativity: Building Products the World Wants
Steve Chen is widely regarded as one of the most innovative business and technology leaders of his generation. In this talk, he shares what he learned while helping to build PayPal, Facebook and YouTube at pivotal moments in their history. He explores how to generate and test creative ideas, when to trust intuition over data, how to design products that feel effortless for users and how to build a culture where experimentation and calculated risk-taking are the norm. The session offers founders, product leaders and executives a practical framework for innovating and disrupting their own markets.
-
YouTube’s Inside Story: UX, Infrastructure and the Future of Video
From the very beginning, YouTube’s founders were obsessed with one thing: making it radically easy to upload, watch and share video. In this keynote, Steve Chen explains what made YouTube’s user experience different from anything else at the time and how those early decisions defined the platform’s growth. He takes audiences behind the scenes of YouTube’s technology stack, from the development of massive data centers to the engineering choices that allowed the site to scale with exploding demand. Along the way, he shares lessons on user-centric design, reliability at scale and how infrastructure decisions shape product strategy and customer experience.
-
The PayPal Mafia Effect: How a Network of Founders Rewired Silicon Valley
Steve Chen was part of the original “PayPal mafia,” the early group of entrepreneurs and engineers whose alumni went on to found and scale companies such as YouTube, Tesla, LinkedIn, Yelp and many others. In this engaging keynote, he reflects on what made that environment so uniquely productive: the culture, the hiring philosophy, the way problems were framed and the informal networks that formed around shared values and ambitions. He connects those experiences to his later roles at Facebook, YouTube and Google Ventures, offering practical insights on how any organisation can cultivate a similar “mafia effect” of talent: building teams that stay connected over time, spin out new ventures and continually create value across industries. For leaders, investors and founders, it is a rare inside look at how enduring entrepreneurial ecosystems are built.
VIDEO
Steve Chen Videos
NEWS
Steve Chen News
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Steve Chen: No Regrets About Selling Youtube: Video - Bloomberg
Zeb Eckert reports on Youtube Co-Founder Steve Chen's comments about the sale of Youtube to Google on Bloomberg Television's "Bloomberg West." (Source : ...
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This is Mixbit, the new video site of YouTube founders Steve Chen
YouTube co-founders Steve Chen and Chad Hurley are getting ready to launch their new video service Mixbit.com, and we were able to take a first peek at the ...
FAQS
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How do I book Steve Chen to speak at my event?
Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Steve Chen for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Steve Chen, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Steve Chen or any other speaker of your choice. -
How much does it cost to book Steve Chen for a speaking engagement?
Speaking fees for Steve Chen, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fee for a live event is $100,000 - $200,000. For the most current speaking fee to hire Steve Chen, click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent. -
What topics does Steve Chen speak about?
Steve Chen is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Asian & Pacific Heritage, Business, Business Leadership, Technology, Modern Media, Social Media, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Creativity and Futurism. -
Where does Steve Chen travel from?
Steve Chen generally travels from Taiwan and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. -
Who is the agent for Steve Chen?
AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully secured keynote speakers like Steve Chen for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Steve Chen for your next private or corporate function. -
What is a full-service speaker booking agency?
AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Steve Chen or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us. -
Why is AAE Speakers Bureau different from other booking agencies?
If you’re looking for the best speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.
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This website is a resource for event professionals and strives to provide the most comprehensive catalog of thought leaders and industry experts to consider for speaking engagements. A listing or profile on this website does not imply an agency affiliation or endorsement by the talent.
All American Entertainment (AAE) exclusively represents the interests of talent buyers, and does not claim to be the agency or management for any speaker or artist on this site. AAE is a talent booking agency for paid events only. We do not handle requests for donation of time or media requests for interviews, and cannot provide celebrity contact information.
