Who owns YouTube?

YouTube is a U.S.-origin video platform owned by Google; Alphabet is the ultimate parent.

United States connection

Direct

Origin: United States
Headquarters: San Bruno, California, United States
Sourced connections: 3

High confidenceLast checked Sep 2026

Key facts

Service: YouTube LLC / Google service
Origin: United States
Headquarters: San Bruno, California, United States
Owner: Google
Manufacturing: Unknown
Operations in the United States: Yes

Why Whownit classifies YouTube this way

Founded in California.
YouTube operates from San Bruno, California
YouTube's own legal page gives San Bruno, while Google's terms give Mountain View — the stored value is YouTube's, not its owner's.
Part of Google/Alphabet.

Sources: company filings, company websiteAll sources

Ownership snapshot

YouTube
YouTube LLC / Google service
owned by
Google
Google LLC
owned by
Alphabet
Alphabet Inc.

Owned by Google

YouTube is owned by Google LLC, which is part of Alphabet.

Country connections

Each relationship is recorded separately, with its own sources.

United StatesOrigin · Headquarters · Ownership3 connections
- Origin
  Direct
  - sec.gov: sec.gov — goog-20251231 (opens in a new tab)
- Headquarters
  Direct
  YouTube's own legal page gives San Bruno, while Google's terms give Mountain View — the stored value is YouTube's, not its owner's.
  - youtube.com: YouTube copyright policy, contact information (opens in a new tab)
- Ownership
  Direct
  - sec.gov: sec.gov — goog-20251231 (opens in a new tab)

Looking for alternatives?

Comparable alternatives based on ownership and origin.

Alternatives to YouTube
Alternative	Best for	Starting price	Ownership status	Action
Twitch	—	—	—	View Twitch (opens in a new tab)

Twitch
Best for
—
Starting price
—
Ownership status
—
View Twitch (opens in a new tab)

Some links may be affiliate links; they never change the facts on this page.

Sources

Primary sources are listed first. Facts on this page were last checked in Sep 2026.

sec.gov
sec.gov — goog-20251231 (opens in a new tab)
SEC filingAccessed Sep 11, 2026
youtube.com
YouTube copyright policy, contact information (opens in a new tab)
CompanyAccessed Oct 1, 2026

Quick answers

Who owns YouTube?

YouTube is owned by Google LLC, which is part of Alphabet.

Which country owns YouTube?

YouTube is owned by Google, which is headquartered in the United States.

Where is YouTube from?

Founded in California, United States.

Where is YouTube headquartered?

YouTube is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States.

Is YouTube an American service?

Whownit records 3 sourced connections between YouTube and the United States (Origin, Headquarters, Ownership). At least one is direct — through the company itself.

What are the alternatives to YouTube?

Whownit lists 1 alternative: Twitch.