YouTube founder uses April Fools' prank to show off video service
Chad Hurley turns YouTube's joke into a promotion of MixBit.com, his new video-sharing service.
YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley used a YouTube prank to promote a new video-sharing service today, sparking speculation over whether or not he's taking us all for fools.
"Since @YouTube is ending, we're launching a new video site... Welcome to http://MixBit.com! @MixBitApp This time it's not a contest!" he tweeted today.
Since @youtube is ending, we're launching a new video site... Welcome to MixBit.com! @mixbitapp This time it's not a contest!
— Chad Hurley (@Chad_Hurley) April 1, 2013
The tweet plays off YouTube's prank for April Fools' Day. The company declared that it was closing down YouTube because it was meant to be the world's largest video submission contest.
Hurley included a link to MixBit.com, a Web site that features the message, "YouTube is shutting down. Instead of sitting around, we thought you'd want a new site to not only watch cat videos, but create them...together!"
MixBit could be the same service Hurley spoke about at the South by Southwest Interactive conference earlier this month. AdWeek reported that Hurley spoke about a collaboration platform for video that wouldn't be a YouTube competitor.