YouTube founder Chad Hurley resigns as CEO

In Hurley’s absence, the day-to-day running of the site will be overseen by Salar Kamangar, the former vice-president of web applications at parent company Google.

Hurley said, "For the past two years, I've taken on more of an advisory role at YouTube as Salar Kamangar has led the company's day-to-day operations. I will continue to serve as an advisor and am excited to witness the next phase of YouTube’s growth."

Hurley, who with Steve Chen and Jawed Karim launched YouTube in 2005, said that his departure would allow him to work on new projects.

Google bought YouTube in 2006 for US$1.65 billion. Under the terms of the deal Hurley was only required to stay at the company for 18 months after the acquisition.