YouTube hacked as user uploads 141-year-long video

Dubai: YouTube was hacked by a mysterious user who posted a video that was as long as 141 years.

We all use YouTube on the daily for news, how-to-make videos, music, tutorials, and cat videos.

The average run-time for videos on YouTube according to shortsninja is 11.7 minutes statistically. Which makes sense as most short-form videos are under 3 minutes and long-form videos are up to 20 minutes long. 

The daily average time someone spends on YouTube is 19 minutes, according to global media insight.

However, one mysterious uploader called shinywr has made 3.5 million views by uploading a video titled '?' which is 1,234,567:30 hours long, which is around 141 years.

Along with that video they only have one other video which is also 294 hours long.

Although when you click on the video it is an empty video file that is only 12 hours long. 

The uploader was able to find a hack on the platform which makes his video preview display show that is 141 years long.

Although there might not be a Guiness World recognised longest video, there is the longest music video record held by Twenty One Pilots on the platform.

“The longest music video is 177 days 16 hours 10 min 25 sec long, and was achieved by Twenty One Pilots (USA), from 21 June to 16 December 2020. The music video, for their song Level of Concern, was live streamed on YouTube and was comprised of video submissions from fans," GWR noted.

There is also another world record for the longest ever livestream acclaimed by the awarding body. 

“The longest live-stream (video) is 918 hr and 55 min, and was achieved by La Casa de Alofoke 2 (Dominican Republic) at Lántica Studios, Juan Dolio, Dominican Republic from 20 October to 28 November 2025," the officiating body added.

Another video on YouTube that has been racking up views since its upload is the first ever video on the platform by one of its co-founder. 

Jawed Karim met his co-founders Steve Chen and Chad Hurley while working at Paypal and while he was at Stanford University where he studied computer science. 

The video he posted is just a 19 second long video of him with some elephants at the San Diego Zoo titled ‘Me at the zoo.’

At present the video has nearly 380 million views. Despite not having much share in the company Karim made $64 million after it was acquired by Google. Today the company is worth about $475 billion to $550 billion as of 2025.