The charred remains of buildings after the Palisades Fire broke out in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, on January 15, 2025.
Mike Black | Reuters
Google YouTube CEO Neal Mohan announced in a blog post on Wednesday that YouTube will donate $15 million to support communities and content creators in Los Angeles affected by wildfires.
Donations will go to local relief organizations including the Los Angeles Emergency Network, the American Red Cross, the Center for Disaster Philanthropy and the Institute for Nonprofit Journalism, Blog says. When the company’s Los Angeles offices can safely reopen, affected creators will also be able to use YouTube’s production facilities to “recover and rebuild their businesses” and engage in community activities.
“To all of our employees, the YouTube creator community, and everyone in Los Angeles, please stay safe and know that we’re here to support you,” said Google CEO Sundar Pichai. Posted on X.
The move comes days ahead of an imminent TikTok ban on Sunday, with content creators already asking fans to follow them on other social platforms. YouTube Shorts is a short video platform within YouTube and a competitor of TikTok Yuan Instagram Reels and the fast-growing Chinese app Rednote (also known as “Xiahongshu”).
“In moments like this, we see the power of communities coming together to support each other, and the strength and resiliency of the YouTube community is unparalleled,” Mohan wrote.
YouTube’s donation is in line with donations from many other Los Angeles companies that have pledged millions of dollars aimed at helping employees and residents affected by the Los Angeles fires. Meta announced that CEO Mark Zuckerberg and the company will share a $4 million donation, while Netflix and Comcast have each pledged $10 million to various aid organizations.
Revealed: Comcast owns NBCUniversal, the parent company of CNBC.
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