How google was founded and its history

Google is undoubtedly one of the most significant innovations in internet history. It’s true that Google isn’t the first search engine. Search engines have existed since the very first days of the internet, but Google was relatively late to the game. It eventually became the go-to destination for almost all searches.

It all started in 1995 when Larry Page met Sergey Brin at Stanford University where he was a grad student and Brin was already in his second year. Their first meeting was full of disagreements because of their intellectual nature, but they still had a lot to talk about. Eventually, they decided to form a partnership and created a search engine called Backrub. Backrub was based on the idea that backlinks were an important factor in ranking individual pages, and that pages with more links were more useful and therefore higher in the search results. Backrub was initially hosted on Stanford’s servers, but eventually started taking up a lot of space, so the engine was registered as Google on September 15, 1997.Back in 1997, Page and Brin made the decision to change the name of their search engine from Backrub to Google. The name Google is a clever twist on the mathematical term Googol, which refers to the number 1 followed by 100 zeros.

In August 1998, Andy Bechtolsheim, one of the co-founders of Sun Microsystems and a former PhD student at Stanford, wrote a check for $100,000 to Larry and Brin. This generous contribution eventually led to the establishment of the official Google Inc. As the team began to grow, they decided to move out of their dorm rooms and set up their first office in a Garage located in suburban Menlo Park, California. Interestingly, the garage was owned by Susan Wojcicki, who is now the CEO of YouTube.

One notable milestone in Google’s history was the launch of its first Doodle, which coincided with the Burning Man festival in Nevada. Since then, the Doodle has become a regular feature, constantly updated to reflect new themes and celebrations.

Google moved to a different office in the nearby city of Palo Alto in February 1999.

In 2001, Google established its inaugural international office in Tokyo. Just three years later, the company relocated to a new headquarters, accommodating a workforce of over 800 employees. This very headquarters is now famously known as Googleplex.

From that point onward, the company experienced an unstoppable momentum. It embarked on launching a plethora of new services and products, with a primary focus on enhancing the user experience. One notable addition was the introduction of the Gmail service. Furthermore, Google successfully conducted its first IPO (initial public offering), which resulted in a remarkable $1.67 billion in funds raised, valuing the company at $23 million. Astonishingly, a decade later in 2014, Google’s market capitalization soared to an astounding $390 billion.

Fun Fact: By typing “Google Mirror,” users can witness a mirrored version of the Google homepage. Additionally, there are numerous hidden and entertaining tricks, such as a 360-degree barrel roll, Google terminal, underwater search, zero gravity, guitar playing, Pacman, and many more, which add an extra element of enjoyment to the search experience!

Starting from 2005, Google embarked on a series of service launches. In that year, they introduced Google Maps and Google Analytics. The following year, in 2006, Google Calendar and Google Translate were added to their repertoire. In 2007, they unveiled their mobile operating system, Android, and in 2008, they introduced Google Chrome, their web browser. Alongside these developments, Google also made strategic acquisitions, including the notable acquisition of YouTube in 2006.

A fascinating fact about Google is that since 2010, they have been acquiring, on average, at least one company every week. This demonstrates their commitment to growth and innovation. Additionally, Google established a lab called Google X, which focuses on developing groundbreaking products like delivery drones and self-driving cars.

A significant change occurred in 2015 when Google restructured its operations and formed a conglomerate called Alphabet. This move allowed them to effectively manage a wide range of services, from biotech businesses dedicated to enhancing human lifespan to the production of various internet-connected devices and internet services.

Google has risen to become the most widely used search engine on the planet, with the term “Google” even being added to the dictionary as a verb meaning to search for something on the internet.From its humble beginnings as a search engine, Google has grown to offer more than 50 different internet services and products, including email, cloud storage, cloud computing, mobile phones, and tablets.

Google’s extensive range of products and its large size have contributed to its recognition as one of the most influential companies in the tech industry, alongside other giants such as Apple, IBM, and Microsoft. Interestingly, Google’s first computer storage was constructed using Legos. Despite its diverse product offerings, Google’s search tool remains its core and most powerful service. Reports suggest that the majority of Google’s revenue is generated through advertising based on users’ search queries.

The company experienced a major breakthrough when it introduced the PageRank algorithm, which assessed the relevance and popularity of web pages. Google’s user-friendly interface and accurate search results propelled its rapid growth, leading to its official incorporation in 1998. Going public in 2004 was a pivotal moment for the company, propelling Page and Brin into the billionaire ranks. Throughout the years, Google expanded its offerings by introducing products such as AdWords, AdSense, Google Earth, and YouTube. In 2015, a restructuring resulted in the formation of Alphabet Inc., with Google operating as its subsidiary. Under the leadership of Sundar Pichai, who assumed the role of Alphabet CEO in 2019, Google continued to innovate, focusing on artificial intelligence, mobile technology (Android), and ambitious moonshot projects. Despite its remarkable success, Google has faced regulatory scrutiny due to its unparalleled influence in the tech industry. Today, Google stands as a global technology powerhouse, shaping the digital landscape and providing a wide range of services that have become essential in everyday life.