Google turns 27 today, and over the years, it has become more than just a technology company, it's a global verb woven into the fabric of daily life for billions around the world. From providing instant answers to the world's most pressing questions to navigating your commute with Maps, powering your smartphone with Android, and hosting the world's entertainment on YouTube, the platform that started in a small garage has evolved into a digital infrastructure so essential that it is often inseparable from how we learn, communicate, and connect every single day.
So, let's explore Google's incredible journey from a small garage startup to a global technology giant.
1. The BackRub Legacy
In 1996, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, then PhD students at Stanford, developed a research project called BackRub, which ranked webpages based on links. This academic effort laid the foundation for Google's later success.
2. Official Birth in a Menlo Park Garage
Google Inc. was incorporated in 1998. Soon after, they rented a garage from Susan Wojcicki in Menlo Park for 1,700 per month-turning it into their first real office.
3. The First Big Break: 100,000 Investment
In August 1998, Andy Bechtolsheim, co-founder of Sun Microsystems, wrote a $100,000 cheque to "Google Inc."-even before the company officially existed. This act made the incorporation real and attracted further funding.
4. From Garage to Palo Alto Office
Within months, the team outgrew the garage. By early 1999, Google moved into an office in Palo Alto as their headcount and engine of innovation grew.
5. Growth, Products, and Alphabet
Google evolved from search into a full tech ecosystem-YouTube, Android, Gmail, Maps, AI, cloud services and more. In 2015, Google was reorganised under Alphabet Inc. to manage its growing ventures.
6. Ownership & Leadership Structure
Larry Page and Sergey Brin retain majority voting control through high-voting Class B shares. Meanwhile, Sundar Pichai now leads both Google and Alphabet as CEO.
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