04 September - Google was officially incorporated as a company

 

Google's journey began in 1995 when Larry Page and Sergey Brin met at Stanford University. Initially, they didn't get along, but their shared interest in the World Wide Web brought them together. They started working on a research project called "BackRub," a search engine that analyzed backlinks to rank the importance of websites. This project laid the foundation for what would become Google.

Key Milestones in Google's Early History:

1. 1996: The Birth of BackRub:

   • Larry Page and Sergey Brin developed BackRub, a search engine that operated on Stanford's servers. It was innovative because it used backlinks to determine the relevance and importance of web pages, rather than just counting keyword appearances.

2. 1997: The Name "Google":

   • They decided to rename their search engine "Google," a play on the mathematical term "googol," which refers to the number 1 followed by 100 zeros. This name reflected their mission to organize the vast amount of information on the web.

3. 1998: Google Inc.:

   • On September 4, 1998, Google was officially incorporated as a company in Menlo Park, California. Their initial funding came from family, friends, and angel investors, including a $100,000 check from Andy Bechtolsheim, co-founder of Sun Microsystems.

4. 1998: First Google Doodle:

   • The first Google Doodle appeared in August 1998 as a playful message to users that the founders were attending the Burning Man Festival. This started the tradition of Google's creative doodles.

5. 1999: Moving to Palo Alto:

   • As Google’s popularity grew, they moved from their garage office to a more spacious location in Palo Alto, California, and later to Mountain View, where the current Googleplex headquarters is located.

6. 2000: AdWords Launch:

   • Google introduced AdWords, an online advertising platform that allowed businesses to create ads and target specific keywords. This became one of Google's main revenue sources.

7. 2004: IPO:

   • Google went public on August 19, 2004, with an initial public offering (IPO) that raised $1.67 billion. This move solidified Google's position as a tech giant.

Google's Growth and Impact:

• Search Dominance: Google quickly became the dominant search engine due to its innovative PageRank algorithm, which provided more relevant results than its competitors.
• Product Expansion: Over time, Google expanded beyond search, launching products like Gmail, Google Maps, and YouTube (acquired in 2006).
• Android and Chrome: Google entered the mobile OS market with Android in 2008 and launched the Chrome browser, which quickly became one of the most popular web browsers.
• Alphabet Inc.: In 2015, Google restructured under a parent company called Alphabet Inc., allowing it to focus on a broader range of ventures beyond its core search and advertising business.

Today, Google is one of the most influential tech companies in the world, driving innovation in search, advertising, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence.