How Old is Google?

Google has become such a ubiquitous part of daily life that it’s hard to imagine the internet without it. From being a search engine to evolving into an empire with countless services and products, Google has transformed the way we interact with technology. But how old is Google, really? And how did it grow from a university project into the tech giant we know today?

In this detailed breakdown, we will explore Google’s birthdate, the origins of its creation, and how it became the behemoth it is today.

Google’s Birthdate: When Did It All Begin?

The official birthdate of Google can be traced back to September 4, 1998, when Larry Page and Sergey Brin officially incorporated the company as Google Inc.. However, its roots trace even further back to 1996, when the duo, both graduate students at Stanford University, first began working on a search engine project called BackRub. BackRub was an early attempt at creating a search engine that ranked pages based on their importance or relevance, as determined by their backlinks—an innovative idea at the time.

Let’s take a closer look at Google’s timeline and how it became the global phenomenon it is today.

1. The Early Beginnings: 1996-1998

1996 – The BackRub Project:

• In 1996, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, two Stanford University students, started collaborating on a research project that would later become Google. Their project, originally named BackRub, was a search engine designed to rank web pages based on the number of backlinks they had. This was a revolutionary idea at the time because most search engines were ranking pages based on how often the search term appeared on a page. BackRub, on the other hand, aimed to determine the quality and relevance of a page based on how many other websites linked to it.
• BackRub ran on Stanford’s servers, and by 1997, it was already processing more than 10,000 queries per day.

1997 – The Name “Google” is Born:

• In 1997, the BackRub project was renamed Google, which was derived from the mathematical term googol (the number 1 followed by 100 zeros). This name was chosen to reflect the founders’ mission to organize the vast amount of information available on the internet.
• The domain name google.com was officially registered on September 15, 1997. It was a simple yet effective domain that made the search engine easily identifiable.

1998 – Official Incorporation:

• By 1998, Larry Page and Sergey Brin had a working version of their search engine, and they decided to incorporate their business. On September 4, 1998, Google Inc. was officially founded. The company was incorporated in a garage in Menlo Park, California, by Susan Wojcicki, who would later become the CEO of YouTube. At the time, the founders had $100,000 in seed funding from Andy Bechtolsheim, one of the co-founders of Sun Microsystems.
• Google’s initial product was a search engine designed to provide the most relevant and efficient results based on PageRank, the algorithm that ranked pages according to their link popularity.

2. Google’s Rapid Growth: 1999-2004

1999 – The First Major Investment:

• In 1999, Sequoia Capital and Andreesen Horowitz, two top venture capital firms, invested $25 million into Google. This funding enabled the company to grow and develop its infrastructure to handle more users and provide faster results. Google began to transition from a university project to a full-fledged company with significant financial backing.

2000 – Introduction of Google AdWords:

• In 2000, Google introduced Google AdWords, a revolutionary advertising platform that allowed businesses to target potential customers based on specific keywords. This would become the primary source of revenue for the company and turn Google into a business powerhouse.
• Google Search also became the most popular search engine at this time, overtaking existing search engines like Yahoo and AltaVista due to its faster, more accurate results.

2001 – The First Acquisition:

• In 2001, Google made its first major acquisition, purchasing Deja.com, a popular online discussion forum. This purchase allowed Google to incorporate Google Groups, a feature that allowed users to search for and participate in online discussions.

2004 – Going Public:

• In 2004, Google went public with its Initial Public Offering (IPO). It was one of the most highly anticipated IPOs in Silicon Valley history, and Google raised $1.67 billion, giving the company a valuation of around $23 billion. This marked Google’s transition from a startup to a publicly traded tech giant.

3. Google’s Expansion: 2005-2010

2005 – Google Maps and Google Earth:

• In 2005, Google launched Google Maps, which revolutionized the way people navigated the world online. Google Maps offered real-time, detailed maps with driving directions, which was a significant leap from previous mapping services.
• The same year, Google acquired Keyhole, a satellite imagery company, which would evolve into Google Earth, a tool that allowed users to virtually explore Earth through satellite imagery.

2006 – Acquiring YouTube:

• In 2006, Google made its most high-profile acquisition yet: YouTube, the world’s largest video-sharing platform. Google paid $1.65 billion for YouTube, a move that proved to be incredibly lucrative over time.

2008 – The Launch of Android:

• In 2008, Google launched the Android operating system, which would go on to dominate the mobile phone industry. Android became a direct competitor to Apple’s iOS and now powers the vast majority of smartphones worldwide.

2009 – Google Chrome:

• In 2009, Google introduced Google Chrome, a web browser that quickly gained popularity due to its speed, simplicity, and integration with other Google services. Chrome became a critical part of Google’s ecosystem, enabling users to seamlessly interact with Google’s various products.

4. Google’s Modern Era: 2010-Present

2010-2015 – Continued Expansion:

• Throughout the 2010s, Google continued to expand its product lineup and services. Key developments included:
  • The introduction of Google Drive in 2012, a cloud storage service.
  • The release of Google+ in 2011, Google’s attempt at social media (though it was ultimately discontinued in 2019).
  • Expanding Google Play and Google Ads into additional markets.

2015 – Formation of Alphabet Inc.:

• In 2015, Google reorganized itself under a new holding company called Alphabet Inc.. The restructuring allowed Google to continue focusing on its core services, like search, advertising, and cloud computing, while other divisions, such as self-driving cars (Waymo) and healthcare projects (Calico), were placed under the Alphabet umbrella.

2017-Present – Artificial Intelligence and Cloud Services:

• Over the past few years, Google has focused heavily on artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and cloud computing. Google Assistant, a voice-powered AI assistant, has become a key player in the smart home and smartphone markets. Additionally, Google Cloud has emerged as a competitor to Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure.
• Google also continues to innovate with hardware products, such as the Pixel phone, Google Nest smart home devices, and Google Stadia (a cloud gaming service, though Stadia shut down in January 2023).

5. How Old Is Google Today?

Given that Google was founded on September 4, 1998, and today is January 2025, we can calculate:

• 2025 – 1998 = 27 years old

So, Google is 27 years old as of 2025.

Google, founded on September 4, 1998, by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, is 27 years old in 2025. What started as a research project in a Stanford dorm room has evolved into one of the most influential and powerful companies in the world. From revolutionizing internet search to dominating the digital advertising space, developing Android, acquiring YouTube, and expanding into AI, hardware, and cloud computing, Google’s growth is a testament to the ever-changing landscape of technology and innovation.

At 27 years old, Google is just getting started, with its eyes firmly set on the future of artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, and even quantum computing. Google’s influence will continue to shape the world for many years to come.