Google Celebrates 26 Years: A Look Back at Its Remarkable Journey

google marked its 26th anniversary on september 4. Founded in 1998 by PhD students Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the company began in a small garage in Menlo Park. Over the past two decades, google has grown into an essential tool for internet users worldwide.

The original garage belonged to Susan Wojcicki, former CEO of YouTube, who passed away last month after a long battle with cancer. Page and Brin rented her garage for $1,700 a month to launch their venture. Wojcicki joined them in 1999 as their marketing manager, impressed by their innovative idea.

Page and Brin initially focused on developing a search engine to organize the vast amount of data on the internet. Their concept quickly garnered interest from technology enthusiasts and investors, leading to the establishment of a new office in Mountain View, California.

Today, google has expanded far beyond its search engine roots. It now operates various services, including the Android operating system, Gmail, cloud storage, photo gallery, and a video streaming platform. The company is also making strides in artificial intelligence.

Although google was founded on september 4, it celebrates its anniversary on september 26. As noted in a blog post, "Google Inc. was incorporated on september 4, but for more than a decade we’ve celebrated our birthday on september 27, with an annual Doodle, of course.”

Last year, google reported annual revenue of $305.63 billion, primarily from advertising across its platforms.