Google At 25: A Look At Transformation Over The Years

Over 25 years ago, two students at Stanford University came up with an idea in their dormitory – to make a search engine for the internet. They wanted to organize web pages and rank them. Initially named BackRub, this project grew into something massive – Google, one of the most important companies globally.

Today, billions of people use Google’s products like Gmail and its search engine. The founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, are among the world’s richest individuals. Let’s take a look at Google’s journey:

– 1995-1996: Page and Brin meet at Stanford and create BackRub.

– 1998: Google gets $100,000 in funding from Andy Bechtolsheim.

– 1999: Google announces $25 million in funding and introduces the term “Googlers.”

– June 2000: Google becomes Yahoo’s default search engine.

– October 2000: Launches AdWords, a crucial online advertising platform.

– 2001: Eric Schmidt becomes CEO.

– April 2004: Google tests Gmail with 1GB storage.

– August 2004: Goes public with an IPO at $85 per share.

– February 2005: Introduces Google Maps.

– August 2005: Acquires Android and launches Google Talk.

– 2006: Buys YouTube for $1.65 billion.

– April 2007: Announces acquisition of DoubleClick for $3.1 billion.

– May 2007: Introduces universal search.

– September 2008: Debuts the first Android phone.

– January 2010: Launches Nexus One smartphone.

– March 2010: Stops censoring search results in China.

– October 2010: Tests self-driving vehicles.

– June 2011: Launches Google+ social network.

– August 2011: Acquires Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion.

– 2012: Launches Google Glass.

– 2013: Acquires mapping startup Waze.

– 2014: Announces acquisition of AI firm DeepMind and Nest Labs.

– 2015: Forms Alphabet, a parent company.

– October 2016: Launches Pixel smartphone.

– November 2016: Introduces Google Home smart speaker.

– June 2017: Fined 2.42 billion euros by the European Commission.

– February 2018: Reports over $100 billion in sales.

– July 2018: Fined 4.34 billion euros for anti-competitive practices.

– March 2019: Fined 1.49 billion euros for online advertising practices.

– June 2019: Acquires analytics startup Looker.

– November 2019: Announces acquisition of Fitbit.

– December 2019: Co-founders Page and Brin step down; Sundar Pichai becomes CEO of Alphabet.

– 2020: Alphabet reaches $1 trillion in market capitalization.

– January 2023: The company cuts 12,000 jobs (6% of its workforce).

– February 2023: Google introduces Bard, an AI chatbot, but faces issues leading to a $100 billion market capitalization loss.

– March 2023: Bard rollout begins.

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