Google Turns 27: Everything You Need to Know
To celebrate its 27th birthday, Google has unveiled a special Doodle on its search homepage. Happy Birthday, Google! On September 27, the world’s most popular search engine marks 27 years of helping people find answers to almost anything. Whenever in doubt, the advice has always been the same: “Just Google it.”
As we celebrate this milestone, let’s take a look at how Google began, who created it, the meaning behind its name, its current ownership, and how it is marking this special day.
Who Created Google?
Google’s journey started in 1995 at Stanford University. Larry Page was considering graduate school there, and Sergey Brin, already a student, was assigned to show him around. Their first meeting wasn’t smooth—they reportedly disagreed on almost everything. Yet by the following year, they had joined forces.
From their dorm rooms, Larry and Sergey developed a search engine that ranked web pages based on links. Initially called Backrub, the project was later renamed Google. It quickly attracted the attention of academics and investors. In August 1998, Sun Microsystems co-founder Andy Bechtolsheim wrote them a $100,000 check, officially launching Google Inc.
The company celebrates its birthday on September 27—a date chosen in the mid-2000s to mark key milestones, such as the day Google indexed a record number of web pages.
What Does Google Mean?
Google’s colorful letters are not an acronym. The name is a playful take on “Googol,” a term for 1 followed by 100 zeros. Coined in 1920 by Milton Sirotta, the nine-year-old nephew of mathematician Edward Kasner, the term captured the idea of an unimaginably large number.
When deciding on a name for their search engine, someone suggested Googol. Larry Page checked for the domain, but the word was misspelled as Google. He liked the sound, and the name stuck. In a sense, one of the world’s most powerful search engines got its name from a simple typo.
Who Owns Google Today?
Google is now a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., a holding company created in 2015 to oversee Google’s core businesses as well as experimental ventures like Waymo and Verily.
While Alphabet is publicly traded, Page, Brin, and a few insiders hold special shares that grant them greater voting power. Page and Brin remain board members, while Sundar Pichai, CEO of both Google and Alphabet, manages day-to-day operations.
How Is Google Celebrating Its Birthday?
For its 27th birthday, Google has unveiled a special Doodle on its search homepage. This year, the Doodle revisits Google’s very first logo, giving users a nostalgic glimpse of the company’s 1998 beginnings.
Birthday Discounts and Offers
The Google Store is offering 20% off selected items with the code BIRTHDAY27. Discounts apply to devices including Pixel 9, Pixel 9a, Pixel 9 Pro Fold, Pixel Buds Pro 2, Pixel Watch 3, and Fitbit Charge 6. Some purchases also come with store credit, exclusive stickers, or wristlets. The offer is valid until September 28.
