On this day: September 4, 1998 – Google was founded
Google Was Founded in a Garage on September 4, 1998 – Here’s How It Started
When considering today’s internet, you cannot imagine it without the presence of Google. Be it a recipe, cricket scores, or a nearby café. We mostly type the query into that plain white search box. But it all started on the 4th of September 1998 with the foundation of Google by two students from Stanford university.
The origin of Google
The Beginning of Google In the last few years of the 1990’s, the internet was a total sprawl and complicated to search through. Search engines at the time were primitive and returned frustratingly poor results which meant users had to sift through endless pages of irrelevant links. This was the time that two PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, had a brilliant idea.
They developed a system referred to as PageRank which ranked web pages according to the links that other pages had to them. The concept was actually quite straightforward – the more pages that linked to a page, the more important it was likely to be. This was a research project at Stanford university that grew into something much more: the first iteration of Google.
The Google garage story
Just as their project expanded, Larry and Sergey made up their minds to start a company. Unlike the usual, they did not commence operations in an ostentatious setting. Instead, they found a garage in Menlo Park, California. In that garage, google founders along with their hope and aspiration, set up a base for future computing. Their efforts transformed the company into one of the most successful and powerful company in the world.
Their garage remains as a reminder for the starting point of google. It illustrates how success can be attained by starting with the most basic of ideas.
Why is Google called Google?
The story surrounding it is fascinating as well. The word google is a derivative of the word “googol,” a mathematical term meaning 1 followed by 100 zeros. It reflected the company’s desire to consolidate an enormous volume of data. The term google was a misspelled word and it was so funny, it was heavily used.
Now, it is not merely a brand. You would hear people say “I google it” as a replacement for “I search the internet”. It goes to show how ingrained the company is.
The early days of growth
The company’s somewhat unexpected growth On September 4, 1998, Google was ‘born’ but its founders did not expect to create a behemoth during that time. Money was not a chase for Larry Page and Sergey Brin, rather, they had a vision to simplify and organize the web.
Initially, even the investors had their doubts as to whether the idea was viable. Nevertheless, as the years went by and more ad features were added alongside an expanded product line, Google began to move past search. Google began becoming everyone’s go-to in so many areas. These included Google maps, Android, YouTube, Google maps, and Gmail.
From a garage to the world
Looking Back, the story feels distant from reality. Most admire the value added by Google to the knowledge base, while there are others that show fear, disdain, or mistrust to its power. With all that, the ability to deny its influence in today’s world is almost irrational.
Closing thoughts
On this day, September 4, 1998 was the day Google was born. From that date, the world has never been the same when it comes to search. The visionary founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin had a vision and that idea transformed into a business that is now a common part of billions of people’s lives.
The next time you go ahead and enter a question in that little search bar, think back to google’s origins: two students, a dream, and a garage.
References
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Wikipedia – History of Google Facebook+1Wikipedia+2axa.co.uk+2
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Google Blog – Inside Google’s original garage, 1998‑style blog.google
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The Guardian – Google’s beginnings in Susan Wojcicki’s garage WIRED+15The Guardian+15The Guardian+15
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Wired – “The Birth of Google” (early naming, development, and context) TIME+7WIRED+7WIRED+7
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Wikipedia – Google (main article) About Google+15Wikipedia+15The Guardian+15
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Wikipedia – Susan Wojcicki aplusdoors.com+4Wikipedia+4The Guardian+4
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Wikipedia – PageRank Wikipedia+13Wikipedia+13engineering100.stanford.edu+13
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Wired (Vanity Fair excerpt via news) – “Google Was Not a Normal Place…” gq.com+5vanityfair.com+5WIRED+5
