Google at 27: How a Tiny Startup Became the World’s Tech Powerhouse

Trending News: Google celebrates its 27th anniversary today, marking its journey from a small garage startup to one of the world’s most powerful technology companies. Once just a search engine, Google has grown into an essential part of everyday life. It helps people find quick answers, navigate with Maps, power their phones with Android, and enjoy videos on YouTube. For billions of users, especially in India, Google is now the first place to go for information, connection, and entertainment.

Let’s look at how Google moved from a tiny garage to a worldwide tech leader.

BackRub Beginnings

In 1996, Stanford PhD students Larry Page and Sergey Brin built a project called BackRub. It ranked websites by the links pointing to them. This early research formed the base of Google’s future.

Birth in a Menlo Park Garage

Google Inc. came into existence in 1998. Soon after, the founders rented a garage from Susan Wojcicki in Menlo Park for $1,700 a month, making it their first proper office.

First Major Funding of $100,000

In August 1998, Sun Microsystems co-founder Andy Bechtolsheim wrote a $100,000 cheque to “Google Inc.” even before the company formally existed. This kick-started the business and attracted other investors.

From Garage to Palo Alto Office

Within a few months, the small space was not enough. By early 1999, Google shifted to an office in Palo Alto as the team and its ideas quickly expanded.

Expansion, New Products, and Alphabet

Google grew far beyond search into a full tech world—YouTube, Android, Gmail, Maps, cloud services, AI, and more. In 2015, it was reorganised under Alphabet Inc. to handle its many projects.

Leadership and Ownership

Larry Page and Sergey Brin still hold most voting power through special Class B shares. Sundar Pichai now runs both Google and Alphabet as CEO.