Google LLC is a multinational technology company specializing in online advertising, search, cloud computing, software, quantum computing, e-commerce, consumer electronics, and AI. Considered one of the world's most powerful and valuable brands, it is a component of the Big Tech group alongside Amazon, Apple, Meta, and Microsoft. Google operates as a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc.
In January 1996, Google began as a research project by Larry Page and Sergey Brin at Stanford University.
In 1996, Robin Li developed RankDex, with Larry Page's PageRank patent including a citation to Li's earlier RankDex patent.
In February 1998, Ram Shriram invested $250,000 in Google.
In August 1998, Google received an initial investment of $100,000 from Andy Bechtolsheim, co-founder of Sun Microsystems.
On September 4, 1998, Google was founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin.
After some additional, small investments through the end of 1998 to early 1999.
In 1998, Rajeev Motwani and Terry Winograd co-authored with Page and Brin the first paper about the project, describing PageRank and the initial prototype of the Google search engine.
In 1998, the Google Search engine was set up in Susan Wojcicki's garage.
In September 2020, Google announced it had retroactively offset all of its carbon emissions since the company's foundation in 1998.
Since 1998, Google has been designing special, temporary alternate logos to place on their homepage to celebrate holidays, events, achievements and people.
In March 1999, Google moved its offices to Palo Alto, California.
On June 7, 1999, a new $25 million round of funding was announced, with major investors including Kleiner Perkins and Sequoia Capital.
On April 1, 2000, Google's first April Fools' Day joke was Google MentalPlex, which allegedly featured the use of mental power to search the web.
In June 2000, it was announced that Google would become the default search engine provider for Yahoo!, replacing Inktomi.
In 2000, Larry and Sergey asked then-intern Dennis Hwang to design a logo for Bastille Day.
In 2001, Eric Schmidt was hired as the chairman and CEO of Google.
In October 2002, the first use of the verb "google" on television appeared in an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
In 2003, Google leased an office complex from Silicon Graphics in Mountain View, California, which became known as the Googleplex.
In 2003, Google ranked 213th in lobbying spending.
On August 19, 2004, Google became a public company via an initial public offering (IPO).
In 2004, Google formed the not-for-profit philanthropic Google.org, with a start-up fund of $1 billion.
In 2004, Google went public via an initial public offering (IPO).
In 2005, Google Earth was launched, enabling users to view high-definition satellite imagery worldwide via downloadable client software.
In 2005, Google started developing its own server designs, which were revealed in 2009.
In 2005, articles in The New York Times and other sources suggested that Google was losing its anti-corporate, "no evil" philosophy, leading to the designation of a Chief Culture Officer to maintain the company's culture.
In 2005, half of all new product launches in the second half of the year originated from the Innovation Time Off.
In the third quarter of 2005, Google reported a 700% increase in profit, attributed to companies shifting advertising from traditional media to the Internet.
On October 9, 2006, Google acquired YouTube for $1.65 billion in Google stock.
In October 2006, Google announced plans to install thousands of solar panels to provide up to 1.6 Megawatt of electricity, enough to satisfy approximately 30% of the campus' energy needs.
In November 2006, Google opened offices on Carnegie Mellon's campus in Pittsburgh, focusing on shopping-related advertisement coding and smartphone applications and programs.
For the 2006 fiscal year, Google reported $10.492 billion in total advertising revenues and $112 million in licensing and other revenues.
In 2006, Google moved into approximately 300,000 square feet of office space at 111 Eighth Avenue in Manhattan, New York City, which houses its largest advertising sales team.
In 2006, Scott Hassan founded the company Willow Garage.
In 2006, the verb "google" was added to the Merriam Webster Collegiate Dictionary and the Oxford English Dictionary.
In March 2007, Google, in partnership with the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI), hosted the first Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival at its headquarters in Mountain View.
On July 20, 2007, Google bids $4.6 billion for the wireless-spectrum auction by the FCC.
On October 31, 2007, Google shares hit $350 for the first time, driven by strong sales and earnings in the online advertising market.
Between 2007 and 2010, Google saved $3.1 billion in taxes using techniques that involved shuttling non-U.S. profits through Ireland, the Netherlands, and then Bermuda.
In 2007, Google announced a free Internet service called TiSP, or Toilet Internet Service Provider, as an April Fool's joke.
In 2007, Google ranked first in Fortune magazine's list of the best companies to work for.
Since 2007, Google has aimed for carbon neutrality in regard to its operations.
On March 11, 2008, Google acquired DoubleClick for $3.1 billion.
In 2008, Google announced its "project 10", which accepted ideas for how to help the community and then allowed Google users to vote on their favorites.
In 2008, Google ranked first in Fortune magazine's list of the best companies to work for.
According to unnamed sources, Google joined the PRISM program in 2009.
In 2009, British firm Foundem filed a complaint that triggered the case that concluded with a €2.4 billion fine imposed on Google in September 10, 2024.
In 2009, Google ranked fourth in Fortune magazine's list of the best companies to work for.
In 2009, Google revealed its server designs, which were developed since 2005.
In Spring 2009, Google hired a herd of 200 goats for a week from California Grazing to mow their lawn, as an eco-friendly alternative.
In January 2010, Google released the Nexus One, which was the first Android phone under the Google brand.
In February 2010, Google announced the Google Fiber project, an experimental plan to build an ultra-high-speed broadband network.
In February 2010, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission granted Google an authorization to buy and sell energy at market rates.
In July 2010, Google signed an agreement with an Iowa wind farm to buy 114 megawatts of power for 20 years.
According to unnamed sources, YouTube joined the PRISM program in 2010.
Between 2007 and 2010, Google saved $3.1 billion in taxes using techniques that involved shuttling non-U.S. profits through Ireland, the Netherlands, and then Bermuda.
In 2010, Google purchased the building housing its headquarters at 111 Eighth Avenue in Manhattan, New York City, in a deal valued at around $1.9 billion.
In 2010, Google ranked fourth in Fortune magazine's list of the best companies to work for.
In 2010, Google's total carbon emissions were just under 1.5 million metric tons, mostly due to fossil fuels that provide electricity for the data centers.
In May 2011, the number of monthly unique visitors to Google surpassed one billion for the first time.
In September 2011, Google disclosed that it "continuously uses enough electricity to power 200,000 homes".
By 2011, Google was handling approximately 3 billion searches per day.
In 2011, 96% of Google's revenue was derived from its advertising programs.
In 2011, Google donated €1 million to International Mathematical Olympiad to support the next five annual International Mathematical Olympiads (2011–2015).
In May 2012, Google acquired Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion.
In July 2012, Google launched a "Legalize Love" campaign in support of gay rights.
Until July 2012, Marissa Mayer was Google's vice-president of Search Products and User Experience.
On September 24, 2012, Google launched Google for Entrepreneurs, a not-for-profit business incubator that provides startups with co-working spaces, workshops, conferences, and mentorships.
In 2012, Google generated $50 billion in annual revenue for the first time.
In 2012, Google ranked 2nd in campaign donations of technology and Internet sections.
In 2012, Google ranked first in Fortune magazine's list of the best companies to work for.
In 2012, Google's transfer pricing practices reportedly sparked a French investigation.
In January 2013, then-CEO Larry Page commented on Google's strong finish to 2012, noting a 36% year-on-year revenue increase.
In June 2013, Google acquired Waze for $966 million.
In June 2013, following media reports about PRISM, Google was identified as one of the technology companies participating in the NSA's electronic surveillance program.
In July 2013, Google introduced the Chromecast dongle, which enables users to stream content from their smartphones to televisions.
In September 2013, Google announced it would purchase all the electricity produced by the not-yet-built 240-megawatt Happy Hereford wind farm.
On September 19, 2013, Google announced the launch of a new company, called Calico, to focus on the challenge of ageing and associated diseases.
In mid-October 2013, Google's consolidated revenue for the third quarter was reported as $14.89 billion, a 12 percent increase compared to the previous quarter.
In November 2013, Google announced plans for a new London headquarters, a 1 million square foot office able to accommodate 4,500 employees.
According to Interbrand's annual Best Global Brands report, Google has been the second most valuable brand in 2013.
In 2013, Google and other Silicon Valley companies faced a class action lawsuit for allegedly engaging in "no cold call" agreements, which restrained the recruitment of high-tech employees.
In 2013, Google ranked 5th in lobbying spending.
In 2013, a gender discrimination lawsuit involving 15,550 female employees in California was filed against Google.
By January 2014, Google's market capitalization had grown to $397 billion.
On January 26, 2014, Google announced it had agreed to acquire DeepMind Technologies for $400 million.
In June 2014, Google announced Google Cardboard, a simple cardboard viewer for viewing virtual reality (VR) media using a smartphone.
According to Interbrand's annual Best Global Brands report, Google has been the second most valuable brand in 2014.
Until 2014, the key trends of Google were published.
In April 2015, Google announced Project Fi, a mobile virtual network operator, that combines Wi-Fi and cellular networks.
In May 2015, Google announced its intention to create its own campus in Hyderabad, India, which is reported to be the company's largest outside the United States, accommodating 13,000 employees.
On August 10, 2015, Google announced plans to reorganize its various interests as a conglomerate named Alphabet Inc. Google became Alphabet's largest subsidiary, and Sundar Pichai became CEO of Google, replacing Larry Page.
In October 2015, a related motto, "Do the right thing", was adopted in the Alphabet corporate code of conduct.
On October 24, 2015, Sundar Pichai was appointed CEO of Google, replacing Larry Page, who became the CEO of Alphabet.
According to Interbrand's annual Best Global Brands report, Google has been the second most valuable brand in 2015.
From the 2015 financial year, figures are published for Alphabet Inc.
In 2011, Google donated €1 million to International Mathematical Olympiad to support the next five annual International Mathematical Olympiads (2011–2015).
In 2015, DeepMind's AlphaGo became the first computer program to defeat a top human pro at the game of Go.
Since the fourth quarter of 2015, the GOOGL and GOOG ticker symbols refer to Alphabet Inc., Google's holding company.
In January 2016, Google reached a settlement with the UK to pay £130m in back taxes plus higher taxes in the future.
On March 15, 2016, Google announced the Google Analytics 360 Suite, an integrated data and marketing analytics product designed for enterprise-class marketers.
In a July 2016 report, Gartner estimated that Google had 2.5 million servers in its data centers.
In October 2016, Google announced Daydream View, a lightweight VR viewer for smartphones to view VR media.
In December 2016, Google announced that—starting in 2017—it would purchase enough renewable energy to match 100% of the energy usage of its data centers and offices.
According to Interbrand's annual Best Global Brands report, Google has been the second most valuable brand in 2016.
In 2016, Google changed its contract practices, as noted during the September 18, 2024, appeal against a €1.49 billion antitrust fine from the European Union.
In June 2017, Google submitted plans for its new London headquarters to the Camden Council.
On June 27, 2017, the company received a record fine of €2.42 billion from the European Union for promoting its own shopping comparison service at the top of search results.
On August 8, 2017, Google fired employee James Damore after he distributed a memo with harmful gender stereotypes. Google CEO Sundar Pichai accused Damore of violating company policy.
In November 2017, Google bought 536 megawatts of wind power, reaching 100% renewable energy.
In 2017, Google began purchasing enough renewable energy to match 100% of the energy usage of its data centers and offices.
In 2017, Google channeled $22.7 billion from the Netherlands to Bermuda to reduce its tax bill.
In 2017, Google for Jobs, an enhanced search feature, aggregates job listings from job boards and career sites.
In 2017, Google was sued by three women accusing the company of violating California's Equal Pay Act by underpaying its female employees, citing a $17,000 wage gap.
In 2017, Google worked with the United States Department of Defense on drone software through Project Maven, which could be used to improve the accuracy of drone strikes.
On January 8, 2018, a lawsuit was filed against Google alleging discrimination against individuals based on their "conservative political views, male gender, and/or Caucasian or Asian race".
In March 2018, Google's parent company Alphabet purchased the Chelsea Market building in New York City for $2.4 billion.
In April 2018, thousands of Google employees signed a letter urging CEO Sundar Pichai to end the company's contract with the Pentagon related to Project Maven, due to its controversial nature.
In July 2018, Mozilla program manager Chris Peterson accused Google of intentionally slowing down YouTube performance on Firefox.
On July 18, 2018, the European Commission fined Google €4.34 billion for breaching EU antitrust rules by constraining Android device manufacturers and network operators to ensure traffic on Android devices went to Google's search engine.
According to Ryan Gallagher of The Intercept, in August 2018, Google was developing a censored version of its search engine (known as Dragonfly) for the People's Republic of China.
On October 8, 2018, a class action lawsuit was filed against Google and Alphabet due to exposed "non-public" Google+ account data resulting from a bug that allowed app developers to access users' private information.
On October 9, 2018, Google confirmed that it had appealed the €4.34 billion fine to the General Court of the European Union.
In November 2018, Google announced plans to expand its New York City office to accommodate 12,000 employees.
Between 2018 and 2020, Google ran Project Vivian, an anti-union campaign aimed to "convince them (employees) that unions suck".
In 2018, Google reportedly began Project Nightingale secretively with St. Louis-based healthcare company Ascension, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.
On January 21, 2019, French data regulator CNIL imposed a record €50 million fine on Google for breaching the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation by failing to sufficiently inform users of its methods for collecting data to personalize advertising.
As of March 2019, Google used about 121,000 temporary workers and contractors, in addition to its full-time employees.
On March 20, 2019, the European Commission imposed a €1.49 billion fine on Google for preventing rivals from competing fairly in the online advertising market by imposing anti-competitive contractual restrictions on third-party websites.
In April 2019, former Mozilla executive Jonathan Nightingale accused Google of intentionally and systematically sabotaging the Firefox browser over the past decade in order to boost adoption of Google Chrome.
In September 2019, Google's chief executive announced plans for a $2 billion wind and solar investment, the biggest renewable energy deal in corporate history.
On November 15, 2019, Google completed the Curie submarine communications cable connecting California with Chile.
In November 2019, the Office for Civil Rights of the United States Department of Health and Human Services initiated an investigation into Project Nightingale, focusing on potential HIPAA violations related to the mass collection of individuals' medical records.
On December 3, 2019, Sundar Pichai also became the CEO of Alphabet.
In 2019, Google decided not to renew its contract with the Department of Defense, which was set to expire, following controversy over the Project Maven drone software project.
In 2019, Linwei Ding was hired as a software engineer at Google, before being accused of stealing AI information from the company.
In 2019, a hub for critics of Google dedicated to abstaining from using Google products coalesced in the Reddit online community /r/degoogle. Privacy activists highlight information about Google products and the associated incursion on personal privacy rights by the company.
Since 2019, Google runs free online courses to help engineers learn how to plan and author technical documentation better.
On January 25, 2020, the formation of Alpha Global, an international workers union of Google employees, was announced, comprising 13 unions across 10 countries.
In June 2020, Google was hit with a $5 billion class-action lawsuit. Consumers alleged that Chrome's Incognito mode still collected user history.
In July 2020, U.S. Congressional hearings were held before the U.S. Department of Justice filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google on October 20, 2020.
In July 2020, the litigation over the Google+ data exposure was settled for $7.5 million, with a payout to claimants of at least $5 each, with a maximum of $12 each.
In September 2020, Google announced it had retroactively offset all of its carbon emissions since the company's foundation in 1998.
As of September 30, 2020, Alphabet Inc. had 132,121 employees, with over 100,000 working for Google.
In October 2020, Google Workspace, formerly G Suite, became a monthly subscription offering for organizations and businesses providing access to Google's services with additional administrative tools and support.
In October 2020, Google pledged to make the packaging for its hardware products 100% plastic-free and 100% recyclable by 2025.
On October 20, 2020, the United States Department of Justice filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google, alleging it illegally maintained its monopoly position in web search and search advertising.
In 2020, Google planned to begin operation of the Dunant submarine cable connecting the United States with France.
In 2020, Google stated that it had overhauled its global tax structure and consolidated its intellectual property holdings back to the U.S.
In 2020, the FBI used a geofence warrant to request data from Google about Android devices near the Seattle Police Officers Guild building following an arson attempt during Black Lives Matter protests, raising privacy concerns.
In March 2021, a federal judge denied Google's request to dismiss the $5 billion class-action lawsuit, ensuring Google must face the charges that Chrome's Incognito browsing mode collects user history. The lawsuit alleged Google's CEO Sundar Pichai sought to keep users unaware of the issue.
In 2021, court documents revealed that between 2018 and 2020, Google ran Project Vivian, an anti-union campaign aimed to "convince them (employees) that unions suck".
As of January 2022, Forbes ranked Google as the second most valuable brand.
Also in February 2022, Google announced a $100 million fund to expand skills training and job placement for low-income Americans, in conjunction with non-profits Year Up, Social Finance, and Merit America.
As of February 2022, Interbrand ranked Google as the fourth most valuable brand.
In June 2022, Google agreed to a $118 million settlement to resolve a gender discrimination lawsuit involving 15,550 female employees in California since 2013. The settlement included hiring a third party to analyze hiring and compensation practices.
On September 14, 2022, Google lost the appeal of a €4.125 billion fine, which was ruled to be paid after it was proved by the European Commission that Google forced Android phone-makers to carry Google's search and web browser apps.
In 2022 Google shared a $9 billion contract from the Pentagon for cloud computing with Amazon, Microsoft, and Oracle.
In 2022, Google reportedly paid Apple $22 billion to remain the default search engine on Safari.
In 2022, court documents from a National Labor Relations Board ruling suggested that Google sponsored a secretive project named Project Vivian to counsel employees and discourage them from forming unions.
In 2022, during the invasion of Ukraine, a Russian court had ordered Google to restore the channels, with penalties doubling every week according to TASS, which led to a "symbolic" fine on October 31, 2024.
In 2022, the Grace Hopper submarine cable, connecting New York, Bude, and Bilbao, was expected to become operational.
In October 2020, Google said that all its final assembly manufacturing sites will achieve a UL 2799 Zero Waste to Landfill certification by 2022 by ensuring that the vast majority of waste from the manufacturing process is recycled instead of ending up in a landfill.
Responding to the humanitarian crisis after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Google announced a $15 million donation to support Ukrainian citizens and decided to transform its office in Warsaw into a help center for refugees.
On May 1, 2023, Google placed an ad on its search homepage in Brazil against anti-disinformation Brazilian Congressional Bill No. 2630, which led to accusations of undue interference and a prompt removal of the ad to avoid fines.
In August 2023, Google became the first major tech company to join the OpenWallet Foundation, which focuses on open-source software for interoperable digital wallets.
In 2023, Google consumed 24 TWh of electricity, which is more than countries such as Iceland, Ghana, the Dominican Republic, or Tunisia.
In 2023, another suit was brought against Google for illegally monopolizing the advertising technology market.
In March 2024, Linwei Ding, a former Google software engineer and Chinese national, was accused of stealing confidential artificial intelligence information from Google and providing it to Chinese corporations.
In March 2024, it was reported that Google Photos was being used in a facial recognition program by Unit 8200 of the Israeli Defense Forces to surveil Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
In April 2024, Google agreed to settle a lawsuit claiming it secretly tracked the internet use of people who thought they were browsing privately. Under the terms of the settlement Google agreed to destroy billions of data records.
On April 18, 2024, Google dismissed 28 employees who protested against the company's involvement in Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion contract with the Israeli government.
In May 2024, a misconfiguration in Google Cloud resulted in the accidental deletion of UniSuper's $135 billion Australian pension fund account, affecting over half a million members.
In August 2024, District of Columbia U.S. District Court Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google held a monopoly in online search and text advertising in violation of Section 2 of the Sherman Antitrust Act.
In August 2024, Google informed users via email of its legal obligation to disclose certain confidential information to U.S. government authorities when valid requests are received, while also requesting confidential treatment of such information from the government.
On September 10, 2024, Europe's top court imposed a €2.4 billion fine on Google for abusing its dominance in the shopping comparison market, concluding a case that began in 2009.
In September 2024, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) provisionally found that Google engaged in anti-competitive practices in the online advertising technology market, potentially harming thousands of UK publishers and advertisers.
On September 18, 2024, Alphabet's Google won a €1.49 billion antitrust fine appeal from the European Union; the General Court annulled the fine, stating that the Commission failed to consider all relevant factors.
On October 8, 2024, The U.S. government suggested it could request Google to divest parts of its business, such as the Chrome browser and Android, due to its alleged monopoly in online search.
On October 31, 2024, the Russian government imposed a "symbolic" fine of $20 decillion on Google for blocking pro-Russian YouTube channels.
In November 2024, the Justice Department proposed major changes to curb Google's online search monopoly, including forcing the company to sell its Chrome browser, share search data with competitors, and end exclusive agreements that make Google the default search engine on devices like iPhones.
Page, Brin and Schmidt agreed to work together at Google for 20 years, until the year 2024.
In January 2025, a U.S. federal judge rejected Google's motion to dismiss a class-action lawsuit alleging the company collected data from users who had specifically opted out of tracking.
In February 2025, Google dropped its commitment to "diversity, equity, and inclusion part of everything we do" from its annual investor report, following similar actions by other major companies.
A trial on the case regarding Google's search monopoly was scheduled for April 2025, though the incoming administration and new DoJ leadership could potentially alter the course of the proceedings.
The trial for the class-action lawsuit claiming Google collected data from users who had opted out of tracking is scheduled for August 2025.
In October 2020, the company pledged to make the packaging for its hardware products 100% plastic-free and 100% recyclable by 2025.
In September 2020, Google stated that it is committed to operating its data centers and offices using only carbon-free energy by 2030.
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