Google Inc., the popular American search engine, was founded in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin. Originally titled Backrub, the two then-Stanford University graduate students built the engine in their college dorms, according to Google. The name is a play on the math term “googol,” which is the number one followed by 100 zeros. Google went public in 2004 and since then has grown to be the world’s most visited website, with 89 billion visits in April 2022.
Who owns Google?
The company changed its name again in 2015 to Alphabet Inc., and now functions as a technology conglomerate owning Google and its subsidiaries. Insider reports Alphabet is structured into two parts: Google, and Other Bets, which focuses on the company’s other business ventures. Some of these companies include FitBit, Waze and YouTube.
FitBit, a more recent acquisition, focuses on fitness technology. Known for wearable activity trackers that monitor various heart rates, breathing rates and sleep cycles, it joined Alphabet’s roster in early 2021.
YouTube is a video sharing platform where users around the world stream 694,000 hours of content every minute. Google acquired YouTube in 2006, a little over a year after it began. Google and YouTube’s services intertwine. For example, users must create a Google account to join YouTube.
Google Inc. was founded in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin.
The Waze app is a free navigation smartphone tool used by drivers internationally. It offers real-time alerts on traffic delays and accidents, enhanced by information from drivers using the app.
In a 2019 letter, Page and Brin announced they were stepping down from Alphabet as the CEO and President, respectively, and taking on “the role of proud parents.” As of June 2022, Sundar Pichai is CEO of Google Inc. while Page and Brin are still on Alphabet’s board.
