Major Milestone Marks Another Year of Digital Dominance
Google celebrated its 27th anniversary on September 27, 2025, marking nearly three decades since the search giant emerged from a Stanford University garage. The company commemorated the milestone with a nostalgic doodle featuring its original 1998 logo, thanking billions of users worldwide.
The Mathematical Origins Behind the Name
The Google name stems from the mathematical term “googol,” representing the number one followed by 100 zeros. Mathematicians Edward Kasner and James Newman introduced the term in their 1940 book “Mathematics and the Imagination”. Kasner’s nine-year-old nephew Milton Sirotta coined the word when asked to name such an enormous number.
Stanford Students Shape Internet History
Larry Page and Sergey Brin first met at Stanford University in 1995. Page was considering Stanford for graduate school when Brin gave him a campus tour. The duo initially disagreed on nearly everything during their first meeting. By 1996, they collaborated on a research project analysing web page relationships through backlinks.
BackRub Becomes Google Through Historic Mistake
The search engine initially carried the name “BackRub” due to its analysis of web backlinks. September 1997 marked the crucial brainstorming session that changed internet history. Larry Page sat with graduate student Sean Anderson in room 360 of Stanford’s Gates Computer Science Building.
Anderson suggested “googolplex” as a potential name during the whiteboard session. Page shortened the suggestion to “googol,” referencing the mathematical term. Anderson immediately searched the domain registry to check availability. He accidentally typed “google.com” instead of “googol.com” and discovered the domain remained available.
Page appreciated the simpler spelling and registered google.com within hours. The domain registration occurred on September 15, 1997, according to official records. This spelling mistake created one of the most recognisable brand names in history.
The legendary typo at Stanford that created the Google brand name
First Investment Arrives Before Official Incorporation
Sun Microsystems co-founder Andy Bechtolsheim provided Google’s first major investment in August 1998. He wrote a $100,000 cheque to “Google Inc.” after witnessing a brief demonstration. The company had not yet incorporated officially when Bechtolsheim issued the payment. Stanford professor David Cheriton also invested $100,000 during the same period.
Page and Brin could not deposit the cheques for two weeks while completing incorporation paperwork. They celebrated their early funding at Burger King according to historical accounts. The founders officially incorporated Google Inc. on September 4, 1998.
Garage Operations Launch Global Empire
Google’s first office operated from Susan Wojcicki’s Menlo Park garage. The founders paid $1,700 monthly rent for the space. Desktop computers, a ping pong table, and bright blue carpet furnished the humble headquarters. The setup included servers constructed from Lego blocks.
Google’s humble startup beginnings in Menlo Park garage with early funding
September 27 Birthday Mystery Explained
Google officially incorporated on September 4, 1998, yet celebrates its birthday on September 27. The company shifted celebration dates multiple times during its early years. September 27 likely commemorates a significant milestone in web page indexing. Google has consistently observed this date since 2006.
Mission Statement Drives Expansion
Page and Brin established Google’s mission “to organise the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful”. The googol reference reflected their ambition to handle vast data quantities. Their PageRank algorithm evaluated web pages based on quality backlinks rather than keyword frequency.
Technology Giant Emerges from Academic Project
Google indexed one billion internet URLs by June 2000. The company became the web’s most comprehensive search engine at that time. Google expanded beyond search to include Gmail, YouTube, Android, and artificial intelligence. Alphabet Inc. became Google’s parent company in 2015.
Google’s impressive business growth statistics over 27 years
Leadership Evolution Under Sundar Pichai
Sundar Pichai serves as CEO of both Google and Alphabet. Original founders Page and Brin retain voting control through special share classes. Google operates cloud computing, advertising, and quantum computing divisions. The company’s market value approaches $1.9 trillion in 2025.
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Legacy of the Famous Typo
The accidental spelling created a more approachable brand name. “Google” became a recognised verb in everyday language. The mistake enabled easier pronunciation across different languages. The error fundamentally shaped one of technology’s most influential companies.
Google’s 27-year journey demonstrates how a simple spelling mistake can alter business history. The transformation from BackRub to Google represents more than a name change – it symbolises the evolution from academic research project to global technology powerhouse. The mathematical origins remind users of Google’s mission to organise infinite information while the misspelling adds human accessibility to mathematical precision.
