Today marks the 25th anniversary of Google, the popular search engine company that later expanded with a slew of other services for customers. The firm has also introduced a new Google Doodle, which is a transition of all of its logos from the last 25 years and shows the company's evolution.
Google's products, such as Gmail and its search engine, are used by billions of people worldwide, and it comes in handy in a lot of tasks. This tech giant's history, which is now part of Alphabet Inc., is distinguished by a sequence of spectacular achievements. Here's a timeline of how it has progressed.
It's Google's 25th happy Birthday! All best wishes for my all time(from childhood) favourite company. Journey, to be continued…@Google @sundarpichai
— MIR MEHRAB HOSSAIN (@MirMehrab_Alvi) September 26, 2023
Image Credit: Google Doodle. pic.twitter.com/EexkZFgYJr
1995-2000: The Birth of Google
1995-1996: Page and Brin meet at Stanford University and create BackRub, a pioneering search engine.
1998: The startup is renamed Google and secures $100,000 in funding from Andy Bechtolsheim, co-founder of Sun Microsystems.
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1999: Google announces $25 million in funding from Sequoia Capital and Kleiner Perkins in its inaugural press release, introducing the term "Googlers" to the world.
June 2000: Google became the default search engine for Yahoo, a significant milestone at the time.
October 2000: Google launches AdWords, laying the foundation for its online advertising platform.
2001-2010: Rapid Expansion and Innovation
2001: Eric Schmidt is named Google's CEO and Chairman of the Board.
April 2004: Google announces testing of Gmail, offering an unprecedented 1GB of storage capacity.
August 2004: The company goes public with an IPO of around 19.6 million shares, opening at $85 per share.
February 2005: Google introduces Google Maps for desktop.
August 2005: Google acquires mobile startup Android, a move that will revolutionize the smartphone industry.
2006: Google launches Google Talk instant messaging service.
April 2007: Google acquires online video giant YouTube for a staggering $1.65 billion.
May 2007: Universal search is introduced, allowing users to access various content types, including images, videos, and news, simultaneously.
READ: Google To Turn 25 This Month: From Garage To Bard, Here's How It Is Going
September 2008: Google debuts its first Android phone, the T-Mobile G1, also known as the HTC Dream.
January 2010: Google launches the Nexus One smartphone in partnership with HTC, a precursor to its Pixel line.
March 2010: Google stops censoring search results in China, resulting in its ban from the country.
October 2010: Google enters the self-driving car arena with the testing of autonomous Toyota Prius vehicles in California.
2011-2020: Diverse Ventures and Transformations
June 2011: Google introduced Google+ social networking service, later discontinued in 2018.
August 2011: Google announces the acquisition of Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion, incorporating its cellphone and TV set-top box businesses.
2012: Google Glass is launched, pioneering augmented reality wearable technology.
2013: Google acquires Israeli mapping startup Waze for approximately $1 billion.
2014: Google announces the acquisition of AI firm DeepMind, followed by the purchase of smart thermostat and smoke alarm maker Nest Labs for $3.2 billion.
2015: Google reveals plans to establish Alphabet Inc., a publicly listed company housing Google and other units, including YouTube and research and venture capital businesses. Sundar Pichai is named CEO of Google.
October 2016: Google launches the Pixel smartphone.
November 2016: Google Home, a smart speaker, is introduced.
June 2017: The European Commission fines Google 2.42 billion euros for search neutrality violations.
February 2018: Google reports annual sales exceeding $100 billion for the first time.
July 2018: The European Commission imposes a 4.34 billion euro fine on Google for anti-competitive practices related to its Android operating system.
March 2019: The European Commission levies a 1.49 billion euro fine on Google for anti-competitive practices in online advertising.
June 2019: Google announces the acquisition of analytics startup Looker for $2.6 billion.
November 2019: Google announces the acquisition of Fitbit for $2.1 billion, signalling its entry into the wearables market.
December 2019: Co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin step down as CEO and President, respectively, with Sundar Pichai taking the helm as CEO of Alphabet.
2020: Alphabet reaches a milestone with a market capitalization of $1 trillion.
January 2023: Google cuts 12,000 jobs, or 6% of its workforce, in a strategic move.
February 2023: Google unveils Bard, a generative AI-powered chatbot capable of creating text content and retrieving information from the internet. However, a factual error during the AI tool's demo led to a significant drop in Alphabet's market capitalization, amounting to $100 billion.
March 2023: Google begins the phased rollout of Bard to select users.