What is Google?
Google is a search engine that allows users to find information on the internet. It is one of the most popular tools on the web, and it is used by millions of people every day. It has become so popular that it is now a verb; to google something means to use the search engine.
Two students named Larry Page and Sergey Brin created Google while studying for their doctorates at Stanford University. They had a vision to organize the world’s information and make it accessible to everyone around the world. The name of the company was inspired by a googol, a number that is 1 followed by 100 zeros. The search tool they created was different because it ranked pages according to how many other websites linked to them. This idea helped make the website very popular.
In 1998, Google was incorporated. The company was self-funded by Page and Brin, using discounted computer parts and their credit cards. Then, in 2004, the company had an IPO (an initial public offering), which made Page and Brin millionaires. The stock offering was also innovative because it allowed the average investor to buy shares of the company on an equal footing with financial industry professionals.
Google is now a worldwide organization with thousands of employees. The company has many different products and services, including a cloud storage service called Google Drive and an app for Android devices that lets users search for text within images. It also offers a free software program called Google Earth that lets you see any location on the planet and get directions.
Other Google products include the AdWords advertising platform and the Google Chrome browser. The company also owns the YouTube video-sharing site and the Nexus line of smartphones. Google’s headquarters are in Mountain View, California.
In the early 2000s, Google began buying up companies that could help it expand its business. In 2002, it purchased the online dictionary and directory service Yahoo!, which had been struggling to compete with the Google search engine. The move gave Google access to huge databases of information that it could use for its own searches and to sell ads to other businesses.
Google has also branched out into other areas, such as social networking and shopping. Its Google Wallet service allows you to pay for goods and services with your smartphone. Google Home is a smart speaker that can control your home’s lights, thermostat and security system. Google Glass was a futuristic pair of glasses that allowed you to see what’s happening on the web, but it was discontinued in 2017.
In addition to these services, Google provides several applications for Microsoft Windows and Apple’s iOS operating systems. These include Google Discover, which provides a stream of articles and videos that are related to your current search topics. It is similar to a personalized news feed and can be customized to your interests. Other Google apps include Google Fonts, a collection of over 250 fonts that can be downloaded for free, and Google Duo, a cross-platform video calling app.
