What is Google?

Google is best known as the world’s most popular search engine, but it also offers email with Gmail, video sharing with YouTube, and navigation with Google Maps and Google Earth. Its other products include Google Docs and Google Sheets, which let you edit documents and spreadsheets online. Google also has tools for managing images, creating websites, and creating presentations.

Most of these tools are free to use, but you can pay for some of them, such as Google AdWords and Google Analytics. You can also buy some of them as hardware, such as the Google Chromebook. Google has also tried to make its own social networks, such as Google+ and Orkut, but these didn’t catch on as well as Facebook or Twitter.

Founded in 1998 by Sergey Brin and Larry Page, Google became a publicly-traded company in 2004. Its initial public offering (IPO) made the founders instant billionaires and established Google as a leading technology company.

In the years since, Google has continued to expand its product offerings. Its acquisitions have included companies that help advertisers manage their ads, including a service that lets businesses place advertisements on other websites. It has also acquired several mobile applications developers and companies that offer tools for creating scalable web services.

Google’s suite of software and services has revolutionized many aspects of our lives. For example, Google Maps has reshaped navigation and helped individuals explore unfamiliar territories or locate local businesses. Its Google Translate tool has broken down language barriers and facilitated cross-cultural communication. And its cloud computing platform has enabled individuals and businesses to store and run applications on the Internet rather than on their own servers.

As Google has expanded, it has introduced new services such as a tool that helps website owners manage their own websites and a program that helps businesses track customer interactions on their websites. The company has also developed new technologies for augmented reality and voice recognition, which are likely to shape the future of the digital world in exciting ways.

In 2015, Google reorganized its interests as a holding company called Alphabet Inc. It will continue to operate the search engine and other Google-branded products, but it will focus more on developing new innovations and acquiring promising startups. In addition, it will focus on expanding its presence in the physical world. For example, the company is working on a self-driving car project and is testing out a network of balloons that can deliver wireless broadband Internet coverage.