# Canonical recap data for Google Incorporated Founded (1998)
# Source: https://recap.at/1998/google-founded
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: google-founded
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1998/google-founded"
title: Google Incorporated Founded
aliases:
- Google's founding
- Page and Brin launch Google
- BackRub renamed Google
subtitle: Larry Page and Sergey Brin's search engine went from Stanford to incorporation, soon becoming the dominant gateway to internet information and reshaping how billions access knowledge.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1998-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 1998
decade: 1990
country:
name: United States
slug: united-states
summaryShort: Google LLC is an American multinational technology corporation focused on information technology, online advertising, search engine technology, email, cloud computing, software, quantum computing, e-commerce, consumer electronics, and artificial intelligence (AI). It has been referred to as "the most powerful company i
summaryLong: Google LLC is an American multinational technology corporation focused on information technology, online advertising, search engine technology, email, cloud computing, software, quantum computing, e-commerce, consumer electronics, and artificial intelligence (AI). It has been referred to as "the most powerful company in the world" by the BBC, and is one of the world's most valuable brands. Google's parent company Alphabet Inc. has been described as a Big Tech company.
lede: Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded Google in 1998 as a Stanford University research project, launching a search engine that would fundamentally reshape how people access information online. Within years, Google's algorithmic approach to ranking web pages proved vastly superior to existing competitors, and its advertising model became the template for internet-era wealth creation. The company's dominance in search created a platform whose influence extended far beyond technology into politics, commerce, and culture.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/32/Googleplex_HQ_%28cropped%29.jpg/1280px-Googleplex_HQ_%28cropped%29.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Google"
importance: 86
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Founders
  value: Larry Page and Sergey Brin
- label: Initial funding (first round)
  value: $100,000 from Andy Bechtolsheim, August 1998
- label: Original name
  value: BackRub (1996–1997)
- label: Incorporation date
  value: September 4, 1998
- label: Initial location
  value: Menlo Park, California (Susan Wojcicki's garage)
- label: First employee (outside founders)
  value: Craig Silverstein, hired 1998
- label: Queries per day at year-end 1998
  value: Approximately 10,000
timeline:
- date: 1996-01-01
  title: BackRub Project Begins
  description: Larry Page and Sergey Brin start their research project at Stanford University, initially called BackRub. The project focuses on analyzing how web pages link to each other to determine relevance.
- date: 1997-09-15
  title: google.com Domain Registered
  description: The domain google.com is registered, replacing the BackRub name. The name references the mathematical term 'googol' (10^100), reflecting the vast scope of information the search engine aims to organize.
- date: 1998-08-01
  title: First Funding Round
  description: Andy Bechtolsheim, cofounder of Sun Microsystems, writes a $100,000 check to Google Inc., providing the initial capital to move the project out of Stanford and into commercial operation.
- date: 1998-09-04
  title: Google Inc. Officially Incorporated
  description: Google is formally incorporated as a private company in California. The founders secure additional seed funding and establish the infrastructure for a dedicated search engine company.
- date: 1998-09-21
  title: Public Beta Launch
  description: Google launches its public beta, allowing internet users to search beyond Stanford's network. The search engine begins indexing the broader web, though traffic remains modest relative to competitors like AltaVista and Yahoo.
- date: 1998-12-11
  title: Year-End Milestone
  description: By December, Google is processing approximately 10,000 search queries per day. The company is still operating from a small office space but has begun attracting venture capital interest.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google"
  title: Google Incorporated
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: Google's 1998 founding marked the beginning of a search-driven transformation of the internet. The company's PageRank algorithm and subsequent business model didn't just optimize information retrieval—they created the economic and technical infrastructure that would underpin the digital age, making Google one of the most consequential companies in modern history.
categories:
- tech-launch
taxonomy:
domain: technological
eventTypes:
- tech_launch
canonicalClasses:
- creation
- transformation
impactRadius: global
velocity: gradual
predictability: emergent
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: birth
metaDescription: Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded Google in 1998, launching the search engine that would dominate the internet.
wikidataQid: Q95
peoplesVoice:
- source: Larry Page, Google Co-founder
  voiceType: developer
  context: In early interviews following Google's September 1998 incorporation, Page articulated the company's audacious mission amid a crowded search engine landscape.
  excerpt: We want to build search engines that help people find exactly what they're looking for on the web. Our PageRank algorithm fundamentally changes how relevance works.
  sentimentLabel: predictive
  significance: 85
  attribution: Early 1998 interviews and company founding documents
  publishedAt: 1998-09-15
  originalLanguage: en
- source: John Battelle, Wired Magazine technology correspondent
  voiceType: media
  context: Tech journalists in late 1998 were assessing dozens of search startups; Battelle observed Google's technical differentiation during the pre-bubble boom.
  excerpt: What Page and Brin have built is genuinely different - a search engine that actually understands link structure. Whether it survives the crowded market is another question.
  sentimentLabel: skeptical
  significance: 65
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Wired Magazine coverage, 1998-1999
  publishedAt: 1998-12-01
  originalLanguage: en
- source: David Filo, Yahoo! Co-founder
  voiceType: industry
  context: As Yahoo was already the dominant portal in 1998, rival executives initially dismissed emerging search startups as incremental threats.
  excerpt: There are dozens of search companies starting up. Most will fail. Yahoo's directory model has already won the hearts of users.
  sentimentLabel: dismissive
  significance: 70
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - tech industry commentary, 1998
  publishedAt: 1998-10-15
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Michael Moritz, Sequoia Capital venture capitalist
  voiceType: analyst
  context: Moritz became an early investor in Google; his 1998-1999 assessments reflected VC confidence in the founders' technical vision despite unproven business model.
  excerpt: The technology is exceptional. What matters now is whether they can build a company around it. The business model isn't obvious yet, but the talent is undeniable.
  sentimentLabel: supportive
  significance: 78
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Sequoia Capital investment thesis, 1998
  publishedAt: 1998-11-20
  originalLanguage: en
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20031204182333/http://en.wikipedia.org:80/wiki/google"
  capturedAt: 2003-12-04
  label: Google Incorporated
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google"
