1. Google's original name was "Backrub." It was changed to "Google" in 1997, inspired by the mathematical term "googol," which refers to the number 1 followed by 100 zeros.
2. Google's first office was located in a garage, much like Amazon. It was rented from Susan Wojcicki, who later became the CEO of YouTube.
3. The company was founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin in 1998 when they were Ph.D. students at Stanford University.
4. Google's mission statement is "to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful."
5. The search engine's iconic, minimalist design was deliberate. Larry Page and Sergey Brin wanted their users to focus on search results instead of distracting design elements.
6. Google's search engine currently processes more than 3.5 billion searches per day, making it the most widely used search engine in the world.
7. The company's headquarters, known as the Googleplex, is located in Mountain View, California. It offers various amenities for employees, including free gourmet food, gym facilities, massages, and even nap pods.
8. Google has its own private airport, located in San Jose, California, called Moffett Federal Airfield. It houses private jets owned by the company's executives.
9. Google Street View, a feature that provides 360-degree panoramic views of streets worldwide, was initially developed using a camera mounted on a car. Now, it also includes views from boats, bikes, and even snowmobiles.
10. In 2004, Google launched Gmail, its free email service. Initially, it was by invitation only, and users needed an existing Google user to invite them.
11. Google has a "Google Doodle" tradition where they modify their logo on the search homepage to commemorate special events, anniversaries, holidays, or individuals.
12. Google's advertising platform, Google AdWords (now Google Ads), was launched in 2000. It revolutionized online advertising by introducing a pay-per-click model where advertisers only pay when users click on their ads.
13. Google Translate, a service that provides translations between different languages, can translate over 100 billion words per day. It supports more than 100 languages.
14. Google is known for its corporate culture, which encourages innovation and employee creativity. The company famously allows employees to spend 20% of their work time on projects unrelated to their primary role, fostering a culture of experimentation.
15. The Google search engine is constantly evolving and improving through regular algorithm updates. Some notable updates include Panda, Penguin, Hummingbird, and BERT, which aim to provide more accurate and relevant search results.
16. In 2006, Google acquired YouTube for $1.65 billion. Today, YouTube is the world's largest video-sharing platform, with billions of hours of content watched daily.
17. Google offers a plethora of services beyond search, including Google Maps, Google Drive, Google Photos, Google Calendar, Google Docs, and Google Chrome, among others.
18. The company has a self-driving car division called Waymo. It has been actively testing autonomous vehicles and aims to make transportation safer and more efficient.
19. Google has a commitment to renewable energy. It has invested in solar and wind power projects to offset its electricity consumption and actively promotes sustainable practices.
20. Google is deeply committed to artificial intelligence (AI) research and development. It has created AI-driven technologies like Google Assistant, Google Lens, and Google Duplex, which can make phone calls on users' behalf.
21. Despite being the most popular search engine, Google is not available in certain countries like China, where it faces censorship challenges.
22. Google's immense processing power led to the creation of the Google Photos "Blink" feature, which automatically suggests the best photos for users to keep and delete based on factors such as duplicates and image quality.
23. The company has its own custom hardware division called Google Hardware, responsible for developing products like Google Pixel smartphones, Google Nest smart home devices, and Google Chromecast.
24. Google's research branch, called Google Research, works on cutting-edge projects like machine learning, natural language processing, computer vision, and healthcare innovation.
25. The famous "I'm feeling lucky" button on the Google homepage bypasses traditional search results and takes the user directly to the first search result for their query, assuming it is the most relevant.
26. Google operates its own educational program called Google for Education, providing schools with access to educational tools and resources.
27. Google has invested in renewable energy projects to reduce its carbon footprint. It claims to be the largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy worldwide.
28. The company is an avid supporter of open-source software and has released numerous projects as open source, including TensorFlow, one of the most popular machine learning frameworks.
29. To enhance internet connectivity in remote areas, Google launched Project Loon, which uses high-altitude balloons to provide internet access. It aims to connect more people globally.
30. In 2015, Google went through a corporate restructuring, creating a holding company called Alphabet Inc. Google became a subsidiary of Alphabet, with Sundar Pichai becoming the CEO of Google.
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