1996 CE
Backrub Search Engine Launched
Larry Page and Sergey Brin begin developing a search engine called 'Backrub' at Stanford University, which uses backlinks to rank web pages. #tech #history
Chronological Storyline (39 Milestones)
Sep 4, 1998 CE
Google Inc. Founded
Larry Page and Sergey Brin officially incorporate Google Inc. in a Menlo Park garage, with initial funding from Andy Bechtolsheim. The company focuses on organizing the world's information. #tech #founding
Oct 1, 2000 CE
Google AdWords Launched
Google introduces AdWords, a pay-per-click advertising system that revolutionized online advertising and became the company's primary revenue source. #advertising #tech
By Original: Google Vectorization: Wefk423 - Own work using: https://ads.google.com, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=71093964
2002 CE
Google News Launched
Google News, an automated news aggregator, is launched, organizing news headlines from thousands of sources worldwide. #news #tech
By Google - Based on icon found on its Google Play Store listing, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=81012767
Feb 1, 2003 CE
Acquisition of Blogger
Google acquires Pyra Labs, the creator of Blogger, marking its entry into social media and user-generated content platforms. #acquisition #tech )
Apr 1, 2004 CE
Gmail Launched
Google launches Gmail, offering 1 GB of free storage, disrupting the email industry with its search-based interface and ample storage capacity. #email #tech
By Google - https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/logopedia/images/c/ca/Gmail2026.svg/revision/latest?cb=20260519214227, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=192478659
Aug 19, 2004 CE
Google IPO
Google holds its initial public offering (IPO) at $85 per share, raising $1.67 billion and using a Dutch auction method to democratize share allocation. #finance #ipo
Feb 8, 2005 CE
Google Maps Launched
Google Maps is launched, providing turn-by-turn navigation and satellite imagery, revolutionizing digital mapping and location-based services. #maps #tech
By Google Inc. - https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=185474719
Jul 1, 2005 CE
Acquisition of Android Inc.
Google acquires Android Inc., a mobile operating system startup, for an estimated $50 million, laying the foundation for its mobile strategy. #mobile #acquisition )
Oct 9, 2006 CE
Acquisition of YouTube
Google acquires YouTube for $1.65 billion in stock, becoming the dominant online video platform. #video #acquisition
By Lyles BBQ, Smile and Learn - English, The Flat Top King (previous screenshot: yumyotta) - https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=burger+recipe (filtered to only show Creative Commons-licensed videos), thumbnails from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeSA4VUjGpE, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-hOG4lRm3Y, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMhUKXwfMbg (previous screenshot on third entry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxgC0a3YSUw), Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=165855130
Nov 5, 2007 CE
Open Handset Alliance & Android Announcement
Google announces the Open Handset Alliance and unveils Android, an open-source mobile platform, competing with Apple's iOS. #mobile #tech
Sep 2, 2008 CE
Google Chrome Browser Launched
Google launches the Chrome web browser, focusing on speed and simplicity, eventually becoming the world's most popular browser. #browser #tech
By Google - https://www.google.com/chrome/static/images/chrome-logo.svg, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=114993646
Sep 23, 2008 CE
First Android Phone Released (HTC Dream)
The HTC Dream, the first commercial Android device, goes on sale, marking Google's entry into the smartphone market. #mobile #tech
By Akela NDE - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6680413
Apr 1, 2011 CE
Google+ Social Network Launched
Google launches Google+, a social networking service aimed at competing with Facebook, but eventually shuts down in 2019 due to low engagement. #socialmedia #tech
Aug 15, 2011 CE
Acquisition of Motorola Mobility
Google acquires Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion, gaining over 17,000 patents to defend Android against legal challenges. #acquisition #patents
By User:JeremyA - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3834843
Jul 1, 2012 CE
Google Drive Launched
Google Drive, a cloud storage and file synchronization service, is launched, competing with Dropbox and Microsoft OneDrive. #cloud #storage
By Google - https://workspace.google.com/products/drive/, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=192498407
Jan 17, 2013 CE
Google Acquires Nest Labs
Google acquires Nest Labs, a smart home company, for $3.2 billion, entering the Internet of Things (IoT) market. #smart_home #acquisition
By Raysonho @ Open Grid Scheduler / Scalable Grid Engine - Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=115807672
Apr 2, 2014 CE
Google Ventures Renamed GV
Google's venture capital arm is rebranded as GV, investing in startups across sectors like life sciences and robotics. #venture_capital #tech )
By Unknown author - gv.com, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=45533421
Aug 10, 2015 CE
Alphabet Inc. Established
Google restructures under a new holding company, Alphabet Inc., with Larry Page as CEO and Sergey Brin as President. Google becomes a subsidiary. #corporate #restructuring
By Austin McKinley - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26332560
Sep 29, 2015 CE
Sundar Pichai Becomes Google CEO
Sundar Pichai is appointed CEO of Google, succeeding Larry Page, who becomes CEO of Alphabet. #leadership #tech
By Photographer: Lukasz Kobus (European Commission) - https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/photo-details/P-061142~2F00-14, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=146301836
May 18, 2016 CE
Google Assistant Unveiled
Google announces Google Assistant, an AI-powered virtual assistant, competing with Amazon Alexa and Apple Siri. #AI #voice
May 17, 2017 CE
Waymo Begins Self-Driving Car Trials
Waymo, Alphabet's self-driving car subsidiary, begins public trials of autonomous vehicles in Phoenix, Arizona. #autonomous #cars
By w:Waymo - [1], Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63037581
Jun 19, 2017 CE
Google Buys HTC's Pixel Division
Google acquires part of HTC's smartphone division for $1.1 billion, boosting its hardware capabilities for Pixel phones. #acquisition #hardware
By Google - Own work using: Made by Google, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52445258
May 8, 2018 CE
Google Duplex AI Demo
Google demonstrates Duplex, an AI system capable of making natural-sounding phone calls to book appointments, raising ethical concerns. #AI #ethics
Mar 19, 2019 CE
Alphabet Announces $1.7B Antitrust Fine from EU
The European Commission fines Google €1.49 billion ($1.7B) for abusing dominance in online advertising. #antitrust #regulation
Dec 3, 2019 CE
Larry Page and Sergey Brin Step Down
Larry Page and Sergey Brin announce they are stepping down from leadership roles at Alphabet, with Sundar Pichai becoming CEO of both Google and Alphabet. #leadership #transition
Nov 1, 2020 CE
Alphabet Acquires Fitbit
Alphabet completes its $2.1 billion acquisition of Fitbit, integrating its wearable technology into Google's hardware ecosystem. #wearables #acquisition
May 18, 2021 CE
Google I/O 2021: AI and TPU v4i
Google unveils its custom tensor processing unit (TPU v4i) and advances in AI at its annual developer conference. #AI #hardware
Jul 28, 2021 CE
Alphabet Earnings Surge
Alphabet reports record quarterly revenue of $61.9 billion, driven by strong advertising growth during the pandemic. #finance #earnings
Mar 14, 2022 CE
Google Acquires Raxium
Alphabet acquires micro-LED display startup Raxium to boost augmented reality (AR) hardware efforts. #AR #acquisition
By Dan Leveille (danlev on Wikimedia) - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=33220901
Apr 6, 2022 CE
Alphabet Announces 20-for-1 Stock Split
Alphabet announces a 20-for-1 stock split to make shares more accessible to investors. #finance #stock
Jun 1, 2022 CE
Google DeepMind Merges with Google Brain
Google merges its AI research units, DeepMind and Google Brain, into a single division to accelerate AI development. #AI #research
Feb 6, 2023 CE
Google Launches Bard AI Chatbot
Google introduces Bard, an AI chatbot powered by LaMDA, to compete with OpenAI's ChatGPT. #AI #chatbot )
By Google - gemini.google.com, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=162492232
May 10, 2023 CE
Google I/O 2023: Pixel Fold and AI
Google unveils the Pixel Fold, its first foldable phone, and announces generative AI features across products. #hardware #AI
By PopePompus - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=134380442
Jul 12, 2023 CE
Alphabet Reports Strong Q2 2023 Earnings
Alphabet beats revenue estimates with $74.6 billion for Q2 2023, driven by cloud and search advertising. #finance #earnings
Sep 6, 2023 CE
Google Turns 25
Google celebrates its 25th anniversary, reflecting on its transformation from a search engine into a tech conglomerate. #anniversary #tech
By Asoundd - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=77221979
Jan 17, 2024 CE
Alphabet Lays Off 12,000 Employees
Alphabet announces layoffs affecting about 6% of its workforce, citing economic downturn and restructuring. #layoffs #corporate
May 14, 2024 CE
Google I/O 2024: Gemini AI and Project Astra
Google showcases Gemini AI model upgrades and Project Astra, an AI assistant for daily life. #AI #innovation
Aug 5, 2024 CE
U.S. Judge Rules Google Is a Monopoly
A federal judge rules that Google illegally maintained a monopoly in search and text advertising, marking a landmark antitrust decision. #antitrust #law )
By United States Federal Government - http://www.dcd.uscourts.gov/dcd/sites/www.dcd.uscourts.gov.dcd/files/2010_MARCH_LOCAL_RULES_REVISED_July2011_July2013.pdf, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30175016