Editing Google (section)

== History ==
{{Main|History of Google|List of mergers and acquisitions by Alphabet}}

{{See also|Alphabet Inc.}}

=== Early years ===
[[File:Google page brin.jpg|thumb|[[Larry Page]] and [[Sergey Brin]] in 2003|alt=|left]]
Google began in January 1996 as a research project by Larry Page and Sergey Brin while they were both PhD students at Stanford University in California.<ref name="howwestarted">{{Cite web |title=How we started and where we are today – Google |url=https://about.google/our-story/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200422134018/https://about.google/our-story/ |archive-date=April 22, 2020 |access-date=April 24, 2021 |website=about.google |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Coronabook">{{Cite book |last=Brezina |first=Corona |title=Sergey Brin, Larry Page, Eric Schmidt, and Google |publisher=Rosen Publishing Group |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-4488-6911-4 |edition=1st |location=New York |pages=18 |lccn=2011039480}}</ref><ref name="milestones">{{Cite web |title=Our history in depth |url=https://www.google.com/about/company/history/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120401035737/http://www.google.com/about/company/history/ |archive-date=April 1, 2012 |access-date=July 15, 2017 |website=Google Company}}</ref> The project initially involved an unofficial "third founder", [[Scott Hassan]], the original lead programmer who wrote much of the code for the original Google Search engine, but he left before Google was officially founded as a company;<ref name="vanityfair">{{Cite web |last=Fisher |first=Adam |date=July 10, 2018 |title=Brin, Page, and Mayer on the Accidental Birth of the Company that Changed Everything |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/07/valley-of-genius-excerpt-google |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704184309/https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/07/valley-of-genius-excerpt-google |archive-date=July 4, 2019 |access-date=August 23, 2019 |website=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=McHugh |first=Josh |date=January 1, 2003 |title=Google vs. Evil |url=https://www.wired.com/2003/01/google-10/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190602064540/https://www.wired.com/2003/01/google-10/ |archive-date=June 2, 2019 |access-date=August 24, 2019 |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]}}</ref> Hassan went on to pursue a career in [[robotics]] and founded the company [[Willow Garage]] in 2006.<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 5, 2014 |title=Willow Garage Founder Scott Hassan Aims To Build A Startup Village |work=[[IEEE Spectrum]] |url=https://spectrum.ieee.org/willow-garage-founder-scott-hassan-aims-to-build-a-startup-village |url-status=live |access-date=September 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190824075356/https://spectrum.ieee.org/view-from-the-valley/at-work/start-ups/willow-garage-founder-scott-hassan-aims-to-build-a-startup-village |archive-date=August 24, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=D'Onfro |first=Jillian |date=February 13, 2016 |title=How a billionaire who wrote Google's original code created a robot revolution |work=[[Business Insider]] |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/a-look-back-at-willow-garage-2016-2 |url-status=live |access-date=August 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190824075346/https://www.businessinsider.com/a-look-back-at-willow-garage-2016-2 |archive-date=August 24, 2019}}</ref>[[File:Schmidt-Brin-Page-20080520.jpg|thumb|Then Chairman and CEO [[Eric Schmidt]] (left) with co-founders [[Sergey Brin]] (center) and [[Larry Page]] (right) in 2008|alt=Eric Schmidt, Sergey Brin, and Larry Page sitting together]]

[[File:Google1998.png|thumb|upright=1.15|Google's original homepage had a simplistic design because the company founders had little experience in [[HTML]], the [[markup language]] used for designing web pages<ref>{{Cite web |last=Williamson |first=Alan |date=January 12, 2005 |title=An evening with Google's Marissa Mayer |url=http://alan.blog-city.com/an_evening_with_googles_marissa_mayer.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930021302/http://alan.blog-city.com/an_evening_with_googles_marissa_mayer.htm |archive-date=September 30, 2011 |access-date=July 5, 2010 |website=Alan Williamson}}</ref>|alt=Google's homepage in 1998]]

While conventional search engines ranked results by counting how many times the search terms appeared on the page, they theorized about a better system that analyzed the relationships among websites.<ref name="pagerank">{{Cite web |last1=Page |first1=Lawrence |author-link=Larry Page |last2=Brin |first2=Sergey |author-link2=Sergey Brin |last3=Motwani |first3=Rajeev |last4=Winograd |first4=Terry |date=November 11, 1999 |title=The PageRank Citation Ranking: Bringing Order to the Web |url=http://ilpubs.stanford.edu:8090/422/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091118014915/http://ilpubs.stanford.edu:8090/422/ |archive-date=November 18, 2009 |website=Stanford University}}</ref> They called this algorithm [[PageRank]]; it determined a website's [[Relevance (information retrieval)|relevance]] by the number of pages, and the importance of those pages that linked back to the original site.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Helpful products. For everyone. |url=https://about.google/products/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100210175913/http://www.google.com/corporate/tech.html |archive-date=February 10, 2010 |website=Google, Inc.}}</ref><ref name="pagerank" /> Page told his ideas to Hassan, who began writing the code to implement Page's ideas.<ref name="vanityfair" /> Page and Brin would also use their friend [[Susan Wojcicki]]'s garage as their office when the search engine was set up in 1998.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/10/business/susan-wojcicki-dead.html|title=Susan Wojcicki, Former Chief of YouTube, Dies at 56|first1=John|last1=Yoon|first2=Mike|last2=Isaac|work=New York Times|date=August 10, 2024|accessdate=August 10, 2024}}</ref>

Page and Brin originally nicknamed the new search engine "BackRub" because the system checked backlinks to estimate the importance of a site.<ref name="howwestarted" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Battelle |first=John |date=August 2005 |title=The Birth of Google |magazine=Wired |url=https://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.08/battelle.html |url-status=live |access-date=October 12, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107160749/http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.08/battelle.html?tw=wn_tophead_4 |archive-date=November 7, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Backrub search engine at Stanford University |url=http://huron.stanford.edu |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19961224105215/http://huron.stanford.edu/ |archive-date=December 24, 1996 |access-date=March 12, 2011}}</ref> Hassan, as well as Alan Steremberg were cited by Page and Brin as being critical to the development of Google. [[Rajeev Motwani]] and [[Terry Winograd]] later co-authored with Page and Brin the first paper about the project, describing PageRank and the initial prototype of the Google search engine, published in 1998. [[Héctor García-Molina]] and [[Jeffrey Ullman]] were also cited as contributors to the project.<ref name="originalpaper" /> PageRank was influenced by a similar page-ranking and site-scoring algorithm earlier used for [[Baidu#History|RankDex]], developed by [[Robin Li]] in 1996, with Larry Page's PageRank patent including a citation to Li's earlier RankDex patent; Li later went on to create the Chinese search engine [[Baidu]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=About: RankDex |url=http://www.rankdex.com/about.html |access-date=September 29, 2010 |archive-date=January 20, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120120002301/http://www.rankdex.com/about.html |url-status=dead }}, ''[[RankDex]]''</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Method for node ranking in a linked database |url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US6285999 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015185034/http://www.google.com/patents/US6285999 |archive-date=October 15, 2015 |access-date=October 19, 2015 |publisher=Google Patents}}</ref>

Eventually, they changed the name to ''Google''; the name of the search engine was a misspelling of the word ''[[googol]]'',<ref name="howwestarted" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Koller |first=David |date=January 2004 |title=Origin of the name "Google" |url=http://graphics.stanford.edu/~dk/google_name_origin.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120627081942/http://graphics.stanford.edu/~dk/google_name_origin.html |archive-date=June 27, 2012 |website=Stanford University}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Hanley |first=Rachael |date=February 12, 2003 |title=From Googol to Google |work=The Stanford Daily |publisher=Stanford University |url=http://www.stanforddaily.com/2003/02/12/from-googol-to-google |access-date=February 15, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100327141327/http://www.stanforddaily.com/2003/02/12/from-googol-to-google |archive-date=March 27, 2010}}</ref> a very [[large number]] written '''10<sup>100</sup>''' (1 followed by 100 zeros), picked to signify that the search engine was intended to provide large quantities of information.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Google! Beta website |url=https://www.google.com/company.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990221202430/https://www.google.com/company.html |archive-date=February 21, 1999 |access-date=October 12, 2010 |website=Google, Inc.}}</ref>

Google was initially funded by an August 1998 investment of $100,000 from [[Andy Bechtolsheim]],<ref name="howwestarted" /> co-founder of [[Sun Microsystems]]. This initial investment served as a motivation to incorporate the company to be able to use the funds.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Long |first=Tony |date=September 7, 2007 |title=Sept. 7, 1998: If the Check Says 'Google Inc.,' We're 'Google Inc.' |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |url=https://www.wired.com/2007/09/dayintech-0907/ |url-access=limited |access-date=April 6, 2021 |archive-date=May 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210502183045/https://www.wired.com/2007/09/dayintech-0907/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Bechtolsheim">{{Cite news |last=Kopytoff |first=Verne |date=April 29, 2004 |title=For early Googlers, key word is $ |work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |url=https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/For-early-Googlers-key-word-is-Founders-2786378.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090919030812/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=%2Fchronicle%2Farchive%2F2004%2F04%2F29%2FMNGLD6CFND34.DTL |archive-date=September 19, 2009}}</ref> Page and Brin initially approached [[David Cheriton]] for advice because he had a nearby office in Stanford, and they knew he had startup experience, having recently sold the company he co-founded, Granite Systems, to [[Cisco]] for $220 million. David arranged a meeting with Page and Brin and his Granite co-founder Andy Bechtolsheim. The meeting was set for 8 a.m. at the front porch of David's home in Palo Alto and it had to be brief because Andy had another meeting at Cisco, where he now worked after the acquisition, at 9 a.m. Andy briefly tested a demo of the website, liked what he saw, and then went back to his car to grab the check. David Cheriton later also joined in with a $250,000 investment.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Jolis |first1=Jacob |title=Frugal after Google |url=https://stanforddaily.com/2010/04/16/frugal-after-google/ |website=The Stanford Daily |date=April 16, 2010 |access-date=June 3, 2022 |archive-date=June 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220603050109/https://stanforddaily.com/2010/04/16/frugal-after-google/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Invention And History Of Google {{!}} Silicon Valley: The Untold Story |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85Nyi4Xb9PY&t=262s |website=[[YouTube]] | date=June 10, 2018 |publisher=Discovery UK |access-date=June 3, 2022 |archive-date=June 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220603050109/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85Nyi4Xb9PY&t=262s |url-status=live }}</ref>

Google received money from two other [[angel investor]]s in 1998: Amazon.com founder [[Jeff Bezos]], and entrepreneur [[Ram Shriram]].<ref name="endofworld">{{Cite book |last=Auletta |first=Ken |title=Googled: The End of the World as We Know It |publisher=Penguin Books |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-14-311804-6 |edition=Reprint |location=New York |oclc=515456623 |quote=On September 7, 1998, the day Google officially incorporated, he [Shriram] wrote out a check for just over $250,000, one of four of this size the founders received. |author-link=Ken Auletta}}</ref> Page and Brin had first approached Shriram, who was a venture capitalist, for funding and counsel, and Shriram invested $250,000 in Google in February 1998. Shriram knew Bezos because Amazon had acquired Junglee, at which Shriram was the president. It was Shriram who told Bezos about Google. Bezos asked Shriram to meet Google's founders and they met six months after Shriram had made his investment when Bezos and his wife were on a vacation trip to the Bay Area. Google's initial funding round had already formally closed but Bezos' status as CEO of Amazon was enough to persuade Page and Brin to extend the round and accept his investment.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Canales |first1=Katie |title=The unlikely way Jeff Bezos became one of the first investors in Google, which probably made him a billionaire outside of Amazon |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/how-jeff-bezos-became-first-investors-in-google-2018-4?r=US&IR=T |website=[[Business Insider]] |access-date=June 3, 2022 |archive-date=June 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220603054945/https://www.businessinsider.com/how-jeff-bezos-became-first-investors-in-google-2018-4?r=US&IR=T |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Bhagat |first1=Rasheeda |title=The sherpa who funded Google's ascent |url=https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/columns/rasheeda-bhagat/the-sherpa-who-funded-googles-ascent/article64554661.ece |website=The Hindu Business Line |date=January 12, 2012 |access-date=June 3, 2022 |archive-date=June 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220603054946/https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/columns/rasheeda-bhagat/the-sherpa-who-funded-googles-ascent/article64554661.ece |url-status=live }}</ref>

Between these initial investors, friends and family Google raised around $1,000,000, which is what allowed them to open up their original shop in [[Menlo Park, California]].<ref name="Google Inc">{{Cite web |last1=Hosch |first1=William L. |last2=Hall |first2=Mark |title=Google Inc. |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Google-Inc |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190220013941/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Google-Inc |archive-date=February 20, 2019 |access-date=March 17, 2019 |website=Britannica }}</ref>
[[Craig Silverstein]], a fellow PhD student at Stanford, was hired as the first employee.<ref name="milestones" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Craig Silverstein's website |url=http://www-cs-students.stanford.edu/~csilvers/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991002122809/http://www-cs-students.stanford.edu/~csilvers/ |archive-date=October 2, 1999 |access-date=October 12, 2010 |website=Stanford University}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Kopytoff |first=Verne |date=September 7, 2008 |title=Craig Silverstein grew a decade with Google |work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |url=https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Craig-Silverstein-grew-a-decade-with-Google-3270079.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107075029/http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Craig-Silverstein-grew-a-decade-with-Google-3270079.php |archive-date=November 7, 2012}}</ref>

After some additional, small investments through the end of 1998 to early 1999,<ref name=endofworld /> a new $25 million round of funding was announced on June 7, 1999,<ref>{{Cite press release |title=Google Receives $25&nbsp;Million in Equity Funding |date=June 7, 1999 |location=Palo Alto, Calif. |url=https://www.google.com/pressrel/pressrelease1.html |access-date=February 16, 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010212052759/http://www.google.com/pressrel/pressrelease1.html |archive-date=February 12, 2001}}</ref> with major investors including the [[venture capital]] firms [[Kleiner Perkins]] and [[Sequoia Capital]].<ref name="Bechtolsheim" /> Both firms were initially hesitant about investing jointly in Google, as each wanted to retain a larger percentage of control over the company to themselves. Larry and Sergey however insisted on taking investments from both. Both venture companies finally agreed to investing jointly $12.5 million each due to their belief in Google's great potential and through the mediation of earlier angel investors Ron Conway and Ram Shriram who had contacts in the venture companies.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Vise |first1=David |last2=Malseed |first2=Mark |title=The Google Story |date=2005 |chapter=Chapter 5. Divide and Conquer}}</ref>

=== Growth ===
In March 1999, the company moved its offices to [[Palo Alto, California]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Weinberger |first=Matt |date=October 12, 2015 |title=Google's cofounders are stepping down from their company. Here are 43 photos showing Google's rise from a Stanford dorm room to global internet superpower |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/google-history-in-photos-2015-10 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170819101107/http://www.businessinsider.com/google-history-in-photos-2015-10 |archive-date=August 19, 2017 |website=[[Business Insider]] |publisher=[[Axel Springer SE]]}}</ref> which is home to several prominent [[Silicon Valley]] technology start-ups.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A building blessed with tech success |url=https://www.cnet.com/news/a-building-blessed-with-tech-success/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170523115134/https://www.cnet.com/news/a-building-blessed-with-tech-success/ |archive-date=May 23, 2017 |access-date=July 15, 2017 |website=[[CNET]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]]}}</ref> The next year, Google began selling advertisements associated with search keywords against Page and Brin's initial opposition toward an advertising-funded search engine.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Stross |first=Randall |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xOk3EIUW9VgC |title=Planet Google: One Company's Audacious Plan to Organize Everything We Know |date=September 2008 |publisher=Free Press |isbn=978-1-4165-4691-7 |location=New York |pages=3–4 |chapter=Introduction |access-date=February 14, 2010 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xOk3EIUW9VgC}}</ref><ref name="milestones" /> To maintain an uncluttered page design, advertisements were solely text-based.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 23, 2000 |title=Google Launches Self-Service Advertising Program |url=https://www.google.com/press/pressrel/pressrelease39.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120401005413/http://www.google.com/press/pressrel/pressrelease39.html |archive-date=April 1, 2012 |access-date=July 15, 2017 |website=News from Google}}</ref> In June 2000, it was announced that Google would become the default search engine provider for [[Yahoo!]], one of the most popular websites at the time, replacing [[Inktomi]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Naughton |first=John |date=July 2, 2000 |title=Why's Yahoo gone to Google? Search me |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2000/jul/02/searchengines.columnists |url-status=live |access-date=January 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190131040317/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2000/jul/02/searchengines.columnists |archive-date=January 31, 2019 |via=www.theguardian.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Yahoo! Selects Google as its Default Search Engine Provider – News announcements – News from Google – Google |url=https://googlepress.blogspot.com/2000/06/yahoo-selects-google-as-its-default.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190131041155/https://googlepress.blogspot.com/2000/06/yahoo-selects-google-as-its-default.html |archive-date=January 31, 2019 |access-date=January 30, 2019 |website=googlepress.blogspot.com}}</ref>

[[File:Google’s First Production Server.jpg|upright|thumb|Google's first production server<ref>{{Cite book |url=http://www.computerhistory.org/collections/accession/102662167 |title=Google Server Assembly |publisher=Computer History Museum |year=1999 |access-date=July 4, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100722083804/http://www.computerhistory.org/collections/accession/102662167 |archive-date=July 22, 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref>|alt=Google's first servers, showing lots of exposed wiring and circuit boards]]

In 2003, after outgrowing two other locations, the company leased an office complex from [[Silicon Graphics]], at 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway in [[Mountain View, California]].<ref name="sgibldg">{{Cite news |last=Olsen |first=Stephanie |date=July 11, 2003 |title=Google's movin' on up |work=[[CNET]] |publisher=CBS Interactive |url=http://news.cnet.com/Googles-movin-on-up/2110-1032_3-1025111.html |url-status=live |access-date=February 15, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102053103/http://news.cnet.com/Googles-movin-on-up/2110-1032_3-1025111.html |archive-date=November 2, 2012}}</ref> The complex became known as the [[Googleplex]], a play on the word [[googolplex]], the number one followed by a googol of zeroes. Three years later, Google bought the property from SGI for $319&nbsp;million.<ref name="googleplexpurchase">{{Cite news |date=June 16, 2006 |title=Google to buy headquarters building from Silicon Graphics |work=[[American City Business Journals]] |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2006/06/19/newscolumn3.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100418071152/http://sanjose.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2006/06/19/newscolumn3.html |archive-date=April 18, 2010}}</ref> By that time, the name "Google" had found its way into everyday language, causing the verb "[[google (verb)|google]]" to be added to the ''[[Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary]]'' and the ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'', denoted as: "to use the Google search engine to obtain information on the Internet".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Krantz |first=Michael |date=October 25, 2006 |title=Do You "Google"? |url=http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2006/10/do-you-google.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120530/http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2006/10/do-you-google.html |archive-date=May 30, 2012 |access-date=February 17, 2010 |website=Google, Inc.}}</ref><ref name="google_or_not">{{Cite web |last=Bylund |first=Anders |date=July 5, 2006 |title=To Google or Not to Google |url=http://msnbc.msn.com/id/13720643/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20060707062623/http://msnbc.msn.com/id/13720643/ |archive-date=July 7, 2006 |access-date=February 17, 2010 |website=MSNBC}}</ref> The first use of the verb on television appeared in an October 2002 episode of ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Meyer |first=Robinson |date=June 27, 2014 |title=The First Use of 'to Google' on Television? Buffy the Vampire Slayer |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/06/the-first-use-of-the-verb-to-google-on-television-buffy-the-vampire-slayer/373599/ |access-date=June 30, 2021 |website=[[The Atlantic]] |archive-date=September 29, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160929140230/http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/06/the-first-use-of-the-verb-to-google-on-television-buffy-the-vampire-slayer/373599/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Additionally, in 2001 Google's investors felt the need to have a strong internal management, and they agreed to hire [[Eric Schmidt]] as the chairman and CEO of Google.<ref name="Google Inc" /> Eric was proposed by [[John Doerr]] from Kleiner Perkins. He had been trying to find a CEO that Sergey and Larry would accept for several months, but they rejected several candidates because they wanted to retain control over the company. [[Michael Moritz]] from Sequoia Capital at one point even menaced requesting Google to immediately pay back Sequoia's $12.5m investment if they did not fulfill their promise to hire a chief executive officer, which had been made verbally during investment negotiations. Eric was not initially enthusiastic about joining Google either, as the company's full potential had not yet been widely recognized at the time, and as he was occupied with his responsibilities at [[Novell]] where he was CEO. As part of him joining, Eric agreed to buy $1 million of Google preferred stocks as a way to show his commitment and to provide funds Google needed.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Vise |first1=David |last2=Malseed |first2=Mark |title=The Google Story |date=2005 |chapter=Chapter 9. Hiring a Pilot}}</ref>

=== Initial public offering ===
On August 19, 2004, Google became a [[public company]] via an initial public offering. At that time Page, Brin and Schmidt agreed to work together at Google for 20 years, until the year 2024.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lashinsky |first=Adam |date=January 29, 2008 |title=Google wins again |work=[[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune]] |publisher=Time Warner |url=https://money.cnn.com/2008/01/18/news/companies/google.fortune/index.htm |url-status=live |access-date=January 22, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022200031/http://money.cnn.com/2008/01/18/news/companies/google.fortune/index.htm |archive-date=October 22, 2012}}</ref> The company opened on the [[NASDAQ National Market]] under the ticker symbol GOOGL with an offering of 19,605,052 shares at a price of $85 per share.<ref name="IPO">{{Cite web |title=GOOG Stock |date=July 31, 2023 |url=https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/goog-stock |publisher=[[Business Insider]] |access-date=April 6, 2021 |archive-date=April 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410114859/https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/goog-stock |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="GoogleAnnualReport2004">{{Cite web |year=2004 |title=2004 Annual Report |url=http://investor.google.com/pdf/2004_AnnualReport.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120114064401/http://investor.google.com/pdf/2004_AnnualReport.pdf |archive-date=January 14, 2012 |access-date=February 19, 2010 |website=Google, Inc. |location=Mountain View, California |page=29}}</ref> Shares were sold in an online auction format using a system built by [[Morgan Stanley]] and [[Credit Suisse]], underwriters for the deal.<ref>{{Cite news |last=La Monica |first=Paul R. |date=April 30, 2004 |title=Google sets $2.7&nbsp;billion IPO |work=[[CNN]] Money |url=https://money.cnn.com/2004/04/29/technology/google/ |url-status=live |access-date=February 19, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022154717/http://money.cnn.com/2004/04/29/technology/google/ |archive-date=October 22, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kawamoto |first=Dawn |date=April 29, 2004 |title=Want In on Google's IPO? |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/want-in-on-googles-ipo/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111228131306/http://www.zdnet.com/news/want-in-on-googles-ipo/135799 |archive-date=December 28, 2011 |access-date=February 19, 2010 |website=ZDNet}}</ref> The sale of $1.67 billion gave Google a [[market capitalization]] of more than $23 billion.<ref name="washpost">{{Cite news |last=Webb |first=Cynthia L. |date=August 19, 2004 |title=Google's IPO: Grate Expectations |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |location=Washington, D.C. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A14939-2004Aug19.html |url-status=live |access-date=February 19, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121112172750/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A14939-2004Aug19.html |archive-date=November 12, 2012}}</ref>

[[File:Eric Schmidt at the 37th G8 Summit in Deauville 037.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Eric Schmidt]], CEO of Google from 2001 to 2011]]
On October 9, 2006, Google acquired [[YouTube]] for $1.65 billion in Google stock,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Arrington |first=Michael |date=October 9, 2006 |title=Google Has Acquired YouTube |url=https://techcrunch.com/2006/10/09/google-has-acquired-youtube/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316024815/https://techcrunch.com/2006/10/09/google-has-acquired-youtube/ |archive-date=March 16, 2017 |access-date=March 15, 2017 |website=[[TechCrunch]] |publisher=[[AOL]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Sorkin |first1=Andrew Ross |last2=Peters |first2=Jeremy W. |date=October 9, 2006 |title=Google to Acquire YouTube for $1.65 Billion |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/09/business/09cnd-deal.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170609080519/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/09/business/09cnd-deal.html |archive-date=June 9, 2017 |access-date=March 15, 2017 |website=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Arrington |first=Michael |date=November 13, 2006 |title=Google Closes YouTube Acquisition |url=https://techcrunch.com/2006/11/13/google-closes-youtube-acquisition/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316024500/https://techcrunch.com/2006/11/13/google-closes-youtube-acquisition/ |archive-date=March 16, 2017 |access-date=March 15, 2017 |website=[[TechCrunch]] |publisher=[[AOL]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Auchard |first=Eric |date=November 14, 2006 |title=Google closes YouTube deal |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-google-idUSWEN973120061114 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316113147/http://www.reuters.com/article/us-google-idUSWEN973120061114 |archive-date=March 16, 2017 |access-date=March 15, 2017 |website=[[Reuters]] |publisher=[[Thomson Reuters]]}}</ref> On July 20, 2007, Google bids $4.6 billion for the wireless-spectrum auction by the FCC.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sarkar |first=Dibya |date=July 20, 2007 |title=Google to bid $4.6 billion at wireless auction — with conditions |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/business/google-to-bid-46-billion-at-wireless-auction-8212-with-conditions/ |access-date=March 26, 2024 |website=The Seattle Times |language=en-US |archive-date=March 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240326144446/https://www.seattletimes.com/business/google-to-bid-46-billion-at-wireless-auction-8212-with-conditions/ |url-status=live }}</ref> On March 11, 2008, Google acquired [[DoubleClick]] for $3.1&nbsp;billion, transferring to Google valuable relationships that DoubleClick had with Web publishers and advertising agencies.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lawsky |first=David |date=March 11, 2008 |title=Google closes DoubleClick merger after EU approval |work=[[Reuters]] |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-google-doubleclick-eu-idUSBFA00058020080311 |access-date=April 8, 2021 |archive-date=December 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201222191224/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-google-doubleclick-eu-idUSBFA00058020080311 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Story |first1=Louise |last2=Helft |first2=Miguel |date=April 14, 2007 |title=Google Buys DoubleClick for $3.1 Billion |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/14/technology/14DoubleClick.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170404014741/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/14/technology/14DoubleClick.html |archive-date=April 4, 2017 |access-date=March 9, 2017 |website=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> By 2011, Google was handling approximately 3 billion searches per day. To handle this workload, Google built 11 [[data centers]] around the world with several thousand servers in each. These data centers allowed Google to handle the ever-changing workload more efficiently.<ref name="Google Inc" />

In May 2011, the number of monthly unique visitors to Google surpassed one billion for the first time.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Worstall |first=Tim |date=June 22, 2011 |title=Google Hits One Billion Visitors in Only One Month |work=[[Forbes]] |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2011/06/22/google-hits-one-billion-visitors-in-only-one-month/ |url-access=limited |access-date=April 8, 2021 |archive-date=April 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210428202935/https://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2011/06/22/google-hits-one-billion-visitors-in-only-one-month/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Efrati |first=Amir |date=June 21, 2011 |title=Google Notches One Billion Unique Visitors Per Month |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/BL-DGB-22656 |url-access=subscription |access-date=April 8, 2021 |archive-date=April 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416191216/https://www.wsj.com/articles/BL-DGB-22656 |url-status=live }}</ref> In May 2012, Google acquired [[Motorola Mobility]] for $12.5&nbsp;billion, in its largest acquisition to date.<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 22, 2012 |title=Google Completes Takeover of Motorola Mobility |publisher=[[IndustryWeek]] |agency=[[Agence France-Presse]] |url=https://www.industryweek.com/finance/governance-risk-compliance/article/21957658/google-completes-takeover-of-motorola-mobility |access-date=April 6, 2021 |archive-date=April 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414225112/https://www.industryweek.com/finance/governance-risk-compliance/article/21957658/google-completes-takeover-of-motorola-mobility |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Tsukayama |first=Hayley |date=August 15, 2011 |title=Google agrees to acquire Motorola Mobility |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/faster-forward/post/google-agrees-to-acquire-motorola-mobility/2011/08/15/gIQABmTkGJ_blog.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121113035358/http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/faster-forward/post/google-agrees-to-acquire-motorola-mobility/2011/08/15/gIQABmTkGJ_blog.html |archive-date=November 13, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Google to Acquire Motorola Mobility&nbsp;— Google Investor Relations |url=http://investor.google.com/releases/2011/0815.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110817101741/http://investor.google.com/releases/2011/0815.html |archive-date=August 17, 2011 |access-date=August 17, 2011 |website=Google}}</ref> This purchase was made in part to help Google gain Motorola's considerable patent portfolio on mobile phones and wireless technologies, to help protect Google in its ongoing patent disputes with other companies,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Page |first=Larry |author-link=Larry Page |date=August 15, 2011 |title=Official Google Blog: Supercharging Android: Google to Acquire Motorola Mobility |url=https://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/supercharging-android-google-to-acquire.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110921134344/https://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/supercharging-android-google-to-acquire.html |archive-date=September 21, 2011 |website=Official Google Blog}}</ref> mainly [[Apple Inc.|Apple]] and [[Microsoft]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hughes |first=Neil |date=August 15, 2011 |title=Google CEO: 'Anticompetitive' Apple, Microsoft forced Motorola deal |url=https://appleinsider.com/articles/11/08/15/google_ceo_anticompetitive_apple_microsoft_forced_motorola_deal.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111210181127/http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/08/15/google_ceo_anticompetitive_apple_microsoft_forced_motorola_deal.html |archive-date=December 10, 2011 |website=[[AppleInsider]]}}</ref> and to allow it to continue to freely offer Android.<ref name="cnet">{{Cite web |last=Cheng |first=Roger |date=August 15, 2011 |title=Google to buy Motorola Mobility for $12.5B |url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-20092362-94/google-to-buy-motorola-mobility-for-$12.5b/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006062539/http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-20092362-94/google-to-buy-motorola-mobility-for-$12.5b/ |archive-date=October 6, 2011 |access-date=August 15, 2011 |website=CNet News}}</ref>

=== 2012 onwards ===
In June 2013, Google acquired [[Waze]] for $966 million.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kerr |first=Dara |date=July 25, 2013 |title=Google reveals it spent $966 million in Waze acquisition |url=https://www.cnet.com/news/google-reveals-it-spent-966-million-in-waze-acquisition/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170216011658/https://www.cnet.com/news/google-reveals-it-spent-966-million-in-waze-acquisition/ |archive-date=February 16, 2017 |access-date=June 12, 2017 |website=[[CNET]] |publisher=CBS Interactive}}</ref> While Waze would remain an independent entity, its social features, such as its crowdsourced location platform, were reportedly valuable integrations between Waze and [[Google Maps]], Google's own mapping service.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lunden |first=Ingrid |date=June 11, 2013 |title=Google Bought Waze For $1.1B, Giving A Social Data Boost To Its Mapping Business |url=https://techcrunch.com/2013/06/11/its-official-google-buys-waze-giving-a-social-data-boost-to-its-location-and-mapping-business/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170706051802/https://techcrunch.com/2013/06/11/its-official-google-buys-waze-giving-a-social-data-boost-to-its-location-and-mapping-business/ |archive-date=July 6, 2017 |access-date=June 12, 2017 |website=[[TechCrunch]] |publisher=[[AOL]]}}</ref> Google announced the launch of a new company, called [[Calico (company)|Calico]], on September 19, 2013, to be led by Apple Inc. chairman [[Arthur D. Levinson|Arthur Levinson]]. In the official public statement, Page explained that the "health and well-being" company would focus on "the challenge of ageing and associated diseases".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wakefield |first=Jane |date=September 19, 2013 |title=Google spin-off Calico to search for answers to ageing |work=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-24158924 |url-status=live |access-date=September 20, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130919201510/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-24158924 |archive-date=September 19, 2013}}</ref>

[[File:Google-Deep Mind headquarters in London, 6 Pancras Square.jpg|thumb|upright|Entrance of building where Google and its subsidiary Deep Mind are located at 6 Pancras Square, London|alt=]]
On January 26, 2014, Google announced it had agreed to acquire [[DeepMind Technologies]], a privately held AI company from [[London]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Chowdhry |first=Amit |date=January 27, 2014 |title=Google To Acquire Artificial Intelligence Company DeepMind |work=[[Forbes]] |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/amitchowdhry/2014/01/27/google-to-acquire-artificial-intelligence-company-deepmind/ |url-status=live |access-date=January 27, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140129142153/http://www.forbes.com/sites/amitchowdhry/2014/01/27/google-to-acquire-artificial-intelligence-company-deepmind/ |archive-date=January 29, 2014}}</ref> Technology news website ''[[Recode]]'' reported that the company was purchased for $400 million, yet the source of the information was not disclosed. A Google spokesperson declined to comment on the price.<ref name="Helgren- DeepMind">{{Cite news |last=Helgren |first=Chris |date=January 27, 2014 |title=Google to buy artificial intelligence company DeepMind |work=[[Reuters]] |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-google-deepmind-idUSBREA0Q03220140127 |url-status=live |access-date=January 27, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140127042513/http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/27/us-google-deepmind-idUSBREA0Q03220140127 |archive-date=January 27, 2014}}</ref><ref name="Ribeiro- DeepMind">{{Cite news |last=Ribeiro |first=Jon |date=January 27, 2014 |title=Google buys artificial intelligence company DeepMind |work=PC World |url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/2091500/google-acquires-artificial-intelligence-company-deepmind.html |url-status=live |access-date=January 27, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140130042946/http://www.pcworld.com/article/2091500/google-acquires-artificial-intelligence-company-deepmind.html |archive-date=January 30, 2014}}</ref> The purchase of DeepMind aids in Google's recent growth in the AI and robotics community.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Opam |first=Kwame |date=January 26, 2014 |title=Google buying AI startup DeepMind for a reported $400 million |url=https://www.theverge.com/2014/1/26/5348640/google-deepmind-acquisition-robotics-ai |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170708161602/https://www.theverge.com/2014/1/26/5348640/google-deepmind-acquisition-robotics-ai |archive-date=July 8, 2017 |access-date=March 9, 2017 |website=[[The Verge]] |publisher=[[Vox Media]]}}</ref> In 2015, DeepMind's [[AlphaGo]] became the first computer program to [[AlphaGo versus Lee Sedol|defeat a top human pro]] at the game of Go.

According to Interbrand's annual Best Global Brands report, Google has been the second most valuable brand in the world (behind Apple Inc.) in 2013,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rankings – 2013 – Best Global Brands – Interbrand |url=http://interbrand.com/best-brands/best-global-brands/2013/ranking/#?listFormat=ls |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161022013506/http://interbrand.com/best-brands/best-global-brands/2013/ranking/#?listFormat=ls |archive-date=October 22, 2016 |access-date=October 23, 2016 |website=Interbrand }}</ref> 2014,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rankings – 2014 – Best Global Brands – Interbrand |url=http://interbrand.com/best-brands/best-global-brands/2014/ranking/#?listFormat=ls |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161103140119/http://interbrand.com/best-brands/best-global-brands/2014/ranking/#?listFormat=ls |archive-date=November 3, 2016 |access-date=October 23, 2016 |website=Interbrand }}</ref> 2015,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rankings – 2015 – Best Global Brands – Interbrand |url=http://interbrand.com/best-brands/best-global-brands/2015/ranking/#?listFormat=ls |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161021100708/http://interbrand.com/best-brands/best-global-brands/2015/ranking/#?listFormat=ls |archive-date=October 21, 2016 |access-date=October 23, 2016 |website=Interbrand }}</ref> and 2016, with a valuation of $133 billion.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rankings – 2016 – Best Global Brands |url=http://interbrand.com/best-brands/best-global-brands/2016/ranking/#?listFormat=ls |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20161220191226/http://interbrand.com/best-brands/best-global-brands/2016/ranking/#?listFormat=ls |archive-date=December 20, 2016 |access-date=October 23, 2016 |website=Interbrand }}</ref>

On August 10, 2015, Google announced plans to reorganize its various interests as a [[Conglomerate (company)|conglomerate]] named Alphabet Inc. Google became Alphabet's largest subsidiary and the [[umbrella company]] for Alphabet's Internet interests. Upon completion of the restructuring, Sundar Pichai became [[Chief executive officer|CEO]] of Google, replacing Larry Page, who became CEO of Alphabet.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Womack |first=Brian |date=August 10, 2015 |title=Google Rises After Creating Holding Company Called Alphabet |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-08-10/google-to-adopt-new-holding-structure-under-name-alphabet- |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161123054841/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-08-10/google-to-adopt-new-holding-structure-under-name-alphabet- |archive-date=November 23, 2016 |access-date=November 22, 2016 |publisher=[[Bloomberg L.P.]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Barr |first1=Alistair |last2=Winkler |first2=Rolf |date=August 10, 2015 |title=Google Creates Parent Company Called Alphabet in Restructuring |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/google-creates-new-company-alphabet-1439240645 |url-status=live |access-date=November 22, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161128112043/http://www.wsj.com/articles/google-creates-new-company-alphabet-1439240645 |archive-date=November 28, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Dougherty |first=Conor |date=August 10, 2015 |title=Google to Reorganize as Alphabet to Keep Its Lead as an Innovator |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/11/technology/google-alphabet-restructuring.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161019164806/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/11/technology/google-alphabet-restructuring.html |archive-date=October 19, 2016 |access-date=November 22, 2016 |website=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>
[[File:The CEO of Google, Mr. Sundar Pichai calls on the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, in New Delhi on December 17, 2015 (1).jpg|thumb|Current CEO, [[Sundar Pichai]], with [[Prime Minister of India]], [[Narendra Modi]]]]
On August 8, 2017, Google fired employee James Damore after he distributed a memo throughout the company that argued bias and "[[Google's Ideological Echo Chamber]]" clouded their thinking about diversity and inclusion, and that it is also biological factors, not discrimination alone, that cause the average woman to be less interested than men in technical positions.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Google Fires Engineer Who Wrote Memo Questioning Women in Tech|website=[[The New York Times]]|date=August 8, 2017|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/07/business/google-women-engineer-fired-memo.html|last1=Wakabayashi|first1=Daisuke|access-date=August 10, 2017|archive-date=August 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170810185646/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/07/business/google-women-engineer-fired-memo.html|url-status=dead}}. ''[[The New York Times]]'', August 7, 2017</ref> Google CEO Sundar Pichai accused Damore of violating company policy by "advancing harmful gender stereotypes in our workplace", and he was fired on the same day.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Contentious Memo Strikes Nerve Inside Google and Out|website=[[The New York Times]]|date=August 8, 2017|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/08/technology/google-engineer-fired-gender-memo.html|last1=Wakabayashi|first1=Daisuke|access-date=August 10, 2017|archive-date=August 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170809012140/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/08/technology/google-engineer-fired-gender-memo.html|url-status=dead}}. ''[[The New York Times]]'', August 8, 2017</ref><ref>diversitymemo.com</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Friedersdorf |first=Conor |date=August 8, 2017 |title=The Most Common Error in Media Coverage of the Google Memo |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/08/the-most-common-error-in-coverage-of-the-google-memo/536181/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808230220/https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/08/the-most-common-error-in-coverage-of-the-google-memo/536181/ |archive-date=August 8, 2017 |access-date=August 9, 2017 |website=[[The Atlantic]]}}</ref>

Between 2018 and 2019, [[Google worker organization|tensions between the company's leadership and its workers escalated]] as staff protested company decisions on internal sexual harassment, [[Dragonfly (search engine)|Dragonfly]], a censored Chinese search engine, and [[Project Maven]], a military drone artificial intelligence, which had been seen as areas of revenue growth for the company.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bergen |first=Mark |date=November 22, 2019 |title=Google Workers Protest Company's 'Brute Force Intimidation' |language=en |work=[[Bloomberg.com]] |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-11-22/google-workers-protest-company-s-brute-force-intimidation |access-date=November 27, 2019 |archive-date=November 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191127180949/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-11-22/google-workers-protest-company-s-brute-force-intimidation |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Verge busting">{{Cite web |last=Hollister |first=Sean |date=November 25, 2019 |title=Google is accused of union busting after firing four employees |url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/11/25/20983053/google-fires-four-employees-memo-rebecca-rivers-laurence-berland-union-busting-accusation-walkout |access-date=November 26, 2019 |website=[[The Verge]] |language=en |archive-date=November 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191126091658/https://www.theverge.com/2019/11/25/20983053/google-fires-four-employees-memo-rebecca-rivers-laurence-berland-union-busting-accusation-walkout |url-status=live }}</ref> On October 25, 2018, ''[[The New York Times]]'' published the ''exposé'', "How Google Protected [[Andy Rubin]], the 'Father of Android'". The company subsequently announced that "48 employees have been fired over the last two years" for sexual misconduct.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Welch |first=Chris |date=October 25, 2018 |title=Google says 48 people have been fired for sexual harassment in the last two years |url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/10/25/18024486/google-sexual-harassment-people-fired-rubin-2-years-ceo |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181031133020/https://www.theverge.com/2018/10/25/18024486/google-sexual-harassment-people-fired-rubin-2-years-ceo |archive-date=October 31, 2018 |access-date=October 31, 2018 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> On November 1, 2018, more than 20,000 Google employees and contractors staged a global walk-out to protest the company's handling of sexual harassment complaints.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hamilton |first=Isobel Asher |display-authors=etal |date=November 1, 2018 |title=PHOTOS: Google employees all over the world left their desk and walked out in protest over sexual misconduct |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/google-walkout-live-pictures-of-protesting-google-workers-2018-11 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181102174328/https://www.businessinsider.com/google-walkout-live-pictures-of-protesting-google-workers-2018-11 |archive-date=November 2, 2018 |access-date=November 6, 2018 |website=[[Business Insider]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Segarra |first=Lisa Marie |date=November 3, 2018 |title=More Than 20,000 Google Employees Participated in Walkout Over Sexual Harassment Policy |publisher=[[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune]]|url=http://fortune.com/2018/11/03/google-employees-walkout-demands/ |url-status=live |access-date=November 6, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181107013331/http://fortune.com/2018/11/03/google-employees-walkout-demands/ |archive-date=November 7, 2018}}</ref> CEO Sundar Pichai was reported to be in support of the protests.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Liedtke |first=Michael |date=November 1, 2018 |title=Google workers walk out to protest sexual misconduct |publisher=Akron Beacon/Journal |agency=[[Associated Press]] |location=San Francisco, Calf. |url=https://www.ohio.com/news/20181101/google-workers-walk-out-to-protest-sexual-misconduct |access-date=November 6, 2018 |archive-date=November 7, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181107010412/https://www.ohio.com/news/20181101/google-workers-walk-out-to-protest-sexual-misconduct |url-status=live }}</ref> Later in 2019, some workers accused the company of retaliating against internal activists.{{r|Verge busting}}

On March 19, 2019, Google announced that it would enter the video game market, launching a [[cloud gaming]] platform called [[Google Stadia]].<ref name="unveils">{{Cite web |last=Warren |first=Tom |date=March 19, 2019 |title=Google unveils Stadia cloud gaming service, launches in 2019 |url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/19/18271702/google-stadia-cloud-gaming-service-announcement-gdc-2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190319173136/https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/19/18271702/google-stadia-cloud-gaming-service-announcement-gdc-2019 |archive-date=March 19, 2019 |access-date=April 8, 2019 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref>

On June 3, 2019, the [[United States Department of Justice]] reported that it would investigate Google for [[antitrust]] violations.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Google shares take a dive with reports of US DoJ 'competition' probe |url=https://www.theregister.com/2019/06/03/google_shares_take_a_dive_on_doj_reports/ |website=www.theregister.com |access-date=September 27, 2020 |archive-date=September 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927011823/https://www.theregister.com/2019/06/03/google_shares_take_a_dive_on_doj_reports/ |url-status=live }}</ref> This led to the filing of an antitrust lawsuit in October 2020, on the grounds the company had abused a monopoly position in the [[Web search engine|search]] and [[search advertising]] markets.<ref>{{Cite news |title=U.S. Files Antitrust Suit Against Google |work=[[NPR]] |url=https://www.npr.org/2020/10/20/925895658/u-s-files-antitrust-suit-against-google |access-date=October 25, 2020 |archive-date=October 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025210439/https://www.npr.org/2020/10/20/925895658/u-s-files-antitrust-suit-against-google |url-status=live }}</ref>

In December 2019, former [[PayPal]] [[chief operating officer]] Bill Ready became Google's new commerce chief. Ready's role will not be directly involved with [[Google Pay (2018–2022)|Google Pay]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Perez |first=Sarah |date=December 11, 2019 |title=PayPal's exiting COO Bill Ready to join Google as its new president of Commerce |url=https://techcrunch.com/2019/12/11/paypals-exiting-coo-bill-ready-to-join-google-as-its-new-president-of-commerce/ |website=[[TechCrunch]] |access-date=April 8, 2021 |archive-date=May 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210513124523/https://techcrunch.com/2019/12/11/paypals-exiting-coo-bill-ready-to-join-google-as-its-new-president-of-commerce/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In April 2020, due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], Google announced several cost-cutting measures. Such measures included slowing down hiring for the remainder of 2020, except for a small number of strategic areas, recalibrating the focus and pace of investments in areas like data centers and machines, and non-business essential marketing and travel.<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 15, 2020 |title=Bloomberg – Google to Slow Hiring for Rest of 2020, CEO Tells Staff |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-15/google-to-slow-hiring-for-rest-of-2020-ceo-pichai-tells-staff |access-date=April 16, 2020 |website=www.bloomberg.com |archive-date=April 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200416050831/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-15/google-to-slow-hiring-for-rest-of-2020-ceo-pichai-tells-staff |url-status=live }}</ref> Most employees were also working from home due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] and the success of it even led to Google announcing that they would be permanently converting some of their jobs to work from home <ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Bonacini |first1=Luca |last2=Gallo |first2=Giovanni |last3=Scicchitano |first3=Sergio |date=2021 |title=Working from home and income inequality: risks of a 'new normal' with COVID-19 |journal=Journal of Population Economics |language=en |volume=34 |issue=1 |pages=303–360 |doi=10.1007/s00148-020-00800-7 |issn=0933-1433 |pmc=7486597 |pmid=32952308}}</ref>

The [[2020 Google services outages]] disrupted Google services: one in August that affected [[Google Drive]] among others, another in November affecting [[YouTube]], and a third in December affecting the entire suite of Google applications. All three outages were resolved within hours.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Google services including Gmail hit by serious disruption |url=https://news.sky.com/story/google-services-including-gmail-hit-by-serious-disruption-12052892 |website=Sky News |access-date=December 14, 2020 |archive-date=December 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201214132214/https://news.sky.com/story/google-services-including-gmail-hit-by-serious-disruption-12052892 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Li |first=Abner |date=November 12, 2020 |title=YouTube is currently down amid widespread outage |work=9to5Google |url=https://9to5google.com/2020/11/11/youtube-tv-down-2/ |access-date=December 14, 2020 |archive-date=December 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201223191848/https://9to5google.com/2020/11/11/youtube-tv-down-2/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=December 14, 2020 |title=YouTube back online, all services restored as Google apologizes for 'system outage' &#124; TechRadar |url=https://www.techradar.com/news/google-suite-youtube-and-other-services-are-down |website=www.techradar.com |access-date=February 23, 2022 |archive-date=December 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201214235555/https://www.techradar.com/amp/news/google-suite-youtube-and-other-services-are-down%26ved%3D0ahUKEwjT_qTet83tAhVJJzQIHcFXB-kQyM8BCCgwAQ%26usg%3DAOvVaw0HFBmVnTnarPXLRK7ok2jE%26ampcf%3D1 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 2021, the [[Alphabet Workers Union]] was founded, composed mostly of Google employees.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 4, 2021 |title=Google employees are forming a union |url=https://www.androidpolice.com/2021/01/04/google-employees-are-forming-a-union/ |access-date=March 26, 2022 |website=Android Police |language=en-US |archive-date=March 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220324193401/https://www.androidpolice.com/2021/01/04/google-employees-are-forming-a-union/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In January 2021, the [[Australian Government]] proposed legislation that would require Google and Facebook to pay media companies for the right to use their content. In response, Google threatened to close off access to its search engine in Australia.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Jose |first=Renju |date=January 22, 2021 |title=Google says to block search engine in Australia if forced to pay for news |language=en |work=[[Reuters]] |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-australia-media-google-idUSKBN29R04O |access-date=January 22, 2021 |archive-date=September 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210918073029/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-australia-media-google-idUSKBN29R04O |url-status=live }}</ref>

In March 2021, Google reportedly paid $20 million for [[Ubisoft]] ports on Google Stadia.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Google reportedly paid $20m for Ubisoft ports on Stadia |url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-03-01-google-reportedly-paid-usd20m-for-ubisoft-ports-on-stadia |access-date=March 1, 2021 |website=GamesIndustry.biz |date=March 2021 |language=en |archive-date=March 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210301103546/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-03-01-google-reportedly-paid-usd20m-for-ubisoft-ports-on-stadia |url-status=live }}</ref> Google spent "tens of millions of dollars" on getting major publishers such as [[Ubisoft]] and Take-Two to bring some of their biggest games to Stadia.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Schreier|first=Jason|date=February 28, 2021|title=Google had big video game ambitions. Then reality hit|url=https://fortune.com/2021/02/27/google-stadia-video-game-streaming-reality-check-consoles/|access-date=February 3, 2022|website=[[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune]]|language=en|archive-date=February 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220203054851/https://fortune.com/2021/02/27/google-stadia-video-game-streaming-reality-check-consoles/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In April 2021, ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' reported that Google ran a years-long program called "Project Bernanke" that used data from past advertising bids to gain an advantage over competing for ad services. This was revealed in documents concerning the antitrust lawsuit filed by ten US states against Google in December.<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 11, 2021 |title=Google's Secret 'Project Bernanke' Revealed in Texas Antitrust Case |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/googles-secret-project-bernanke-revealed-in-texas-antitrust-case-11618097760 |access-date=April 13, 2021 |website=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |language=en |archive-date=April 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413012105/https://www.wsj.com/articles/googles-secret-project-bernanke-revealed-in-texas-antitrust-case-11618097760 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In September 2021, the Australian government announced plans to curb Google's capability to sell targeted ads, claiming that the company has a monopoly on the market harming publishers, advertisers, and consumers.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 28, 2021 |title=Australian Government Plans to Curb Google's Capability to Sell Targeted Ads – September 28, 2021 |url=https://dailynewsbrief.com/2021/09/28/australian-government-plans-to-curb-googles-capability-to-sell-targeted-ads/ |access-date=October 4, 2021 |website=Daily News Brief |language=en-US |archive-date=October 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211004124647/https://dailynewsbrief.com/2021/09/28/australian-government-plans-to-curb-googles-capability-to-sell-targeted-ads/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2022, Google began accepting requests for the removal of phone numbers, physical addresses and email addresses from its search results. It had previously accepted requests for removing confidential data only, such as Social Security numbers, bank account and credit card numbers, personal signatures, and medical records. Even with the new policy, Google may remove information from only certain but not all search queries. It would not remove content that is "broadly useful", such as news articles, or already part of the public record.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Picchi |first1=Aimee |title=Google will now remove your phone number and other info from search results. Here's how to do it. |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/google-search-remove-phone-number-personal-information/ |work=[[CBS News]] |date=April 28, 2022 |access-date=May 4, 2022 |archive-date=May 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220504084126/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/google-search-remove-phone-number-personal-information/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In May 2022, Google announced that the company had acquired California based, MicroLED display technology development and manufacturing Start-up company Raxium. Raxium is set to join Google's Devices and Services team to aid in the development of micro-optics, monolithic integration, and system integration.<ref>{{cite web|date=May 5, 2022|url=https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/technology/2025894-google-announces-acquisition-of-microled-startup-raxium|title=Google announces acquisition of MicroLED startup Raxium|website=Devdiscourse|access-date=May 6, 2022|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220506121844/https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/technology/2025894-google-announces-acquisition-of-microled-startup-raxium|archive-date=May 6, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.computerworld.com/article/3646533/noteworthy-tech-acquisitions-2022.html|title=Noteworthy tech acquisitions 2022|website=Computer World|date=July 6, 2022|author=Charlotte Trueman|access-date=July 24, 2022|archive-date=July 16, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220716040142/https://www.computerworld.com/article/3646533/noteworthy-tech-acquisitions-2022.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In December 2022, Google debuted OSV-Scanner,<ref>{{cite web | title= Google debuts OSV-Scanner to find vulns in open source apps • The Register | first1= Thomas | last1= Claburn | date= December 15, 2022 | access-date=October 15, 2024 | url= https://www.theregister.com/2022/12/15/google_debuts_osvscanner_a_gobased/ | archive-date=December 15, 2022 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20221215090350/https://www.theregister.com/2022/12/15/google_debuts_osvscanner_a_gobased/ }}</ref><ref>{{ cite web | title= Google Launches OSV-Scanner Tool to Identify Open Source Vulnerabilities | first1= Ravie | last1= Lakshmanan | date=December 13, 2022 | url= https://thehackernews.com/2022/12/google-launches-largest-distributed.html | archive-date= December 13, 2022 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20221213191239/https://thehackernews.com/2022/12/google-launches-largest-distributed.html | access-date=October 15, 2024 }}</ref> a [[Go (programming language)|Go]] tool for finding [[security hole]]s in [[open source software]], which pulls from the largest open source [[vulnerability database]] of its kind to defend against [[Software supply chain|supply chain]] attacks.

Following the success of [[ChatGPT]] and concerns that Google was falling behind in the AI race, Google's senior management issued a "code red"<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Grant |first1=Nico |last2=Metz |first2=Cade |date=December 21, 2022 |title=A New Chat Bot Is a 'Code Red' for Google's Search Business |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/21/technology/ai-chatgpt-google-search.html |access-date=February 2, 2025 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> and a "directive that all of its most important products—those with more than a billion users—must incorporate generative AI within months".<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Love |first1=Julia |last2=Alba |first2=Davey |date=March 8, 2023 |title=Google's Plan to Catch ChatGPT Is to Stuff AI Into Everything |language=en |work=[[Bloomberg News|Bloomberg]] Businessweek |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-03-08/chatgpt-success-drives-google-to-put-ai-in-all-its-products |access-date=March 14, 2023 |archive-date=March 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230312010416/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-03-08/chatgpt-success-drives-google-to-put-ai-in-all-its-products |url-status=live }}</ref> In March 2023, in direct response to the rapid rise of ChatGPT, Google released Bard (now [[Gemini (chatbot)|Gemini]]), a [[generative artificial intelligence]] [[chatbot]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Google just launched Bard, its answer to ChatGPT—and it wants you to make it better |url=https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/03/21/1070111/google-bard-chatgpt-openai-microsoft-bing-search/ |access-date=February 4, 2025 |website=MIT Technology Review |language=en}}</ref>

In early May 2023, Google announced its plans to build two additional data centers in Ohio. These centers, which will be built in Columbus and Lancaster, will power up the company's tools, including AI technology. The said data hub will add to the already operational center near Columbus, bringing Google's total investment in Ohio to over $2 billion.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/google-open-data-centers-ohio-99041576 |title=Google to open two more data centers in Ohio |work=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |access-date=May 6, 2023 |archive-date=May 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230506082230/https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/google-open-data-centers-ohio-99041576 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In August 2024, Google would lose a [[United States v. Google LLC (2020)|lawsuit which started in 2020]] in lower court, as it was found that the company had an illegal monopoly over Internet search.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theverge.com/2024/8/6/24214641/google-us-monopoly-ruling-what-happens|title=Now that Google is a monopolist, what's next? / Reaching a decision on what to do about Google Search could take a very long time.|first=Jay|last=Peters|publisher=The Verge|date=August 6, 2024|accessdate=August 6, 2024}}</ref> D.C. Circuit Court Judge Amit Mehta held that this monopoly was in violation of Section 2 of the [[Sherman Act]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Business/google-violated-antitrust-laws-maintain-dominance-online-search/story?id=112591120|title=Google violated antitrust laws to maintain dominance over online search, judge says|first=Alexander|last=Mallin|publisher=ABC News|date=August 5, 2024|accessdate=August 6, 2024}}</ref> In September 2024, the [[EU Court of Justice]], based in Europe, would also find that Google held an illegal monopoly, in this case with regards to its shopping search, and could not avoid paying a €2.4 billion fine.<ref name=eushoppingruling>{{cite news|url=https://www.politico.eu/article/google-loses-court-battle-over-first-eu-antitrust-fine/|title=Google loses EU court battle over €2.4B antitrust fine|first=Edith|last=Hancock|publisher=Politico|date=September 10, 2024|accessdate=September 10, 2024}}</ref> The EU Court of Justice found that Google's treatment of rival shopping searches, which the court referred to as "discriminatory", was in violation of the [[Digital Markets Act]].<ref name=eushoppingruling />

In October 2024, Google was fined by a local Russian court a symbolic 2.5 decillion dollars for allegedly blocking pro-Kremlin propaganda. No payment was made.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Anthony Cuthbertson |date=October 31, 2024 |title=Russia fines Google $20 decillion (that's 2.5 trillion trillion trillion dollars) |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/russia-fines-google-decillion-youtube-lawsuit-b2638752.html |access-date=October 31, 2024 |work=[[The Independent]]}}</ref>

In November 2024, Google announced the establishment of a new AI hub in Saudi Arabia, aiming to support the Kingdom's economic growth and technological development as part of its Vision 2030 initiative. This AI hub is projected to contribute up to $71 billion to Saudi Arabia's economy by advancing AI-driven solutions tailored to the region's specific needs and training local talent.<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 6, 2024 |title=Saudis Plan $100 Billion AI Powerhouse to Rival UAE Tech Hub |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-11-06/saudis-plan-100-billion-ai-powerhouse-to-rival-uae-s-tech-hub?embedded-checkout=true |access-date=November 8, 2024 |work=Bloomberg.com |language=en}}</ref>

The partnership between Google and Saudi Arabia includes collaboration with key stakeholders, such as the Public Investment Fund (PIF), to develop AI applications that will benefit sectors like healthcare, finance, oil and gas, and logistics. The initiative focuses on creating localized AI technologies, with an emphasis on integrating Arabic language capabilities and enabling widespread cloud adoption.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kahil |first=Nadine |date=November 7, 2024 |title=Google's new AI hub in Saudi Arabia aims to add $71 billion to local economy |url=https://wired.me/technology/googles-ai-hub-saudi-arabia/ |access-date=November 8, 2024 |website=WIRED Middle East |language=en-GB}}</ref>

In March 2025, Google agreed to acquire [[Wiz, Inc.|Wiz]], a New York-based [[cybersecurity]] startup focusing on cloud computing, for US$32 billion. This cash deal would be Google's biggest ever, as well as it currently being the most expensive deal of 2025. Alphabet reportedly tried to close a deal for only $23 billion in 2024, but this fell apart after concerns about regulatory hurdles, among other issues. Wiz, a company located in the U.S. and Israel, was cofounded in 2020 by [[Assaf Rappaport]]. The company is backed by a number of Silicon Valley venture capitalists, as well as notably being partnered with Amazon and Microsoft, as listed in their website. Google reportedly said "the deal would help artificial-intelligence companies get better security and use more than one cloud service."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jin |first=Lauren Thomas and Berber |title=Google Strikes $32 Billion Deal for Cybersecurity Startup Wiz |url=https://www.wsj.com/business/deals/alphabet-back-in-deal-talks-for-cybersecurity-startup-wiz-41cd3090?mod=tech_more_article_pos25 |access-date=March 25, 2025 |website=WSJ |language=en-US}}</ref>