Google, founded in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin while they were Ph.D. students at Stanford University, has become one of the most influential technology companies in history. Originally launched as a search engine, Google transformed how people access and interact with information online.

At the heart of Google's success is its powerful search algorithm, which ranks web pages based on relevance and authority. This innovation not only made Google the go-to search engine globally but also revolutionized the digital marketing industry through platforms like Google Ads and Google Analytics.

Over the years, Google expanded far beyond search. It developed the Android operating system, now the most widely used mobile OS, acquired YouTube to dominate online video, and introduced Gmail, Google Maps, Chrome, and the Google Workspace suite. Each of these tools became a cornerstone of modern digital life.

The company’s parent organization, Alphabet Inc., was created in 2015 to oversee a broader range of ventures, including artificial intelligence (DeepMind), autonomous vehicles (Waymo), and life sciences (Verily). Google continues to lead in AI, with products like Google Assistant and its recent work on generative AI models.

However, Google's dominance has also sparked concerns over privacy, market monopoly, and data ethics. Antitrust lawsuits in the U.S. and abroad highlight the tension between innovation and regulation in the digital era.

Today, Google remains a symbol of innovation and connectivity, shaping how billions of people learn, communicate, and do business. Whether it’s through search, cloud computing, or AI, Google's impact on the modern world is profound and enduring.