Google celebrates 25th birthday; looks into the promise of AI

Google, the beloved search engine, marked its 25th anniversary with a celebratory doodle today (September 27, 2023). It features a GIF transforming ‘Google’ into ‘G25gle’ in honour of the milestone. Clicking on the logo triggers a confetti display on the page.

The company expressed gratitude for the journey in its blog, stating that Google is oriented towards the future and birthdays can also be a time to reflect. They emphasised the enduring mission of organising global information for universal accessibility and usefulness.

Founded by doctoral students Sergey Brin and Larry Page, Google originated from their shared vision of enhancing accessibility on the World Wide Web. Established on September 4, 1998, Google Inc officially came into being on September 27, 1998. For the initial seven years, Google celebrated its birthday on September 4, but later shifted the date to coincide with the announcement of the record number of indexed pages.

Sundar Pichai, the present CEO, succeeded Page on October 24, 2015. Reflecting on Google’s 25 years, Pichai expressed gratitude for the collective efforts that propelled the company. He highlighted the importance of pushing opportunities with AI to do things that matter on an even bigger scale. Search remains central to their mission, but Google now encompasses a diverse array of products serving billions of users and businesses worldwide.