Google Turns 27: What does ‘Google’ really mean? How a spelling mistake shaped the search giant

Core Insights - Google celebrates its 27th birthday on September 27, marking its evolution from a small garage project to the world's most popular search engine used by billions [1] - The name "Google" is derived from the mathematical term "Googol," which signifies a vast amount of information, reflecting the founders' ambition [2][6] - Google was initially named "BackRub" before the team brainstormed for a new name, eventually leading to the registration of the domain "google.com" due to a misspelling [3][5] Company Background - Google was founded by Sergey Brin and Larry Page, two PhD students at Stanford University, in 1998, with its official incorporation date being September 4, 1998 [7] - The company operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., which was established in 2015 [7] - Sundar Pichai currently serves as the CEO of Google and Alphabet, while Brin and Page remain key insiders and board members [8]