Google name origin: how spelling mistake of 'googol' created tech giant's brand

Core Insights - The name "Google" reflects the company's ambition to manage vast amounts of data and search queries, emphasizing the scale of information processing intended by its search algorithm [1][9] - The original name for the search engine was "BackRub," which was later changed in 1997 during a rebranding effort [10] - The name "Google" originated from a misspelling of "googol," a mathematical term representing 1 followed by 100 zeros, which was initially considered by the development team [5][9] Company History - Google was founded in 1998 by Stanford PhD students Sergey Brin and Larry Page, with official incorporation on September 4, 1998, although the company celebrates its anniversary on September 27 [7][10] - The company started in a garage in Menlo Park and has since evolved into a global technology corporation, becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. in 2015 [7][10] Leadership Structure - Sundar Pichai serves as the CEO of both Google and its parent company Alphabet Inc., with Brin and Page remaining as key stakeholders and board members [8][10] - The leadership structure allows the founders to maintain influence over the company's direction while enabling professional management to oversee daily operations [8][10]