Google: From Project to Public

OVERVIEW

The rapid growth of the internet worldwide in the 1990's sparked a technological revolution that continues to shape the world we live in today. This boom brought with it the perception of limitless opportunities and success in the "dot com" world. As a result, entrepreneurs of all kinds took to the internet with their ideas. Some ideas immediately received favorable attention and led to continued investment in those areas. After the initial rush into this new-found gold min, the advantages of the World Wide Web were apparent to all who came to know and love it. While the apparent endless success of opportunities appeared to come to somewhat of a screeching halt, several entities still continued to make the best of the situation. Today, names such as Ebay and Amazon are commonplace in almost every household with a computer and internet connection. But, perhaps even more surprisingly, the name Google has become more than just a silly name with a meaning most people may not know. It represents a story of unbelievable success in a market that did not take kindly to small competitors. Google Inc. is now a major public corporation in the United States, but going back to its inception, growth, and success, we witness a truly compelling story.

The inherent nature of the internet allowed for a vast number of potential successes in entrepreneurship. This relatively new marketplace connected people from anywhere on the globe to virtually any and everything. Information could be easily accessed, obtained, downloaded, or shared at any time of day with just about anyone else who had the means to surf the internet. While many companies sought to reap the benefits of easy accessibility by offering various products for sale, others chose to pursue other avenues to success. Selling products on the internet appeared to be a clear and obvious choice, within reason. Specialty shops, existing brand name department stores, and electronics stores took to the internet to provide consumers an alternative to face-to-face transactions. Still, other entrepreneur's saw the value of advertising on the internet, and quickly jumped on the opportunity to host and link sponsor web sites at a huge profit. Without heavy regulation, however, the internet saw potential in a completely opposite direction with genres like gambling and pornography. But with all of these potential money making schemes, a much less obvious tool came into play as one of the most successful and stable components of the internet. Google entered the World Wide Web as an internet search engine and surpassed expectations to become the world's premier search engine and so much more. To this day, Google continues to grow and enter new markets to ensure its viability for decades to come.

During my initial research on companies that sparked my interest, I spent a great deal of time familiarizing myself with not only the financial prowess, but also the stories of how those companies came to be. Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of Google Inc. is the story of its inception. I examined several other aspects of each company, and viewed their mission statements to gain an understanding of what their operations seek to achieve. While most of the companies or entrepreneurs I researched seemed to have goals related and measured by financial success, I was drawn closer to Google after reading its mission statement. According to Google Inc.'s Company Overview, "Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful." Not only is that one of the most concisely written and straight-to-the-point mission statements I have ever seen, it is also the most utilitarian, with a goal of enhancing the world today. I was extremely impressed with the underlying theme behind Google's work, and my curiosity continued to peak.

GOOGLE'S BEGINNING

The story of how Google started up is unique in the fact that it began as a project. Two graduate students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin came together to work on a research project at Stanford University's computer science department. At the time they began working together in 1995, they looked into developing a new search technology that would operate more efficiently and on a completely different principle than existing web search engines. At the time, the most common method utilized by the major search engines on the internet was returns based on how often keywords appear in a particular website. The theory behind Google's search technology approached the subject from a different angle. Page and Brin hoped to produce more relevant results, rather than something based on frequency. Not only was the engine to be highly reliable, it was to be designed to produce results with unprecedented efficiency. Complex results could be posted in under a second. This technology would continue to be built upon through 1998. Interestingly enough, Google was not the first search engine to be developed at Stanford. Yahoo and Excite, two major search engines, were also born at the computer science department there.

Perhaps the most important factor that ultimately allowed Google to "buy in" to the internet marketplace was a generous grant of $25 million in capital from an independent group. It may seem counter-intuitive to invest so heavily in a service that would ultimately be free to those who used it. However, the potential for additional investment, sponsorship, and advertising, would allow major search engines to survive on the World Wide Web. Google in its early days also enjoyed the advantage of a small workforce and low overhead costs. Aside from continuing to improve upon its technology, maintenance and upkeep were relatively simple and heavy investment was not required to keep company afloat. At the time, Google started out as a private entity, belonging to Larry Page and Sergey Brin. The humorous and playful name chosen for the search engine was actually derived from the word "googol," a mathematical term for a 1 with 100 zeros after it (the next time you search for something on Google, the long list of O's at the bottom of the page will finally make sense!). Because the founders developed Google with other endeavors in mind, the ability to expand provided an excellent opportunity and was a display of entrepreneurial genius in creating a niche that remains unparalleled today. Some of the other services offered by Google Inc. spawned directly from the technology pioneered by Page and Brin. Brin noted the importance of remaining ahead the pack technologically and to always maintain a unique edge, which Google has been able to do thus far.

ENTREPRENEURS: IT TAKES TWO

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