Think Google Was Born On September 27? The Real Story Might Surprise You

Google is celebrating its 27th birthday today, September 27, 2025, with a nostalgic Doodle featuring its original 1998 logo. But interestingly, this isn't Google's actual founding date.

The company was officially incorporated on September 4, 1998, by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, who were then PhD students at Stanford University.

According to official information shared by Google, the company was effectively born in August 1998 when Sun Microsystems co-founder Andy Bechtolsheim wrote a $100,000 check to Larry Page and Sergey Brin, marking the formal beginning of Google Inc.

So why does Google celebrate its birthday weeks later, on September 27?

The reason isn't entirely clear-even Google has shifted the date over the years. In the early 2000s, the company marked its birthday on different dates in September, possibly tied to early milestones or public announcements. But since 2006, September 27 has been consistently used, possibly to commemorate a major achievement in web indexing that happened around the same time.

Regardless of the chosen date, Google uses its birthday celebration to reflect on how far it has come. From a basic search engine to a global tech powerhouse, Google's product portfolio now includes Gmail, YouTube, Google Maps, Android, Pixel phones, and cutting-edge work in AI through its Gemini platform.

Today, Google operates under its parent company Alphabet Inc., formed in 2015 to manage its growing range of services. While Larry Page and Sergey Brin have stepped back from daily operations, they retain voting control through special Class B shares. Sundar Pichai currently serves as CEO of both Google and Alphabet.

Whether September 4 or 27, the celebration marks an extraordinary journey from a garage startup to one of the most influential companies in the world.