- Google celebrates its 27th birthday with a Doodle showing its first logo from 1998
- Google was incorporated on 4 September 1998 but marks its anniversary on 27 September
- The first Google Doodle was an “out of office” message created by founders Larry and Sergey
Google is marking its 27th birthday with a special throwback on its homepage, offering a glimpse of where it all began. The search giant has shared a celebratory Doodle that features the company's very first logo, bringing a wave of nostalgia to users.
“This Doodle marks Google's 27th birthday. We're celebrating by getting nostalgic with our first-ever logo. Search on,” read the message by Google.
The artwork goes back to 1998, the year the now-mighty tech enterprise was born. As the Doodle description said, “The Doodle artwork features Google's first-ever logo (created in 1998). Let this vintage logo transport you back to the ‘90s and teleport into the future by checking out Google's newest AI innovation.”
Though the company was incorporated on September 4, 1998, it eventually chose September 27 as its official anniversary date. The change is linked to one of the earliest Doodles, an “out of office” design, created when its founders headed off on a trip. “The very first Doodle launched as an ‘out of office' message of sorts when company founders Larry and Sergey went on vacation.”
Back then, two Stanford PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, were running their fledgling search engine from a garage in Menlo Park. Their mission, to “organise the world's information and make it universally accessible,” has since reshaped how billions of people interact with the internet.
In 27 years, the company has grown into a global powerhouse, now under parent firm Alphabet Inc. Beyond its core search business, Google now spans cloud services, advertising, Android, YouTube, smart devices and artificial intelligence. Under CEO Sundar Pichai, the company continues to break new ground in machine learning, quantum computing and e-commerce.
Doodles have also evolved dramatically from that first playful design. Over the years, these homepage artworks have turned into elaborate animations, interactive games and tributes to scientists, artists and global milestones.
This year's anniversary Doodle, however, chooses to look back. By showcasing the original 1998 logo, Google is both celebrating its journey and thanking its global community of users for being part of the story.
