Google: History, Growth, and Key Developments - From Founding to AI

Google Inc. was founded on September 4, 1998, by Larry Page and Sergey Brin. It is widely recognized as the world's largest search engine company. The company reported a net profit of $76.033 billion in the 2021 fiscal year, marking an 88.81% year-on-year increase. Google is a multinational technology company headquartered in the United States, operating in areas such as internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technology. It develops and provides a wide array of internet-based products and services, with its primary revenue source being keyword advertising and related services.

The official Google website, 'Google', was launched in late 1999. In March 2010, Google announced the discontinuation of its search services in mainland China. In August 2015, Google restructured its corporate framework and established 'Alphabet', an umbrella company, becoming a subsidiary under this new structure.

Google's remarkable growth and brand value were recognized in 2016 when it topped the 'BrandZ Global Top 100 Most Valuable Brands' list with a brand value of $229.198 billion, surpassing Apple. This success continued in 2017, as Google secured the top spot on both the 'Brand Finance Global 500 Brands' list and the 'BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands' list.

Google's commitment to Artificial Intelligence (AI) was solidified in December 2017 with the formal establishment of the Google AI China Center in Beijing. Further demonstrating its commitment to technology innovation, in January 2018, Google and Tencent signed a cross-licensing agreement covering a broad range of patents across various products and technologies.