How Old Is Google in 2025? 27 Years Since 1998 Founding

Most of us use Google every single day without thinking twice about it—but have you ever stopped to wonder how long the tech giant has actually been around? Founded on September 4, 1998, by Stanford PhD students Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google recently turned 27 years old in 2025. This article traces Google’s birth, compares it to competitors like Netflix, and unpacks what its age means for the modern web.

Founded: September 4, 1998 · Current Age: 27 years (as of 2025) · Founders: Larry Page and Sergey Brin · IPO Year: 2004 · Ownership: Page and Brin control 56% voting power

Is Google older than Netflix?

This surprises many people: Netflix is actually older than Google. Netflix was founded on August 29, 1997 (Wikipedia Timeline of Netflix), while Google’s official founding date is September 4, 1998 (Upgrow Google History). That means Netflix predates Google by over a year.

Founding dates comparison

• Netflix: August 29, 1997 — started as a DVD-by-mail service in Scotts Valley, California, founded by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph (Wikipedia Netflix Overview)
• Google: September 4, 1998 — started as a search engine project in Menlo Park, California, founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin (Upgrow Google History)

Both companies emerged during the dot-com boom, but they took entirely different paths. Netflix operated as a DVD-by-mail service (Wikipedia Netflix Overview), while Google’s initial focus was web search (Upgrow Google History).

Timeline overlap

• Netflix website launched: April 14, 1998 (Marketing4Ecommerce Netflix History)
• Google officially founded: September 4, 1998 (Upgrow Google History)
• Netflix went public: 2002 at $15 per share (Office Timeline Netflix History)
• Google went public: 2004 (Upgrow Google History)
• Netflix streaming launch: January 2007 (Wikipedia Netflix Overview)

The comparison reveals how different “age” looks for tech companies. While Netflix was launching streaming in 2007, Google was already a dominant search engine that had acquired YouTube in 2006 (Upgrow Google History).

What was Google’s real name?

Before Google became Google, it was known as “BackRub.” The project began in 1995 at Stanford University when PhD students Larry Page and Sergey Brin started researching methods to rank web pages (Upgrow Google History).

Pre-Google project name

• BackRub (1995): Named for its analysis of “backlinks” to determine page importance
• Stanford origins: Page and Brin developed the algorithm as part of their PhD research
• Name inspiration: The term “googol” — the number 1 followed by 100 zeros — reflected the project’s ambition to organize vast amounts of web information

Renaming details

The project was renamed to Google in 1997 (Upgrow Google History). The exact day of the rename isn’t well-documented, but the year aligns with when Page and Brin decided to commercialize their research. They officially incorporated Google Inc. on September 4, 1998, in a garage in Menlo Park, California (Upgrow Google History).

Is it Google’s 27th birthday?

Yes — as of 2025, Google celebrated its 27th birthday on September 4. The milestone invites comparison: Netflix turned 28 in August 2025, making it technically older than Google by over a year (Wikipedia Netflix Overview).

Exact founding date

• Official founding: September 4, 1998 — when Larry Page and Sergey Brin incorporated Google Inc. in Menlo Park, California (Upgrow Google History)
• BackRub precursor: The research project began in 1995, meaning Google’s intellectual origins predate its incorporation by three years (Upgrow Google History)

2025 celebration notes

Google typically marks its birthday with subtle references rather than public celebrations, as the company focuses on product development over corporate anniversaries. However, the 27-year milestone reflects substantial growth: from a search engine in a garage to a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., operating across search, advertising, cloud computing, and hardware.

Google became a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. in 2015 (Upgrow Google History), reorganizing its various businesses under a holding company structure. This change didn’t alter Google’s founding date but shifted how the company reports its financial results.

Who is the owner of Google?

Google operates as a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., which became its parent company in October 2015 (Upgrow Google History). However, the founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin retain significant control over the company.

Founders’ stakes

• Larry Page and Sergey Brin ownership: Approximately 14% of total shares (Upgrow Google History)
• Control structure: Despite owning only 14%, the founders control approximately 56% of voting power through Class B shares with 10:1 voting rights (Upgrow Google History)

Current control

This dual-class share structure means Page and Brin maintain effective control over Google’s major decisions even though they don’t own a majority of shares. The arrangement protects the company from short-term shareholder pressure and allows long-term strategic planning.

Google went public in 2004 via IPO on NASDAQ (Upgrow Google History), but the founders’ voting control remains intact. Alphabet Inc. now trades publicly as GOOGL, with Google operating as its largest subsidiary alongside other divisions like Waymo, Verily, and DeepMind.

How old is Google search engine?

The Google search engine officially launched in 1998 alongside the company’s incorporation on September 4 (Upgrow Google History). In 2025, the search engine is 27 years old — though its technical foundations (BackRub) stretch back to 1995.

Launch timeline

• 1995: BackRub research project begins at Stanford University (Upgrow Google History)
• 1997: Project renamed to Google (Upgrow Google History)
• September 4, 1998: Google Inc. officially incorporated in Menlo Park, California (Upgrow Google History)
• 2000: Google AdWords launched, establishing the advertising model that would fund the company’s growth (Upgrow Google History)

Evolution markers

The search engine’s journey reflects how “age” manifests differently for tech products. By 2000, Google was processing millions of searches daily. Key acquisitions accelerated its evolution: YouTube in 2006 (Upgrow Google History), Android in 2005, and Chrome in 2008 each expanded Google’s reach beyond pure search.

Today, Google processes billions of searches per day across more than 100 languages. The search engine’s 27-year history demonstrates how a single product — when first to market with superior technology — can sustain dominance for decades.

Age Comparison: Google vs Netflix

Five key metrics reveal how these two tech giants compare after nearly three decades of operation.

The comparison highlights how similar ages can mask entirely different trajectories. Google’s 27 years built on search dominance and advertising revenue, while Netflix spent its first decade as a DVD rental service before pivoting to streaming.

Google’s Timeline

• 1995: BackRub project begins at Stanford University (Upgrow Google History)
• 1997: Project renamed to Google (Upgrow Google History)
• September 4, 1998: Google Inc. officially incorporated in Menlo Park, California (Upgrow Google History)
• 2000: Google AdWords launched (Upgrow Google History)
• 2004: Google goes public via IPO on NASDAQ (Upgrow Google History)
• 2006: Google acquires YouTube for $1.65 billion (Upgrow Google History)
• 2015: Google becomes a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. (Upgrow Google History)
• 2025: Google celebrates its 27th birthday

The timeline shows Google’s consistent expansion from search engine to internet infrastructure. Each milestone represents a phase of growth: the early research years (1995-1998), the public years (1998-2015), and the Alphabet era (2015-present).

“Netflix (the online movie and tv show streaming service) was first released on August 29th, 1997. Over a year before Google first launched in September 1998.”

— Nathenial, Steemit Technology Post

“On September 4, 1998, Page and Brin officially founded Google Inc. in a garage in Menlo Park, California. This date marks the company’s birth.”

— Upgrow