Key Points
Google turns 28 on September 27, 2026, celebrating with a nostalgic Doodle and trivia quiz.
A $100,000 cheque from Andy Bechtolsheim in 1998 forced Larry Page and Sergey Brin to incorporate Google Inc. overnight.
Google now operates in over 200 cities across six continents with offices featuring local art, beehives, and gardens.
Alphabet Inc., Google's parent company formed in 2015, is valued at more than $4 trillion.
Google celebrated its 28th birthday on September 27, 2026, with a special Doodle bringing back its early logo. The milestone marks 28 years since Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded the search engine, which grew from a $100,000 investment in 1998 to a company now worth more than $4 trillion. The birthday Doodle includes an interactive trivia quiz about Google’s company history and traditions.
How Google’s $100,000 cheque forced the company into existence
In 1998, Sun Microsystems co-founder Andy Bechtolsheim wrote a $100,000 cheque to Google Inc., but the company did not legally exist yet. The cheque forced Larry Page and Sergey Brin to formally incorporate Google Inc. on September 4, 1998. Page and Brin had met at Stanford University in 1995 and built a search engine called Backrub that ranked pages by links rather than keywords alone.
Why Google celebrates on September 27, not September 4
Google officially incorporated on September 4, 1998, but has celebrated its birthday on September 27 since 2006. The company changed the date to commemorate a historic record-breaking page indexing milestone that occurred around that time. The exact reason for the shift remains unclear, though Google used different September dates in the early 2000s before settling on September 27.
From Stanford dorm to global tech powerhouse
Google has grown from a garage startup into a company with offices and data centers on six continents in over 200 cities. The company now operates under parent company Alphabet Inc., formed in 2015. Google’s products span search, Gmail, YouTube, Google Maps, Android, Pixel phones, and its Gemini AI platform. Some offices feature unusual details like beehives, indoor gardens, local artwork, and a bronze dinosaur named Stan at its Mountain View headquarters.
Birthday deals and the interactive Doodle experience
Google is offering birthday discounts on its India store, including ₹7,000 instant cashback on Pixel 11 phones and exchange bonuses up to ₹9,000. The birthday Doodle features an AI Mode with a trivia quiz about Google’s company lore and historical quirks. Clicking the Doodle takes users into the interactive experience, allowing them to test their knowledge of Google’s 28-year journey.
Final Thoughts
Google’s 28th birthday underscores the company’s transformation from a $100,000-funded startup to a $4 trillion enterprise. For investors, Alphabet (GOOGL) remains a dominant player in search, advertising, and AI, with continued expansion across hardware and cloud services.
FAQs
Google Inc. was formally incorporated on September 4, 1998, after Andy Bechtolsheim wrote a $100,000 cheque to the startup. The cheque forced Larry Page and Sergey Brin to legally establish the company overnight.
Google has celebrated on September 27 since 2006 to commemorate a historic record-breaking page indexing milestone. The exact reason for the date change remains unclear, though the company used different September dates in the early 2000s.
Google, now operating under parent company Alphabet Inc., is worth more than $4 trillion. The company has grown from a garage startup into a global tech powerhouse with products spanning search, advertising, cloud, and AI.
Google is offering ₹7,000 instant cashback on Pixel 11 phones, exchange bonuses up to ₹9,000, and bundle deals with accessories. EMI options start from ₹3,458.29 per month for the Pixel 11.
Disclaimer:
The content shared by Meyka AI PTY LTD is solely for research and informational purposes. Meyka is not a financial advisory service, and the information provided should not be considered investment or trading advice.
About Author

Danny Kontos
Co FounderDanny Kontos has been a stock investor since 2007 and co-founded Meyka in 2023. He keeps a small, focused portfolio and only moves when the numbers are hard to argue with. He has waited years on a single position before. Before Meyka, he ran a web hosting company and a mortgage lending platform, so he knows what a well-run business actually looks like under the hood. This article did not come from a news cycle. It came from someone who has been watching this space for a long time.
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