Google, the world's leading search engine and tech giant, has revolutionized how we access information and interact with technology, shaping the digital landscape as we know it.
Before it was called Google, the search engine was named "Backrub." Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google's co-founders, initially used this name because the search engine analyzed "back links" to understand the importance of web pages.
The first Google Doodle was created in 1998 when Larry and Sergey attended the Burning Man festival. They placed a stick figure behind the second "o" in Google's logo to let users know they were "out of the office."
Google famously encouraged employees to spend 20% of their workweek on side projects unrelated to their primary roles. Many Google products, such as Gmail and AdSense, emerged from this policy.
In the early days, Google's first data center consisted of LEGO bricks. They used these to house the hard drives because they were easy to expand. Unfortunately, it also made the data center noisy and led to frequent replacements.
Google's first storage system was made from used computer parts, including disk drives Larry and Sergey found on eBay. They built their initial infrastructure on a shoestring budget.
Google is a major consumer of energy due to its data centers. To mitigate its environmental impact, the company has committed to using 100% renewable energy for all its operations, including data centers.
Google uses goats to mow the lawns of its headquarters. Instead of using lawnmowers, they hire a company called California Grazing to bring in herds of goats to naturally and eco-friendly maintain the grounds.